A new report released by FAO at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin calls for a thoughtful reconfiguration of livestock systems based on analyses of risks and benefit for addressing current vulnerabilities to better mitigate the accelerating threats of infectious disease outbreaks and climate destabilization.

COVID-19 has created a sharp rise in food insecurity worldwide, with disruptions to food production, supply chains, and livelihoods. It has revealed underlying risks, fragilities, and inequities in global food systems that call for change. Whilst recovery efforts understandably focus on managing immediate risks of COVID-19 and facilitating a swift recovery, the question arises of how nations can better prevent, prepare, and respond to the combined threats of climate destabilization and emerging health threats while meeting a growing demand for food.

The report indicates that the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 is a call to action for innovative transformations in food systems, including livestock. Livestock systems play a central role in food and nutrition security and contribute significantly to livelihoods and economic development. Investment in the transformation of livestock systems can accelerate progress in countering both climate destabilization and emerging infectious diseases while also furthering progress towards other sustainable development goals.

“The crucible of COVID-19 is an opportunity to ‘build back better’ by applying the lessons learned from emergency and rehabilitation activities of past zoonotic disease outbreaks and natural disasters to strengthen agri-food systems and economies. This means investing in sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and better lives”
FAO’s Director-General QU Dongyu

According to the report, the disruptions to livestock supply chains at various stages during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals a need for enhanced preparedness and response plans to build resilience in livestock systems to achieve greater food and nutrition security in the face of emerging threats. Also, as demand for animal-source food rises, food chain dynamics are creating new opportunities for zoonotic diseases to emerge and thrive thus there is the need to strengthen infection prevention and control measures to prevent future pandemic.

The report spells out recommendations for strengthening the livestock systems’ pandemic resilience as: increase agility of livestock systems to adapt quickly to blunt the impact of supply chain disruptions; promote collaboration within and across food systems and sectors for a One Health approach at local to global levels; accelerate innovation for digital and technological solutions for better market access in emergency situations and to create more contactless steps in livestock systems; improve traceability of animal-source foods such as through blockchain technologies connected to certification and labelling schemes; strengthen and observe international standards for safe and efficient trade to ensure access to safe food, amongst others.

The detailed report emphasizes the need for a robust One Health approach that allows animal-health measure and surveillance schemes to contribute to early-warning systems for emerging pathogens, the bolstering of equity to assure market access for vulnerable smallholders, supply-chain diversification and improved cold-chain infrastructure to optimize incomes and reduce food loss and waste, as well as land restoration, biodiversity protection, low-carbon techniques and innovations in livestock feed and productivity.