For a sustainable future, support small-scale livestock farmers
Over 1.3 billion people have to survive on less than 1 dollar a day. 70% of them depend in one way or another on animal rearing to assure their livelihoods. Livestock provides food and clothing, manure to fertilize crops, traction to work the land and assures additional revenue. These small-scale livestock farmers rear their animals in a sustainable way, counting on grasslands, crop residues and scavenging to feed them. Thanks to their traditional knowledge and coping practices, they play a relevant contribution to resilience and adaptation to climate change. For instance, they optimize the use of dry lands and grasslands ecosystems, which is very important also because grasslands have a big potential as Carbon sinks, storing up to 30% of the world’s soil carbon. At the same time, small-scale livestock keepers reduce vulnerability to climate change, because they maintain the genetic diversity of domestic animals, an invaluable resource for adaptation. According to the most recent research, over 40 livestock species and almost 8000 breeds are bred and nurtured by small-scale farmers, mostly in the marginal and poorest areas of developing countries.
More at: www.smallscalefarming.org