The Committee on Agriculture (COAG), established in 1971, is one of FAO’s Governing Bodies providing overall policy and regulatory guidance on issues relating to agriculture (including livestock), food safety, nutrition, rural development and natural resource management.

In 2020, at its 27^th session, COAG established the Sub-Committee on Livestock with a mandate to discuss and build consensus on livestock issues and priorities, and advise COAG, and through it, the FAO Council and the FAO Conference, on technical and policy programmes and activities needed to optimize the contribution of livestock, including in poverty alleviation, food security and nutrition, sustainable livelihoods and the realization of the 2030 Agenda.

Better Nutrition along with Better Production, a Better Environment and a Better Life, are guiding FAO's Strategic Framework 2022-31 and the work on sustainable livestock systems is at the interface of the four betters, playing an important role in achieving each of these aspirations. 

During the First Session of the COAG’s Sub-Committee on Livestock, held in March 2022, delegates discussed substantive items related to the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable agrifood systems, nutrition and healthy diets.

The Second Session will take place in hybrid modality from 16 to 18 July 2024 at FAO headquarters in Rome. The sessions will be webstreamed allowing everyone to follow the discussions.

During this session, delegates will discuss the following agenda items related to the three main areas of work of the Sub-Committee’s Multi-Year Programme of Work (2022-2025):

Sustainable livestock systems for food security, nutrition and inclusive economic growth

·         Global assessment of the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable agrifood systems, nutrition and healthy diets

·         Sustainable Livestock Transformation Framework

·         Consultations on a voluntary guidance tool for sustainably enhancing the productivity of small-scale livestock producers

·         Mainstreaming gender, youth, Indigenous Peoples and people in vulnerable situations into the livestock sector

Animal, public and environmental health through the One Health approach

·         Review of progress on mainstreaming One Health and biosecurity

·         Alternative feeding practices to promote responsible use of antimicrobials

Natural resource use, climate change and biodiversity

·         Advances in applied methods for adaptation and mitigation to climate change

·         Forest and agriculture linkages: A path towards integrating forests, trees and livestock in dryland silvopastoral systems

·         Managing soil, land and water resources for sustainable livestock production

Other matters

·         Review of the Multi-Year Programme of Work 2024–27

·         Alignment of the Rules of Procedure of the COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock with the Rules of Procedure of COAG

On the morning of 18 July, the meeting will include a Partners Event where ten COAG Observers and UN organizations will make a short presentation to the Members about their main recent and planned initiatives related to the Sub-Committee’s thematic areas.

Six side events will also be organized at lunchtimes in the three days, covering topics such as women and sustainable livestock transformation; empowerment of small-scale producers; animal agriculture and soil health: the climate-food security-development nexus; animal welfare; and antimicrobial resistance.

The session will bring together delegations from COAG Members Nations, but also non-COAG members and observers from UN and specialized agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

Given the high importance of the discussions in current times, and its support for a better future of livestock sector and countries, we encourage active participation and engagement from the delegations.

More information available on the dedicated page in the FAO website.

You may follow the sessions on web stream.