The presentation of the report was a starting point for a discussion on the role of animal health in order to meet, in particular, SDG goals 1 and 2 and if and how to export Sweden’s competence in combining a limited use of antibiotics with high productivity and animal welfare.
The review of policy and position documents from Swedish and international aid donors make one thing obvious: animal health is not a primary target. At best, it may appear subordinate to agriculture in a broad sense. In some cases, the links between human and animal health are pointed out, but usually from a human perspective and including the role of animals in the transmission of zoonotic and drug resistant microorganisms to humans. (page 60 of the report). The livestock sector looks as the biggest loser in the currently changing international aid strategies – and in the poorest countries’ economic policies (page 63). The agendas of most organizations are focused on the empowerment of women and on sustainable agricultural development. Again, few of them are referring specifically to animal health. (page 66).
Resource:
Jonathan Rushton, Arvid Uggla and Ulf Magnusson
Expertgruppen för biståndsanalys (EBA) 2017, 95 pages
Animal health deserves more of our attention. The absence of adequate animal health systems places a heavy burden on individual animal farmers, who, on their own, might find it hard to take necessary action to prevent the spreading of diseases. Animal diseases spread not only to other animals, but also to human beings. Investing in animal health can thus also be considered a global public good.
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| Arvid Uggla |
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| Ulf Magnusson |
The World Development Report (WDR) 2008 is focused on crop productivity. It makes no reference to the fact that improved crop productivity often leads to surplus grains being consumed by livestock to add value. page 23
The most common livestock system in Low Income Countries (LICs) is family-based smallholder farming where crops and a few animals are integrated. These systems are low-input and low-output. They produce the vast majority of the food consumed in their countries and account for approximately 50 per cent of the global beef and milk production. page 26
Consumption level of animal source foods is inadequate to meet nutritional and physical development needs of millions of poor people. However, new intensive livestock systems are actually capable of solving these problems. They pose new research and policy challenges regarding the distribution and management of externalities relating to
disease, antimicrobial resistance and waste management. page 27
New technologies in order to maintain high animal health and production status have not always been available. Even though intensive systems are becoming more important, large parts of the animal source food in LICs are still produced by smallholders. page 29
Women constitute the majority of poor livestock keepers, but the current priority setting for interventions only rarely take their experiences and needs into account. Thus, there is both an efficiency issue and an equity issue justifying a gender dimension in animal health interventions. page 30
Livestock and hence healthy animals are keys to food security, directly or indirectly, especially in LICs. Subsequently, the benefits of healthier animals would have far-reaching consequences for food security in those countries. page 40
Two-thirds of our infectious diseases originate from animals, and a recent estimate states that three-quarters of emerging human infections have their origin in animals page 43
A reduction in antibiotic use can be implemented without severe long-term effects on poultry, beef or pig production – if matched by appropriate management and disease-preventive measures.page 46
There are many examples where governments provide services that favour those who are better off. page 55
Related:
Research on international animal health issues is frequent at SLU. It is often combined with PhD training of students from LICs and from Sweden. Funding has until recently come from the Sida research council (U-forsk).- Today it is handled by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), and is sometimes co-funded by the Swedish research council Formas and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB).
- This funding mechanism has helped build a Swedish resource base for solid research and training competence on animal health issues in LICs.
- The fact that SLU is leading the animal health part of the upcoming international CGIAR research programme “Livestock agri-food systems” (2017) could be viewed as a recognition of its capacity.
See: CGIAR (2016). Livestock agri-food systems – full proposal
Why research on animal feeds and forages in developing countries? (pages 125-126)
Feed is a key limiting factor and often the most expensive input in livestock production (Swanepoel et al., 2010).
Integrating feed and forage research with improved animal health and genetics can lead to significant enhancements in livestock production, up to 240% (Herrero et al., 2016). In mixed crop–livestock systems, which often have the potential to intensify, the most important contributors to feed resources are forages, crop residues and rangelands (Herrero et al., 2013), while in pastoral and agro-pastoral systems grazing of rangelands is the principal, often the only, source of feed.
