The standard of living continues to improve in many developing countries throughout the world. In some countries the progress is more rapid and dramatic than others, while in others there is evidence of no improvement or a regression. Nonetheless, the general trend in countries that show evidence of progression is a continued diversification of diets to include varieties of meats, eggs, and dairy products.(1)
This progression will doubtless continue as incomes rise and people migrate to the major cities for jobs and opportunities throughout most of the developing countries, necessitating an increased demand for foods of animal origin. This change, if properly planned and structured by governments, could be an invaluable resource for income growth and provide unlimited opportunities for rural communities in the developing countries.
This transformation, however, if not properly controlled, could stress the environmental capability of many countries and exacerbate public health problems.(1) This can be circumvented if governments and the livestock sector work collaboratively to institute long-term policies and plan objectively and strategically to satisfy demand, while improving nutrition, and contributing to options for assisting the economic plight of those most in need.
Livestock Development
The domestication of animals has contributed to being a source of food, farm power, and transportation in many developing countries for centuries. The current pressing demand for foods of animal origin, while a progressive trend, has the capability to negatively impact the varied resources used in livestock production. In emerging economies, the problem, in general, continues to be an increase in the number of animals rather than improvements in husbandry, genetics, and nutrition that will contribute to better carcass weight gains and an overall improvement in the types of animals produced for food. Obviously, there are major exceptions to this generalization in many sectors of the developing world. This trend to larger concentration of animals has caused the clearing of forests in many regions and a resulting degradation of the land for grazing in many rural areas.
Another challenging concern in many countries has been the need to move livestock closer to the urban markets to limit the cost of transportation and improve market accessibility. This new trend, even though it creates environmental and public health challenges, obviates the need for livestock dealers/transporters and other “third party” interventionists that minimize profitability to producers.
In countries with a weak regulatory framework for public health and environmental protection, the increased population of animals in overly crowded urban centers has led to an increase in the incidence of diseases transmitted from animals to man (zoonoses) that can only be prevented and controlled through a rigorous enforcement of health regulations. The outbreaks of avian influenza and the Nipah virus (swine) in parts of Asia with subsequent deaths to both poultry and swine handlers are examples of the health related concerns that challenge government planners in livestock development and the public health sector. In essence, developing countries need to spend more resources assessing the threats of animal diseases in relation to human health and establish extension type educational programs to assist producers and other stakeholders.
There are also the concurrent concerns about the uncontrolled regulation and abuse of many pesticides, and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in food production, both as growth promoters and therapeutically. There is also the absolute necessity for many developing countries to improve their food inspection capabilities to consider a system of uniform standards that will apply best to the country’s infrastructure. A logical option is an evaluation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, and a determination of whether the concept or modification of it would be applicable to the country’s food safety initiatives. The principles of HACCP could be best used as a guideline in the assessment of a country’s program options.
Foods of Animal Origin
In every culture, good health has been a fundamental of governments and, historically, countries throughout the world have instituted various rules, rites, and practices to protect health.
There are about six billion people living on Earth today, about 80 percent in the developing countries. The estimated current annual population growth worldwide is about 90 million, most of it occurring in developing countries.(2) Human beings, therefore, are the epicenter for sustainable development and should be entitled to a life that is healthy and productive.
This objective can be heightened by the use of foods of animal origin as sources of nutrients in human diets. This is a logical consideration because nutrition is likely the most important determinant of health and protein calorie malnutrition remains a widespread problem in developing countries.(2)
This condition persists globally because the diets of most are made up of starchy staples. The addition or supplementation of diets to include the basics of livestock production – milk, meat, and eggs – will help provide the needed protein, calcium, and other minerals, vitamins, and nutrients so lacking in the diets of the majority in developing countries.(1) From a long-term perspective, this will serve to improve the overall health of many, while contributing ultimately, and hopefully, to a better standard of living that will enhance sustainable development in many of the countries.
As implied earlier, most nutritional deficiencies are seen in the developing countries, often complicated and compounded by the inadequacies of housing, education, and income.(3) While food production is sufficient or adequate in some countries to meet some of the basic energy requirements of the population, the foods are beyond the reach of many because of poverty, which applies mostly to foods of animal origin that are rich in protein, but also more expensive, bordering on prohibitive to many in some societies.(4,5) The concern should be that inadequate diets so common in developing countries have a definite impact on human function that also induces loss of body weight, muscle strength, stamina, and a resulting lack of vigor and vitality. (6,7)
Cumulatively, these “deficits” contribute to the diminished immune competence of the malnourished and is directly responsible for less resistance to infectious diseases, the main cause of death in young children, and a cause of morbidity in poorly nourished adults. The aforementioned being a constant problem and affront to the health sector in all developing countries.
