Tropentag 2021

Transforming food agriculture to feed the people and save the planet

Demand for food is driven by three main drivers – human population size,  income and demographics. Robust modeling of population growth, incomes and demographics show that demand for food will likely plateau in the 2050s, but by then between 60-70% more food will be needed than is currently produced. However, food supply is less predictable, as it is influnced by many more variables such as  crop, livestock and fish producivity, increasing resource constraints (land and water in particular), climate change and variability, and global as well as local economic and political conditions.  Our quest must be about both food and nutritional security – along with addressing the current and future food demand sustainably – environmentally, socially and economically.

In this year's event ILRI is the featured CGIAR centre. In this special ninety minute session we will present ongoing and topical livestock research in the service of global development objectives.   

First, ILRI's DDG of Research and Development, Biosciences, Dieter Schillinger sets the scene with an impulse presentation.  

Then we will showcase some examples from ILRI’s livestock research for development portfolio in the context of local, regional and global challenges (including Q&As):

• Environmental Footprint of Livestock Farming in Sub-saharan Africa – Local Evidence, presented by: Phyllis Ndung'u and Mike Graham  
• Healthy animals for healthy lives in low and middle-income countries, presented by: Nicholas Svitek and Kristina Roesel   
• Influencing Livestock Development and Investments in Developing Countries: the Livestock Master Plans, presented by: Francis Wanyoike, Sirak Bahta, and Braja Swain  

And eventually, a panel of five experts from different sectors relevant to agriculture for development and across different time zones will discuss the question: Where are the gaps in livestock research and what else do we need?  The shosts for this dynamic round table format are ILRI scientists Kristina Rösel and Ekta Patel. 

Global challenges and what they mean for livestock research

In his impulse presentation ILRI's deputy director general Dieter Schillinger will set the scene for the following input from our research teams.