Arianna Giuliodori
Secretary General, World Farmers’ Organisation
Livestock farming plays a crucial role in sustainable development, offering solutions for food security, nutrition, biodiversity and climate change.
Livestock farming is essential for successfully implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving Regenerative Food Systems. Despite criticisms and misleading narratives, livestock farming holds a tremendous – and still untapped – potential to address many global challenges from food security to climate change.
Livestock farming: a sustainable solution
Well-managed livestock systems contribute to carbon sequestration, soil health and grassland restoration; they can help maintain a circular flow of materials in agriculture, making sustainable livestock farming integral to the development of circular economies.
Sustainable livestock systems have the power to be a force for good in the fight against climate change, with farmers implementing innovative and nature-positive approaches that reduce emissions and enhance biodiversity — revitalising ecosystems and mitigating the climate crisis.
Sustainability in food and water systems
Livestock farming offers a vital source of high-quality proteins and essential nutrients, thus contributing to global food security and combating malnutrition.
Sustainable livestock farming is essential for maintaining water quality and managing waste responsibly. Proper land management prevents soil erosion and water contamination, while effective manure management reduces pollution and improves water quality, benefiting ecosystems and communities.
Livestock farming offers a vital source of high-quality proteins and essential nutrients, thus contributing to global food security and combating malnutrition.
Livestock as a source of energy and employment
Energy recycling from manure, such as through anaerobic digestion, offers fossil fuel alternatives and contributes to affordable and renewable energy solutions.
Furthermore, livestock farming has significant socioeconomic value, creating employment opportunities and driving local development, especially in rural communities. Over 1.3 billion people worldwide are employed in livestock production — a source of income for around 600 million of the poorest households.
Unleashing economic, social and environmental sustainability
At the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), we believe that livestock is not ‘the problem’ as it is often portrayed by its detractors — it is an integral part of ‘the solution’ to economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Collaboration through the entire value chain, in a bottom-up approach, is how we achieve a sustainable livestock sector that can benefit everyone. That is why, in the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) — with organisations from the private sector, academia and civil society — launched a formal multi-stakeholder coalition focusing on sustainable livestock. Together, we can unleash a livestock revolution that feeds the world sustainably, restores ecosystems, mitigates climate change and builds a future where nature and humanity thrive in harmony.