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Oct. 21, 2026 Source: International Research Institute news release DES MOINES, IA - A new initiative to support low- and middle-income countries to leverage their livestock sectors for sustainable development was launched at the 2026 Borlaug Dialogue, organized by the World Food Prize Foundation. Livestock Futures, a multi-year flagship series, was announced by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Des Moines, where world leaders in politics, business, academia and advocacy gathered for the three-day event on tackling hunger. The livestock sector is already a primary economic driver in low- and middle-income countries, contributing around 40 per cent of agricultural GDP and supporting the livelihoods of 1.7 billion people worldwide. However, healthy diets, which include animal-source foods, remain out of reach for almost 2.7 billion people, according to the latest UN data. Across Africa, where animal-source foods remain essential to nutrition and cognitive development, and where demand is forecast to double by 2050, they are the least affordable. Livestock Futures will focus on one priority area a year between now and 2030, convening a coalition of experts to fill evidence gaps and outline potential solutions for different livestock production systems. It builds on previous work to develop and scale solutions like genetic improvements to increase productivity, livestock vaccines to reduce losses to disease and index-based livestock insurance. The four priority areas - identified through a recent review - are livelihoods and food security; climate, natural resources and One Health; climate action and food security; and climate action and livelihoods. The series aims to connect insights into the livestock sector with those from food systems, climate, health, development, investment and related fields to help guide all stakeholders to engage in a connected ecosystem delivering sustainable livestock systems transformation. The initiative follows a review of evidence that found four critical gaps holding back the livestock sector from supporting sustainable development. The livestock sector is often missing from research into nutrition, livelihoods, One Health and the environment, while people-focused evidence is lacking. Climate dimensions are also largely absent, and rarely linked to food security or livelihoods. Evidence on livestock emissions and climate risks to livestock is also scarce and does not relate to the other development outcomes, and many reviews do not clearly distinguish between pastoral, smallholder, intensive, or other livestock systems. "Livestock are much more than a source of commodities. They are a foundation for food and nutrition security, livelihoods, resilience and sustainable development for billions of people," said Professor Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). "By launching Livestock Futures at the Borlaug Dialogue, we are placing the sector at the very heart of the global conversation around ending hunger. Livestock production systems have a critical role to play in sustainable food systems of the future, and it is vital that the sector develops in step with the broader development opportunities and priorities of the Global South." The new initiative was discussed as part of a "deep dive" on livestock during the Borlaug Dialogue, which showcased opportunities to transform the sector to reduce hunger within planetary boundaries and highlighted the need for new conversations that bring in a wide variety of sectors. The session, co-organized by ILRI, University of California, Davis, and Iowa State University, was the first time livestock has featured in the plenary of the Borlaug Dialogue. Consultations on Livestock Futures are currently under way with the first flagship product expected in 2027. About the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is an international organisation working for better lives and better planet through livestock. ILRI's mission emphasises the interconnections between people, animals, and the environment, aiming to improve the lives of more than 300 million people in low- and middle-income countries through livestock science that supports equitable and resilient livestock systems, ultimately contributing to food systems transformation with climate and environmental benefits. ILRI is a member of the CGIAR System Organization, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. https://ilri.org/ Tweet |
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