CIRAD at the 2012 Paris International Agricultural Show: animal production in the South, at the heart of global issues

07/02/2012 - Press release

CIRAD will be at the 48th Paris International Agricultural Show, from 25 February to 4 March at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre (Hall 3, Aisle C, stand no. 69), with a stand on "Animal production, at the heart of global issues".

Animal production in southern countries plays a vital role in their food security and economic development. In Sahelian zones, it can account for anything up to 40% of agricultural GDP!

Animals are a source of income, manure and animal draught, act as living savings accounts, provide transport, can be traded within communities, and play a symbolic or religious role. In short, they have many economic, social and cultural functions.

In both developing and emerging countries, economic growth and higher individual incomes have significantly boosted demand for animal products. Even supposing that animal protein consumption were to level out, current production levels will have to be increased considerably if we are to feed the world's expected 9 billion people by 2050.

Animal production is thus at the heart of a range of major issues: how can we produce more in response to the substantial growth in demand, particularly in southern countries? How can we prevent competition between food for humans and food for animals? How can we minimize the adverse effects of animal production on the environment and, conversely, preserve the environmental services it renders? How can we cope with emerging diseases?

All these questions will be covered by CIRAD and its researchers on the stand, through mini-conferences, and in a range of documents produced for visitors.

A few highlights

On the stand, CIRAD will have:

  • an exhibit on "Animal production for development", including a zebu, two aquariums, tsetse flies, ticks and other animal disease vectors
  • a tasting station with various animal products (dried bushmeat, smoked tilapia, camel's milk, buffalo milk cheese, etc)
  • CIRAD coffee talks , mini-conference-debates for the general public, every morning. The conferences will be broadcast live on the Internet: http://www.livestream.com/cirad. They will also subsequently be available on the CIRAD website.

The following topics are scheduled:
- Monday 27 February, 9:30 am: Animal production: diagnosis and prospects
- Tuesday 28 February, 9:30 am: Are we eating too many animal products?
- Wednesday 29 February, 9:30 am: Animal production and climate change
- Thursday 1 March, 9:30 am: Can aquaculture enhance biodiversity?
- Friday 2 March, 9:30 am: Emerging diseases and food security
and 2 pm: Emerging diseases and the risks of transmission to man.

The afternoons will be given over to film showings, a quiz, informal discussions with researchers, book signings, etc.

As in previous years, there will be a brochure, which this year is entitled "Animal production in the South", and technical and scientific fact sheets on CIRAD's research results and work, all of which is done in partnership.

There will also be a CIRAD-INRA event on the topic of "Improving cereals to ensure sustainable agriculture in a changing world", on Friday 2 March, from 10 am to midday - Hall 3, aisle C, stand 60.