Livestock
Animal agriculture is the largest single sector of agricultural economies in
most developing and transition countries, and as a country develops, the
importance of livestock only increases. Developing countries now consume
close to half of the global meat supply. Since the early 1980s, milk consumption
in terms of quantity, monetary value and calories increased twofold in the
developing world. Animal proteins are an important source of Vitamin A and
B12, and many minerals. In poor households, livestock are a key means of
investment, and help to offer a kind of insurance again drought and crop
failure.
USAID has four decades of livestock and range development experience
in all of its working regions. This experience includes:
- Developing dairy production, processing, and market
distribution
- Vaccine and diagnostic development, commercialization,
and technology transfer
- Natural resource conservation/preservation
- Reducing risk of loss for rural livestock herders Pastoral
risk management
- Children’s nutrition
- Livestock early warning systems
Specific results of current projects exemplify how the Agency’s
continued support for livestock development benefits both developing
countries’ economies and that of the U.S. These benefits can be
measured in volume of trade, such as exports of genetics, technical assistance,
grains used for feed, equipment and supplies, or in transfer of technologies
that enable producers to increase household incomes.
For the past several years USAID has been an active partner in a global
livestock alliance. Building on the initiatives set forth by USAID, the
European Union, World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, alliance members are jointly funding or collaborating
on activities such as training and promoting community animal health
workers, animal health delivery services to herders, pastoral risk management,
and dairy development. USAID also continues to partner with U.S. livestock
business trade associations, agribusiness firms that service the livestock
and food processing industry, U.S. universities, and non-profits in a
variety of livestock strategies and programs.
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