FAO, stakeholders commence livestock policy formulation ahead 2050

With the growing insecurity due to farmers-herdsmen crisis and indications that the demand for beef, among other livestock product may triple before year 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched the African Sustainable Livestock (ASL) 2050 in Nigeria to control the ripple effect of increasing demand for livestock product in the country.

The project was developed based on the fact that the livestock is the fastest growing sector in the agricultural sub-sector and the projections by the FAO Animal Production and Health division that indicated that by 2050 demand for beef, Dairy, and poultry would grow by 117per cent, 557per cent and 253per cent, respectively.

The findings further disclosed the demand for livestock product would also lead to increased investment in the sub-sector, which could have impact on the already volatile situation being experienced in the country, if not well managed.

The FAO Representative in Nigeria Suffyan Koroma, who spoke during the ASL 2050 launch in Abuja, noted that the project is thinking beyond the current development constraints and taking a long term perspective on livestock development, by providing a roadmap for the development of the sector.

Stressing the importance of the project, Koroma pointed out that it is challenging the heterogeneity and complexity and particularly the negative effects the sector can have on the society.

Koroma identified some of the negative effect of the livestock on the society to include zoonotic diseases, contaminated animal source foods, pollution of the soil, water, air, and loss of biodiversity.

He said: “ASL 2050 looks beyond current policies and programmes and require inputs from multiple sector, it would require one health approach and utilise expertise from multiple discipline.”

The FAO country representative noted that the aim was to ensure that health, and agricultural policies are harmonised and projected to 2050, so that the emerging and reemerging challenges would be taken care of in the policy that would be formulated.