Looking ahead: Elements of future strategies

Previous section Strategies for livestock production systems

The challenge for policy makers and environmental and livestock specialists is to fully capture the contribution of livestock in development that will satisfy current and future human needs while maintaining the natural resource base. There is no resource-compromising aspect of animal protein production that cannot be resolved. The technologies exist but their successful adoption is often constrained by the difficulty in creating the right political and economic conditions in which environmentally friendly livestock production can take place. These difficulties stem from different interest spheres and complex links between livestock, the economy and society. Decision-makers in national governments, NGOs, at farming and community levels and in international and donor organizations, are the actors who must put the policy and technology elements to work within the context of consistent strategies. With government support and willingness to act, there are sufficient mechanisms to keep adverse effects of livestock production within tolerable limits and to enhance the net contribution to human welfare.

The need for informed decision-making

There is ample evidence that current decision-making regarding the role of livestock in sustainable agriculture is hampered by a lack of information and awareness of the type, extent and causes of livestock's current negative and positive impacts on the environment and of what may be expected of any change of policy or action. The complexity of livestock's interaction with other sectors imposes a formidable task at any level of decision-making. Better information on which to base decision-making is therefore urgently required. Production systems and ecosystems need to be documented, with emphasis on current hot spots, future environmental hazards, and potential positive contributions. For that, there is a need to:

- take stock of resource endowments ("intrinsic scarcities of production factors"), technologies and policies; monitor resource use, through geo-referencing and assess environmental impact of technologies and policy changes.
- increase awareness among decision-makers, producers and consumers of the environmental effects of different modes of production; educate consumers about the health risks associated with excessive consumption of animal products, particularly in the rich countries;
- increase analytical skills at farming level, schools and universities, government and non-governmental institutions for environmental impact assessment and related policy analyses; further develop economic evaluation techniques for environmental goods at farming, project and national levels.

Next section The need for consistent policies

[Livestock & Environment Toolbox Home]
[Livestock & the Environment - Issues and Options Home]