Latin America and the Caribbean have taken a new step in the transition towards a more sustainable livestock sector with the recent signing of an ambitious agreement that combines increased production with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported on Wednesday.
The next global food producer
“Our region is called to become the next global food producer, so practices that contribute to sustainable, resilient and competitive livestock must be increasingly extended, to continue demonstrating that this sector is part of the solution”, highlighted the FAO Sustainable Livestock, Animal Health and Biodiversity officer, Andrés González.
The agreement was reached during the XVI meeting of the Livestock Development Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CODEGALAC) held between July 11th and 13th in Quito, Ecuador, said the FAO, whose regional headquarters are in Chile. The pact, the agency said in a statement, includes “important definitions on sustainable and regenerative livestock production, certification mechanisms, and on the role and challenges of small producers”.
Economic and social engine
Livestock production in Latin America and the Caribbean and the associated value chains serve as an economic and social engine, are linked to the livelihoods of small producers, favor food security, nutrition, provide employment and other multiplier effects to local and regional economies.
In the last 3 years, FAO has supported more than 30 projects in Latin America and the Caribbean to implement sustainable livestock initiatives, reducing the emission of gases per kilo of meat produced and, in turn, increasing production levels. Through the “Livestock and Climate” project in Uruguay, participating families reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 18% per kilo of meat produced, and in turn increased the production of beef by 8% and sheep meat by 17%, said the FAO.
“In Ecuador, this sector covers more than 284 thousand producers. And in recent years, within the framework of CODEGALAC, we have been able to demonstrate with results of high technical and scientific quality that livestock production can be carbon neutral”, said Ecuador’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Eduardo IzaguirreMarín, host of the event.
CODEGALAC was created as a statutory body of FAO since 1986 by mandate of all its member countries, and is a body that brings together representatives of governments and the private sector to exchange experiences in livestock development policies and programs and the formulation of cooperation strategies for their strengthening.
