UN and United Kingdom team up to bolster livestock production in poor States

Responding to the growing need for livestock in developing countries, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Kingdom today announced a new joint initiative to help cut poverty while promoting safe farming.

The UK Department for International Development will grant $13 million to the six-year project, which aims to promote policy reforms in support of poor livestock producers and reduce their exposure to risks such as drought and animal diseases.

Demand for livestock could double in the next two decades, prompting producers to move from dry to more humid areas where animal disease can more easily spread, according to FAO. The agency warned that an increase in livestock production close to cities could severely damage the environment and pose public health risks.

The initiative will serve to "break down the financial, technical, social and cultural barriers that restrict the access of poorer people to the potential offered by livestock," said Louise Fresco, Assistant Director of FAO's Agriculture Department.

The new project will also serve to raise awareness among opinion makers, especially in developed countries, about issues associated with livestock and the poor, according to FAO.