A Comparative Overview of the Livestock-Environment Interactions in Asia and Sub-saharan Africa

• Published in: Frontiers in veterinary science Vol. 6; p. 37
• Main Authors: Otte, Joachim, Pica-Ciamarra, Ugo, Morzaria, Subhash
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 22-02-2019
• Subjects: biodiversity loss; grassland degradation; greenhouse gases; livestock; pollution; Veterinary Science; water stress; water stress; greenhouse gases; biodiversity loss; grassland degradation; pollution; livestock
• ISSN: 2297-1769; 2297-1769
• DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00037

Understanding the interactions between livestock and the environment in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa is essential to sustainable livestock sector development. In this comparative overview, we review the available evidence on the extent of grassland degradation, land, and water pollution by nutrients and microorganisms, water stress, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions and their relation to livestock production in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. We also draw on Asia's past livestock development trajectories and their impacts to provide guidance for future sustainable livestock development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Forward-looking policies and programs that anticipate long-term changes in the livestock sector and that assess trade-offs between policies and investments in multiple environmental domains in Sub-Saharan Africa are required to support sustainable development and guide policy decisions in the years ahead, from an environmental, social and public health perspective.