How Does Farming With Animals Contribute To The Economy

FAO'south role in animal production

In several countries across the world, the surging demand for livestock products is largely met by big-calibration livestock production and associated food chains. Nonetheless, hundreds of millions of small-scale producers and pastoralists depend on livestock for their livelihoods. Across nutrient production, farm animals play other important economic, cultural and social roles and provide multiple functions and services. They are an essential part of agro-ecosystems.

FAO works to raise livestock's contribution to the Sustainable Evolution Goals (SDGs) by supporting the transformation of animal production systems – pocket-sized and big – in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

The Organization plays a policy informational and awareness raising function and provides technical support, advancement, information, noesis and guidance to help produce high quality animal products, safely, efficiently and responsibly, while improving poor people's livelihoods and meeting consumers' needs. FAO as well works alongside governments and farmers, responding during and subsequently livestock emergencies and promotes dialogue amongst public, private and civil society partners whose ultimate goal is responsible and sustainable livestock production.

Among other things, FAO's program focuses on animal genetics, animal husbandry, creature nutrition and feeding, antimicrobial resistance, animal wellness and brute welfare, pastoralism and agroecology.

Key facts

Cardinal fact 1

Livestock contributes to nearly 40 percent of total farm production in adult countries and 20 percent in developing ones, supporting the livelihoods of at least 1.3 billion people worldwide.

Key fact 2

Thirty-iv per centum of global food protein supply comes from livestock.

Key fact 3

Livestock consume annually about 6 billion tonnes of feed dry matter, virtually half existence grass. Eighty-six percent of the global livestock feed intake is fabricated of resources that are not edible by humans. Cereals represent about xiii pct of the intake, and about one third of global cereal production.

Key fact 4

Pastoralists promote rangeland health by improving soil fertility, conserving biodiversity, managing fires and accelerating food cycling.

Areas of work

The System supports member countries on different overlapping problems, including:

Animate being genetic resource direction

implementing the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources monitoring national brood populations;
measuring progress towards SDG indicators 2.5.one and ii.5.2;

Sustainable livestock product systems

planning and implementing the sustainable development of the livestock sector by, for instance, supporting the preparation of livestock master plans to guide and implement investments and policies;
improving livestock feeding systems, for example through enlarging the feed resource base, increasing feed safety, promoting the utilise of novel feed sources and related technologies, and reducing food-feed contest;
providing guidance and technical assistance on good animal husbandry practices and animal welfare;
reducing the use of antimicrobials in animal product;
facilitating the implementation of animal identification and traceability, value-chain development, animal breeding programmes and livestock farmer field schools;

Livestock, climate change and natural resource use

enhancing the role of livestock in agroecosystems and evaluating the performance of agroecological systems;
addressing the impacts of climate change on livestock, reducing the environmental footprint of livestock supply chains and assessing the impact of projects and investments on greenhouse gas emissions;

Pastoralism

supporting pastoralist friendly-policies and regulations and participatory determination-making;
supporting pastoral communities to build resilience by helping them to keep the short- and medium-term socio-economic, ecological and technical balances within and effectually pastoral systems.