The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MoALR) conducted a three-day technical workshop to formulate livestock development scenarios 2050 in Egypt under the Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 (ASL 2050) project, funded by The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The workshop was attended by representatives from The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), The Ministry of Environment (MOE) and USAID/Egypt, in addition to representatives from the General Organization for Veterinary Services (GOVS), Animal Production Sector, General Organization for Fisheries, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Animal Production Research Institute, and Egyptian Poultry Association representing the private sector.

The objectives of the workshop were to formulate with the participants different future scenarios towards 2050 describing the expected development of poultry, bovine and fish production systems based on dietary protein requirement from animal origin, to explore the future impact of different scenarios on public health, livelihood and environment, and to identify the challenges and risks related to each scenario and to ensure sound planning for the future development of livestock production in general.

ASL2050 adopts a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach that is a One Health approach. It operates in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

“The workshop is at an important stage where Egypt currently assumes the chairmanship of the African Union and is currently developing and updating policies for Egypt and Africa, which are important in achieving food security and development of future visions until 2050. It is also an opportunity for Egypt to strengthen its role and presence in Africa where the Egyptian laboratories were chosen to be reference laboratories, which represents an opportunity to bridge the relations between Egypt and Africa” said Prof. Dr. Mona Mehrez, the Deputy-Minister of Agriculture.

“We appreciate the support provided by FAO and USAID to control the transboundary animal diseases and formulate livestock development scenarios 2050 in Egypt and other African countries, as we seek to achieve food integration and increase intra-trade with African countries, which will have a positive impact on Egyptian citizens, and to address all challenges and constraints through the “One Health” approach and involve all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector” Mehrez added.

“ASL 2050 since its start in Egypt two years ago, has finalized the compiling of official quantitative and qualitative information on current and future livestock production parameters and their effects on public health, livelihoods and the environment. It has also validated livestock projections elaborated from the current Egypt Sustainable Agriculture Strategy 2030 and estimated protein requirements today and tomorrow (2030 and 2050). We are presently formulating alternative scenarios for the livestock sector development up to 2050 at country level” Hussein Gadain, FAO representative in Egypt said.

“ASL 2050 project, which is funded and supported by USAID, aims to involve all sectors and stakeholders in order to improve livestock development efforts to ensure sustainable development of the sector and to align it with the sustainable agricultural development strategy 2030 of Egypt that aims to achieve comprehensive economic and social development based on a strong and effective agricultural sector.. Dr. Akmal Elerian, USAID/Egypt’s representative said. He added that USAID, through its strategic partnership and cooperation with the Egyptian government and FAO, has invested more than $ 40 million in the prevention and control of emerging diseases”.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Egypt is collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Population, and Ministry of Environment to implement the ‘Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050’ (ASL2050) project. The project is implemented through a steering committee representing the three ministries and FAO.

“GOVS is making sustainable efforts to maintain and develop livestock under the framework of Egypt’s 2030 Agricultural Development Strategy and contribute strongly to the development of future scenarios for the of Egypt’s needs 2050 of poultry and cattle, through combating various animal and zoonotic diseases in coordination with all relevant authorities” Dr. Abdul Hakim Ali, Chairman of the General Organization for Veterinary Services, said.

The overall goal of the ASL 2050 is to ensure that national, regional governments, and international institutions, are in a position to formulate and implement policies and investments that support a sustainable growth of livestock. This requires assembling and interpreting data and information, as well as consulting and engaging stakeholders to:

• Understand the long-term growth trends of livestock systems and develop scenarios to understand their potential impacts on health, environment, and peoples’ livelihoods;
• Identify policy reforms that assist in effectively dealing with the emerging challenges associated with the long-term growth trends of livestock systems.