The relative importance of foods of animal origin in the diets of people in developing countries rose encouragingly in 1993 compared to 1983. And the trend shows signs of continuing in many of these countries. Despite the obvious progression, however, as evident in a country like China, meat consumption in the lower income countries is far from the consumption satiation point.(1) Problems are especially acute in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where per capita incomes are some of the lowest in the world, making the purchase of animal proteins prohibitive for the majority of the population. As a result, we have definite variables throughout most of the developing countries, complicating the thought that any set of recommendations will apply to all countries.
Discussion
It would be highly presumptuous to suggest that well-planned livestock development programs, and the resulting availability of foods of animal origin, would be a universal remedy for the developing world. The problems, as a whole, are too interwoven and complex to respond to single or specific interventions.
Nonetheless, the developing world needs programs that will invest in improving people’s health and their environment as a defined objective or priority. Unfortunately, there are serious deterrents to the establishment of a long-term livestock development in most of the developing countries. The costs to initiate the program (the importation of foundation stock from industrialized countries, the cost of land, buildings, and equipment, and the other factors in establishing infrastructure) are exorbitant and often beyond the means of most governments. As a result, the progressive livestock endeavors in developing countries are initiatives of the private sector.
While that is encouraging, government has a responsibility to serve as a continuing resource to private enterprise by instituting collaborative research in animal nutrition, disease control, and educational programs to foster further development. A majority of these initiatives could be accomplished through the government state university system and private foundations, including international organizations with an interest in sustainable livestock development. These joint ventures could result in improved productivity and assist the goals of self-sufficiency that should be a logical objective of all developing countries. This can be achieved, but only through active cooperation of the different “segments” and a planned long-term strategy. Unfortunately, like most planned initiatives in livestock development, getting consensus and a unified objective in motion is always fraught with delays of implementation and frustration.
Summary
The developing world is constantly challenged by trying to keep up with the technological progress of the industrialized societies. Most of the investments to enhance this progress are beyond the means of most developing countries. As a result, livestock production in these societies relies on traditional methods of farming and continues to be hampered by the extreme shortage of good available land for grazing and infrastructure, including water.
In essence, the challenges are monumental in nature. Nonetheless, the private sector in many of the developing countries has been the agent of change and continues to make rapid improvements, especially in parts of Asia. Governments can contribute to this progressive trend. Planned strategies between government and the private sector will provide more foods of animal origin for local consumption. This could contribute to the recognized importance of investing in improved nutrition that enhances health and hopefully economic growth in the developing countries. This thought is in concert with the philosophy of the universal declaration of human rights that strives to make sure that everyone “has the right to a standard of living adequate to maintaining the health and well-being of themselves and their family, including food, clothing, housing, healthcare, and the necessary social services.” (2) v
References:
1. Delgado, C., M. Rosegrant, H. Steinfeld, S. Ehui, C. Courbois. 1999. Livestock to 2020. The Next Food Revolution. Report of a study coordinated by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, and the International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
2. World Health Organization. 1997. A New Perspective on Health in Health and Environment in Sustainable Development. Geneva. 1-17.
3. Nestle, M. 1992. Nutrition in Public Health and Preventive Medicine. In Public Health and Preventive Medicine, eds. M.J. Last and R.B. Wallace. Appleton and Lange, Norwalk, CT. 995-1003.
4. Austin, J.E. 1981. Nutrition Programs in the Third World: Cases and Readings. Cambridge, MA.: Oelgeschlagen, Gunn, and Hain.
5. Grant, J.P. 1989. The State of the World’s Children. New York: Oxford University Press (UNICEF).
6. Kerndt, P.R., J.L. Naughton, C.E. Driscoll, et al. 1982. Fasting: the history, pathophysiology, and complications. West. J. Med. 137:379-399.
7. The World Bank. 1986. Poverty and Hunger: Issues and Options for Food Security in Developing Countries. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Tech Topics - December 2003 Render