Importance of Livestock Production from Grasslands for National and Local Food and Nutritional Security in Developing Countries

Importance of Livestock Production from Grasslands for National and Local Food and Nutritional Security in Developing Countries

New Delhi, India

Grazing lands cover more than a quarter of the world’s land surface, often on land that is unsuitable for other forms of use. Despite the perception that productivity is inherently low, the contribution of grasslands in food security in developing countries is significant. However the challenges of spatial and temporal variability of primary productivity need to be managed and mobility of livestock is key to this. Appropriate land management and governance arrangements are essential for facilitating this mobility and for creating the circumstances in which technical options for reducing variability and risk in livestock keeping can be deployed and to allow more commercially-oriented systems to develop.