- 1. Livestock: the good, the bad and Mario Herrero, ILRI ILRI
APM, Addis Ababa, April 2010
2. Why are we here today? Livestock are responsible for 51% of
global GHG emissions 3.
- To unravel what is behind the controversy, the polarised
opinions, the misunderstanding, the facts
- To think how we can make the most of this huge research
opportunity!
Why are we here today? 4. Livestock the goods (1) At least 600
million of the Worlds poor depend on livestock Thornton et al.
2002, revised 2009 5.
- Livestock products have a huge value of production (i.e.
milk)
- Mixed systems responsible for close to 50% of the global crop
output
- A significant global asset: value of at least $1.4 trillion
(excluding infrastructure that supports livestock industries)
(Thornton and Herrero 2008)
- Livestock industries organised in long market chains that
employ at least 1.3 billion people (LID 1999)
Livestock the goods (2) 6.
- Users of land not suitable for other livelihood activities
- A key risk reduction strategy for vulnerable communities
(Freeman et al 2007)
- Livestock products contribute to 17% of the global kilocalorie
consumption and 33% of the protein consumption (FAOSTAT 2008)
- Providers of food for at least 830 million food insecure people
(Gerber et al 2007)
- Important for reducing child malnutrition
Livestock the goods (3) Herrero et al 2008a 7.
-
- 80% of global deforestation in LAC direct land conversion to
pastures (20% soybean production)
-
- 33% of arable land used to plant crops for animals
-
- Large exports of feed to EU, China
-
- 31% of water used for agriculture
-
- 90% for the production of feed
-
- Projected demand for livestock products is likely todoubletotal
agricultural water use by 2050 (CA 2007) due primarily to increased
needs for feeds
The bads 8.
-
- Manures provide 14%, 9% and 40% of N, P and K inputsfor global
crop production, respectively
-
- Livestock important in smallholder systems as a source of
fertiliser.. not enough manure available in places
-
- but at the same time concentration of nutrients in industrial
system causes water pollution and waste disposalproblems (lack of
regulation)
Herrero et al. 2009 9. CO 2 CH 4 N 2 O Deforestation Enteric
fermentation Manure mgt Chemical N. fert. production On-farm fossil
fuel Deforestation OM release from ag. soils Pasture degradation
Processing fossil fuel Transport fossil fuel Enteric fermentation
Manure storage / processing N fertilization Legume production
Manure storage / processing Manure spreading / dropping Manu
indirect emissions Lives tock and GHG: 18% of globalemis
sions(varies between 13-18% depending on the source) FAO 2006 10.
Consensus from science
- Livestock are not bad everywhere
- Growth of the sector to meet demand may be unsustainable if
trends continue
- Significant opportunities to reduce environmental impact and
increase efficiency in the developing world
- Need to manage demand and increase regulation
- Big differences between North and South
11. Personal take
- Complex...but not a reason not to act
- No free lunch lots of trade-offs, need to think of simultaneous
dimensions(NRM, livelihoods, GHG)
- Difficult to negotiate for emissions reductions different
paradigms between North and South
12. Gaps
- No real global integrated assessment of livestock in
competition with other sectors.
- Long Shadow good but not enough as it looks at the livestock
sector in isolation of other sectors
- Understanding the magnitude of the potential impacts of
technological fixes
- How to manage demand adequately (ethical issues)
- Can we meet demand for livestock products under carbon
constrained markets?
- Who are the winners and losers?
13. Livestock: the good, the bad and thanks! APM 2010 Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia