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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