Research that works for developing countries and AustraliaTheme 1Meeting rising demand for animal proteinWhat is the challenge? The character of livestock production in developing countries is changing. Population growth, urbanisation and income growth are fuelling a massive increase in the demand for protein from livestock and fish in human diets. This ‘livestock revolution’ is demand-driven, in contrast to the green revolution. The opportunities for the poorer communities in developing countries to benefit are considerable. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the consumption of meat in the developing world grew by 70 million tonnes, compared with only 26 million tonnes in the developed world. Milk consumption in the developing world followed the same trend, and it is expected that meat and milk consumption will continue to grow for several decades. The increase in livestock production will put a heavy demand and stress on resources. The structural change that is occurring in the livestock sector due to increased demand is based on greater utilisation of traditional feed resources as well as an increased use of feed grains. The recent expansion in animal meat demand in developing countries has so far been met mainly from increased off-take rather than increases in productivity. There has also been a major increase in urban livestock production, degradation of rural grazing areas, clearing of forests and a change from the production of livestock based on surplus and waste resources to one seeking new resources for intensification of production. Capture fisheries are thought to have reached (and in some cases, exceeded) their sustainable limits, so in recent years the significant increases in fish production have come from aquaculture. However, increased aquaculture production needs to be managed carefully because of sustainability issues including management of disease and environmental discharges. The cost of fish feed sources has a major influence on the profitability of aquaculture activities at all scales, and finding suitable alternatives to fish-based and/or imported feeds is a high priority. Sustainable management of capture fisheries and reduction of by-catch will also be critical. Rising national incomes in the Asian region are a critical driver of the increase in animal food consumption. While animal proteins provide important nutrients where many people subsist on diets composed of starchy staples, increased meat and fish consumption can lead to human health risks, such as dangers of excessive dietary fats (in the case of meat), threats to food safety and deleterious environmental impacts from the production and processing of wastes. Cultural attitudes affect aspects of meat consumption in Hindu and Muslim partner countries. Poultry and fish products are the most acceptable livestock products throughout the world, although there are significant differences in fish consumption levels between regions. How can ACIAR respond? ACIAR’s challenge is to work towards the sustainability of increased livestock and fisheries production for poor farmers and consumers, through research that underpins the development of the animal food sector of developing countries. Smallholder producers require cost-effective production technologies, appropriate infrastructure and policies, and better access to international markets. Poor consumers require lower-priced products, higher in quality and with minimal food safety risks. Technical research and development priorities include:
The focus areas The focus statements from theme 1 are available below for download as Portable Document Format (PDF) files. In order to view the statements, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, it can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe website (www.adobe.com). |
World populationRSS FeedsOur ProgramsBy Country: |