Feed is a key limiting factor and often the most expensive input in livestock production (Swanepoel et al., 2010).
Integrating feed and forage research with improved animal health and genetics can lead to significant enhancements in livestock production, up to 240% (Herrero et al., 2016). In mixed crop–livestock systems, which often have the potential to intensify, the most important contributors to feed resources are forages, crop residues and rangelands (Herrero et al., 2013), while in pastoral and agro-pastoral systems grazing of rangelands is the principal, often the only, source of feed.
- This flagship provides feedbased solutions that respond to challenges in the rapid growth trajectory to increase the quantity and quality of feed biomass, to smooth seasonal variability without over-taxing the natural resource base and harness positive environmental effects, such as contributions to biodiversity, soil fertility and carbon sequestration. Example locations include Kenya, Nicaragua and Vietnam.
- The flagship enhances livelihoods of smallholder livestock keepers and producers for both growth scenarios through the development of new feed and forage options which contribute to sustainable intensification, resilience and market linkages. It will contribute to closing the yield gap together with the other technology flagships and provide inputs for the systems flagships in this CRP (Livestock Livelihoods and AgriFood Systems and Livestock and the Environment) and other CRPs (e.g. CCAFS, DCL, Wheat and WLE)
- Feed and forage research ensures efficiently produced milk and meat will help to combat malnutrition and ensure nutritious and diverse agri-food systems and diets.
- Diagnosis of feed constraints and opportunities, and effective prioritization and targeting of feed and forage interventions;
- availability of new forage, rangeland and crop cultivars, superior to local through ‘next users’ to farmers;
- delivery and uptake of feed and forage technologies through proof-of-concept scaling, business model development and value-chain approaches;
- better utilization of existing and novel feed and forage resources, and application of management strategies to conserve and rehabilitate rangelands and pastures.
- The past meetings of the Inter-Agency Donor Group (IADG) on pro-poor livestock research and development confirm the statement made in the EBA report (page 60): animal health is not a primary target for international aid donors. (see presentation on Mycotoxins in animal feed).
- It is to be noted the International Research Consortium on Animal Health is not taking contaminated feed as a research topic
- Food Safety in Animal Source Foods For Improved Nutrition receives funding from USAID
- The Livestock Development Strategy for Africa (LiDESA) has the the goal ‘to transform the African livestock sector for enhanced contribution to socio-economic development and equitable growth’.
- Research shows that there is an increasing demand for livestock products. Thus, the need for information on forages for specific climates
- Food Tank highlighted 18 organizations and companies that are working on the sustainable management of livestock
- Eastern Africa Livestock Strategy, AFID & Dr. Jean Ndikumana, August 2012, 75 pages
- Round table of aflatoxin experts which PAEPARD organised in Brussels January 2016
- A possible innovative research topic is micro-biota research related to binders (illegal in Europe?) which can reduce the toxicity of feed with 90 % (but may have some adverse effect on the uptake of micro nutrients by cattle). (see page 7 of the PAEPARD policy brief : The role of multi-stakeholder partnerships between Africa and Europe exemplified by the issue of aflatoxin contamination of food and feed.* October 2015).
- Research questions: Contaminated food or feed can be treated postharvest in order to detoxify aflatoxin in the body so that it would present no more risk for human or animal health. Nixtamilisation is one option, but applying this approach at a large scale in Africa has not been researched yet. Nixtamalization refers to a process for the preparation of maize (corn), or other grain, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled.
- However, the detoxified products from nixtamalization can actually be reversed in the digestive system, thus reactivating the aflatoxin. This may be the case with some of the biological binders as well, such as lactic acid bacteria.
- Other research questions regarding the binders, are: How do they bind mycotoxins under in vivo conditions? Are there local foods/binders that give protection? Have these been researched?
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