Vétérinaires Sans Frontièreswww.vsfe.org

VSF perspectives in

livestock issues for the next

decades

Alessandro BrogliaVSF Symposium, 6th October 2011

What do you think about?

Rich pastureHealthy cowBeautiful landscapeGood milkFood security !

12.3 million people are in need of assistance in the Horn of Africa 146 000 people in Djibouti, 4.5 million in Ethiopia, 3.7 million in Kenya, 4 million in Somalia. 750 000 people in Somalia are at risk of death due to famine

What do you think about?

Crop failure, farm abandoning, overgrazing, disruption of nomadic routes, outbreak risks, shortage of food stocks ……..

…Ever heard ??

WHY?not drought but vulnerability during drought

in the semi arid lands >>> repeated food crises.

in contrast semi arid lands produce most of the livestock traded in the region

Reality - consciousness

one billion people suffer from hunger today in the world.

two third are living in rural areas and depend non livestock for their survival

Something to which we must respond >>> support

Opportunities to promotelong-term preventive measures>>>> preparedness

Crises ??

26 % higher than in August 2010

Other drivers to CRISIS

in 2010-2011 rising food costs >>>>70 million people into extreme poverty (World Bank)

WORLD FOOD DAY 2011

FOOD PRICES – FROM CRISIS TO STABILITY

concepts

Food sovereignty

Food safety

Food security

Food “S”

Food sovereignty

Food safetyFood security

Food “S”

Food SovereigntyFood Sovereignty is the right of every community and every population to define its own agricultural policies,

regarding the choice of the species to be cultivated and bred,

the production process,

the quality and safety of foods,

the energetic implications,

the markets,

the access to resources,

the social and environmental impact of production,

the information for the consumers

One Health Eco-Health

Public Health

Animal Health

Health

Eco-Health

We are part of the biosphere rather than the planet

being the house of humans

healthier ecosystems

sustainable human and animal health and wellbeing

Interface amonghealth-environment-society

medicine, health, agriculture, environment, economics, sociology, anthropology, geography, …

No borders !!

People migration

Wind of change…

Production system

Consumption patterns

Climate change

Emerging disease

Drug resistance

Arabic spring

Why vets ?Vets think across a wide range of species

Vets synthesize information

•from many sources (economics, zoology, ecology, medicine) •from many spatial scales (microbial mechanisms, animal behaviour, agri-food systems structures)

Vets can talk as easily: •with a farmer•with a government official

Vets can shift topics from a single clinical case to the implications of international level

Why VSF ?

www.vsfe.org

Healthy animals - healthy people

• improving livelihoods of most vulnerable means improving livestock condition;

• reducing poverty by increasing food sovereignty on the planet.

www.vsfe.org

World Veterinary Congressin Cape Town next week

CARING FOR ANIMALS: HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

actions

Actions in the South

www.vsfe.org

VSF supports rural communities, with activities in the following areas :

•Animal health services

•Capacity Building

•Natural Resources Management

•Emergency Relief and Preparedness

•Income generation

•Awareness raising

VSF projects milestones

www.vsfe.org

• Livelihood oriented

• Sustainable development

• Participatory approach

• Involvement in decision-making process

• Raising awareness

Some figures

www.vsfe.org

• Today VSF is :

>100 projects distributed over 40 countries

• Human ressources :

50 employees in HQs, 60 expatriates and 360 local employees.

• Total finances :

> 20 millions EUROS

Actions in the North

www.vsfe.org

VSF implements projects in the North

- Developement education projects

- Knowledge management

- Lobbying- Veterinary Information Service

VSF Europa tasks

www.vsfe.org

• To strengthen VSF members

• To gather and share information regarding results and experience in the field (knowledge management)

• To sensitize the wider public on the role of the livestock as key factor for sustainable development.

•Worldwide advocacy

Severals VSFsVetaid

(UK)

DIO(NL)

AVSF France

Veterinarios Sin Fronteras

ESP)

VSF Belgium

VSF – TOG Germany

VSF Suisse

SIVtro – VSF Italy(IT)

VSF Austria

More VSFs….

VSF Canada

VSF U.S.

and newly born: VSF Norway, VSF Czech,……

Issues raised in 2009by VSF

…to be discussed

??????

•Underdevelopment is the consequence of the over (wrong, unsustainable) development of others

•Vet without borders: development is not possible until borders remain.

•Commodities move “freely”, people do not.

•Why is development aid not working the way we want?

•Is there coherence in development projects?

VSF Priorities raised in 2009

….to be DONE !!!

•Supporting small farmers or livestock keepers associations for better access to local markets

•Locally focusing long term follow-up of development aid actions

•Sensitize consumers – targeting them, planning middle to long term impact assessment on food market – on food sovereignty

•Better coordination among policy makers dealing with food trade, food security, food safety, development aid

Priorities

•Stress the comparative advantage: report field experience, facts, working solutions for small scale farmers

•Actions should highlight integration and participation of local communities in decision making and crosscutting multi-disciplinary issues (animal health, natural resources mgmt, raising awareness, …, …)

•Provide family farmers with tools, land, credit, technical support, training

•The keyword is awareness: in the North and in the South!

Priorities

•From top-down to bottom-up, beneficiaries should participate in the decision of their own development policies

•Targeting consumers; strengthen the demand for local products in the development countries

•More transparency and improving accountability worldwide

Priorities - solutions

•Subsidized economies, unprotected markets, deregulated trade make development impossible

•Food safety should be taken into consideration when intervention of food security or food sovereignty are planned

•Common good practices and commitments for all VSF

Priorities - solutions

What about today ?

Please say, please do!!

www.vsfe.org

Special thanks to VSF Austria

for the Gastfreundschaft !!

THANK YOU for your attention

….and for your support !www.vsfe.org