Concertation Indépendante
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Main findings
Embracing change: new connections Although the majority of participants were in some way connected with the livestock sector, there was consensus that further engagement is needed with those beyond the sector, whether in health, nutrition, food security, equity, environment, etc., or those who believe that animal agriculture and the consumption of livestock products should stop. Facilitating such engagement will require deliberate efforts from livestock stakeholders, including multi-stakeholder processes within and beyond the sector. The UN FSS provides a forum to expand and continue these con
... Lire la suiteversations. Participants recognized that discussions about livestock often focus on the production aspects of the sector, and that these discourses need to expand, especially to include communications across the sector and especially with consumers. Harnessing diversity and nuancing communication Participants recognized that the global discussion about livestock usually lacks the nuance that reflects the diversity of the sector and thus the solutions required to ensure its contributions to future food systems. It was emphasized that a polarized debate that has extremes of ‘livestock all bad’ or ‘livestock all good’ is unhelpful and does not reflect the diversity of livestock roles across the world, or the need for multiple, different changes and solutions throughout the sector towards better food systems in future. The most-cited examples of global discourse that does not account for livestock sector diversity concerned the consumption of livestock-derived foods and the impacts on the environment. For the former it was noted that for wealthier countries and segments of the population across the world, the message about reducing consumption of livestock-derived foods or making dietary choices (such as veganism or vegetarianism) facilitated by easy access to diverse nutrients may be appropriate. For less-wealthy countries and populations, improving access, availability and affordability of quality, safe, livestock-derived foods could make a significant, positive difference to nutritional wellbeing (and its wider ramifications for stunting, cognitive development etc), especially for the most vulnerable (pregnant and lactating mothers, children in the first 1000 or even 3000 days, elderly). Regarding livestock and the environment, participants again highlighted contrasting narratives, between the damage livestock production inflicts on the environment and the positive benefits that must be harnessed. These range from emissions of greenhouse gases from ruminant animals where improving production efficiencies (emissions per unit of product) is paramount in most LMICs, to opportunities for carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation across the world’s vast rangelands, to opportunities for regenerative agriculture approaches based on livestock management. Both of these (and other, such as One Health) areas will benefit from stronger, credible, well-communicated scientific evidence to inform all stakeholders, from policy makers to farmers to consumers and schoolchildren on the choices and implications as well as appropriate incentives. Presently, this is hampered by multiple very different global statistics which are often inappropriately extrapolated. Communication also needs to better incorporate very diverse, often essential roles of livestock for livelihoods, women and youth. Embracing change: action within the livestock sector The diverse livestock sector actors who joined the dialogue all acknowledge that, as with all sectors, change towards better future food systems must be embraced. What that change looks like is incredibly diverse because of the diversity of ways that animals and their products are raised, managed and consumed as well as their multiple roles. Key areas for change that were recognized include tackling those hard areas where livestock are indeed problematic – where environmental impacts, consumption patterns and production strategies are harming the planet and its people. Change also means grasping opportunities where incentives, information and policy can better support livestock’s positive contributions to environmental, health and livelihood outcomes. All livestock sector stakeholders must engage and commit to diverse and significant change. Such change needs to be informed by robust evidence and must include engagement well beyond the livestock sector itself. The livestock sector’s commitment to change must however go well beyond changing conversations and nuancing debates. It requires collective action, potentially facilitated through multisectoral and multi-stakeholder dialogues. Importantly, it is incumbent upon the sector to provide and embrace practical solutions to mitigate the challenges and harness the opportunities for livestock to fully play a role in sustainable future food systems. Among the 2030 outcomes for the sector were: healthier, more productive, and well cared for animals; reducing carbon emissions from livestock; quality over quantity; improve productivity, efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of the livestock sector; moving to regenerative farming; change the negative image of the sector; and to acknowledge and secure the contributions livestock for a healthy planet, its people and their diets. Lire moins
Piste(s) d'Action: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Mots-clés : Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment