Track 3-5-1: Policies Affecting Pastoralism and Livestock Production
Description
Facing critics regarding the environmental impacts of livestock activities during the past decades, the MOUVE project and the LIFLOD network have developed a specific research to better understand the consequences of livestock policy at both the local and global scales.
In 2006, the FAO book “Livestock Long Shadow” (Steinfeld et al., 2006) drew attention on the environmental impacts of the livestock activities. Facing the incredible awareness, the FAO team tried to mitigate the critics by highlighting the positive functions of livestock (Steinfeld et al., 2010; Gerber et al., 2010; Gerber et al., 2013). Some decades before, in the 70s and 80s, scientists have mentioned the role of livestock in the desertification (Leeuw & Reid, 1995; USGS, 1997, FAO, 1995) and deforestation in the Amazon (Wood& Porro, 2002; Veiga et al. 2004; Kaimowitz et al., 2004, Sayago et al., 2010). In the same time, policymakers of OCDE countries started to face the challenge of nitrogen pollution (Carpenter et al., 1998). Moreover, along the forty last years, the animal production sector has been involved in several public health crises and food safety scandals. So after strongly marking the history of rural societies, livestock has become a global challenge (Delgado et al., 1999; Hann et al., 2001; Gerber et al., 2010).
One of our research questions is why the livestock sector, which has resisted several crises cannot overcome this current environmental crisis. What are the links between the policies, the trajectories and dynamics of livestock at the local and global scale? What are the main steps, the major ruptures, and the factors of change…?
Included in
Livestock Policy: Progressive Globalization Currently Focused on Environmental Issue, Food Quality and Safety in the Past and New Human-Animal Relationship in the Future
Facing critics regarding the environmental impacts of livestock activities during the past decades, the MOUVE project and the LIFLOD network have developed a specific research to better understand the consequences of livestock policy at both the local and global scales.
In 2006, the FAO book “Livestock Long Shadow” (Steinfeld et al., 2006) drew attention on the environmental impacts of the livestock activities. Facing the incredible awareness, the FAO team tried to mitigate the critics by highlighting the positive functions of livestock (Steinfeld et al., 2010; Gerber et al., 2010; Gerber et al., 2013). Some decades before, in the 70s and 80s, scientists have mentioned the role of livestock in the desertification (Leeuw & Reid, 1995; USGS, 1997, FAO, 1995) and deforestation in the Amazon (Wood& Porro, 2002; Veiga et al. 2004; Kaimowitz et al., 2004, Sayago et al., 2010). In the same time, policymakers of OCDE countries started to face the challenge of nitrogen pollution (Carpenter et al., 1998). Moreover, along the forty last years, the animal production sector has been involved in several public health crises and food safety scandals. So after strongly marking the history of rural societies, livestock has become a global challenge (Delgado et al., 1999; Hann et al., 2001; Gerber et al., 2010).
One of our research questions is why the livestock sector, which has resisted several crises cannot overcome this current environmental crisis. What are the links between the policies, the trajectories and dynamics of livestock at the local and global scale? What are the main steps, the major ruptures, and the factors of change…?
