Localizing Animal Agriculture

Small scale animal agriculture benefits local people without the hazards of intensive animal factories.

During the WSSD, AWI's Adam Roberts participated in a presentation on "The Livestock Revolution: Problems for the Environment, Development, Human Health and the Animals," describing our work to promote humane husbandry standards for pigs in order to raise the animals in a compassionate and environmentally friendly way. He also detailed our work to prevent agribusiness giant Smithfield Foods from infiltrating countries such as Poland, which cling perilously to the last remaining vestiges of their family farming way of life.

The discussion was met with great enthusiasm by audience members, including one South African farmer who noted that he recently acquired a small parcel of land, like many impoverished South Africans, and that he hopes to raise his animals on that land in accordance with AWI's humane principles.

Meanwhile, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) released a new report on the detrimental impacts of animal agriculture, which offers case studies from a variety of countries including China, Pakistan, and Brazil. The report concludes that "Food security, the environment, food safety, human nutrition and animal welfare are all put at risk by the present continued support for industrial animal farming." The author, Leah Garces, urges policymakers to "turn away from industrial animal agriculture and support a more humane and sustainable form of food production."

According to CIWF, products from industrial animal agriculture in developing countries are often exported or cost more than most impoverished people can afford. Truly sustainable agriculture recognizes the need to embrace family farming and reject corporate agribusiness, whose costs are too great for the environment and the impoverished.