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SOFA graphics - Livestock at the turning point


Consumption of livestock products has increased rapidly in developing countries over the past decades, particularly from the 1980s onwards.


Consumption has increased in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa.


The growing demand for livestock products in a number of developing countries has been driven by economic growth, rising per capita incomes and urbanization.


Animal diseases pose two basic types of problem for humans: socio-economic and health. Figure 15 illustrates the pathways through which livestock diseases and the risk of livestock disease affect human welfare.


Different countries and societies may prioritize objectives differently, depending on factors such as income levels, relative role of smallholders in the sector, importance of and prospects for exports, and degree of pressure on and degradation of natural resources.