The Great Livestock Trade-off: Food Production, Poverty Alleviation, and Climate Change

The chapter explores the future of the global livestock sector and the trade-offs policymakers, particularly those in developing economies, will need to consider to meet the unprecedented global demand for animal protein against a backdrop of climate change, animal welfare, and broader environmental concerns. Approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation are discussed along with key uncertainties around synthetic and insect protein sources. The chapter concludes that the drivers impacting livestock development in the industrial vs developing economies vary widely. However, there is realistic hope that the global livestock sector and related management practices will transform to meet the climate change agenda, provided domestic trade-offs are acknowledged alongside global stewardship.