The role of livestock in food security and environmental protection

Per capita consumption of milk and meat products in developing Asia (including China) grew by 2.4 percent and 5 percent respectively between 1975-79 and 1990-94. This growth can be attributed to high growth rate in income and rapid urbanization. For Latin America, per capita milk and meat consumption has stagnated over the same period, perhaps because the region is already largely urbanized. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) per capita consumption of milk and meat declined by 0.2 and 0.4 percent over the same period because of declining real incomes. The scope for further increases in demand for livestock production as a result of income increases and urbanization is still large in the developing regions. Projections indicate likely increases in income in developing countries ranging from 3 percent per annum in SSA and Latin America, and to about 6 percent in Asia. It is projected that more than four in every ten people will live in urban centres. Projection results indicate that while the share of total meat consumption in the developed countries as a group will decrease from 53 to 36 percent between 1993 and 2020, in the developing world the share of total meat consumption will increase from 47 percent to 64 percent over the same period