This report presents a global overview of the role of livestock in nutrition and food security, and discusses ways of meeting the expected increase in demand for livestock as a source of food with limited resources. It examines how livestock contributes to food security in three population groups — livestock-dependent societies, small-scale mixed farmers and urban dwellers — and the main challenges they face in producing enough food.

The first section of the report discusses how livestock contributes to food security, including economic factors that affect the choice of foods, and the stability of livestock food supplies. The second section examines the contribution of livestock as a source of food in each population group, and the last part of the report looks to future prospects for producing enough food in the context of risks such as water shortages. It concludes that careful management of livestock food systems will be key in building a stable livestock food supply to meet future needs.

This report, from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), highlights the results of research into what drives and inhibits the uptake of new crop-livestock farming techniques by small-scale cattle farms in Asian countries. The authors describe five farming systems in China, Indonesia and Vietnam that have attempted to increase beef production and profitability by integrating new farming knowledge and technology with help from ACIAR. Using these case studies, the authors draw out lessons learned for future initiatives. Key findings include the importance of partnering with local people who have a good understanding of the farming system, and having a realistic expectation of the scale of improvements that can be made with new technologies.

This publication from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), brings together a series of academic papers originally presented at an ILRI workshop, Coping with feed scarcity, in 1999.

The authors present case studies of undernutrition in ruminant livestock in tropical developing countries, and discuss implications for feed evaluation and socio-economic issues such as gender roles.

This 200-page report provides background data and analysis on climate impacts in sub-Saharan Africa, and identifies 'hotspots' of environmental change. It maps current farming systems throughout the continent, as well as key indicators of climate change including number and length of growing seasons and annual rainfall. A map of 'vulnerability' across the continent is presented, based on natural, physical, social and human indicators, and financial capital under different climate scenarios.

Some of the uncertainties in the analysis are identified and the decision-making implications discussed. Although the maps do not disclose the causes of climate change in Africa, they do give policymakers warning of the communities and farming systems likely to suffer most.

The report points out that Africa will face some of the largest impacts despite its countries being among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters. Developed countries therefore have an ethical obligation to help the continent prepare for climate change impacts, say the authors, although they also emphasise the need for local communities to start implementing adaptation strategies for themselves.