Yahoo News 18 Feb 10;
ROME (AFP) – Small livestock farmers face "marginalisation" because they cannot compete with agribusiness, the head of the UN food agency said Thursday.
"The transformation of the (livestock) sector has led to a widening gap between small livestock keepers and large commercial enterprises," FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told a news conference.
"Traditional pastoralists and smallholder producers risk marginalisation," he said, calling for "robust institutions and governance mechanisms that reflect the diversity within the sector."
Livestock represents 40 percent of agricultural production and supports the livelihood of more than one billion people, he said as the agency presented its annual report, the "State of Food and Agriculture."
The report said rising incomes are driving demand for meat to "record levels" in developing countries, with world production expected to double by 2050.
"To meet rising demand, global annual meat production is expected to expand from 228 million tonnes currently to 463 million tonnes by 2050," the FAO said.
