Food stability for people in LMICs and animal agriculture

• MFA Food sec MOC

To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have access to adequate food at all times. They should not risk losing access to food as a consequence of sudden shocks (e.g. an economic or climatic crisis) or cyclical events (e.g. seasonal food insecurity). The concept of stability can therefore refer to both the availability and access dimensions of food security.

• Factory farmed animals cause pandemics and zoonotic disease
• Market shocks due to livestock farming
• Livestock are a store of value (Read HSI report about how this is undermined by CAFOs)

Livestock can undermine stability by reducing diet diversification

The quantity and quality of human diets is a decisive factor for any future development. More modest diets, with a lower share of animal products, tend to keep the option space open at the cropland and grazing land level. In contrast, rich, animal-based diets reduce the option space, e.g. towards a more rigorous cropland intensification pathway.

In Mongolia, the Work Bank issued microgrants of up to $10k to Mongolian families to produce fruits and vegetables to diversify their income and nutrition, as 35% of Mongolia is dependent on the livestock trade, but this can be precarious. Carrot and sea buckthorn berry consumption increased by 25 percent for the median household.

Subsidies can smooth prices in HICs but can increase price availability in LMICs

National subsidy systems influence trade patterns between developing and developed countries. Most developed countries offer subsidy payments towards domestic agricultural production. Through these subsidy payments, farmers have an incentive to produce agricultural products even during times of excess supply. This excess supply, if dumped on international markets for a low price, has a high potential to drive down world prices of agricultural goods, with far reaching effects on food security in developing countries. Erb et al., 2012

Food security in the presence of extreme weather events

• Factory farming in HICs causes environmental disasters in LMICs
  During the 2011-2012 drought in Mexico saw a countrywide decrease of about 3%. Crucially, the larger cattle herds saw the highest percentage decreases, suggesting they were most vulnerable^[1]

Compassion in world farming points out that the push to intensive livestock farming can reduce food security, because farmers become dependent on purchasing high energy feeds, or artificial fertilisers, pesticides and antibiotics to produce these feeds. This contrasts to traditional, small scale farming where animals are often grazed on pasture and eat waste.

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