Transformative Strategies for Climate-Friendly Livestock Production

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The rise in intensifying natural disasters like Hurricane Florence brings a new sense of urgency in re-thinking climate change. By 2050, all sectors of the economy must get on a 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degree Fahrenheit) global warming pathway to secure a future for humanity. Food and agriculture, a significant contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions, must play a critical role in achieving that transition. The livestock sector, in particular, is critical to this transition given its substantial impact on communities and landscapes across the globe.

In the last two decades, significant resources have been invested in strategies to shift land use and supply chains for industrial agriculture, from soy moratoriums in the Amazon to industry-led roundtables on soy and beef. Yet in the United States, more confined animal facilities are being sited or proposed in rural communities for exports; in eastern Europe, more land is being acquired for feed and meat production; and in recent years in Brazil, the rate of deforestation related to livestock production has increased as feed grain monocultures and overgrazing expand to fragile ecosystems. Given these realities, momentum is increasing around shifting consumer preferences toward more plant-based diets and lab meat alternatives, even as production and exports of beef, pork, and poultry continue to rise.

What might a comprehensive strategy look like to shift the livestock sector toward a climate-friendly pathway? This funder webinar will share highlights from a recent reportpublished by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and GRAIN, identify strategic areas of needed engagement, and illuminate pathways toward a just transition through agroecology. The dialogue is intended to catalyze a critical discussion about transformative strategies that move livestock production toward a model that contributes to climate mitigation, builds agricultural and ecosystem resilience, and respect human rights and animal welfare.