It is well established that the livestock sector is a main component of the international food system. It plays a significant role in poverty reduction via food security and agriculture developments. It is reported that livestock occupies 40% of the global agriculture outputs and assists in the livelihoods and food security of 1.3 billion people. Therefore, it is urged to facilitate the livestock/poultry production sectors to be more sustainable and exhibit lesser human or animal health concerns. It is a matter of the fact that infectious diseases pose serious consequences to human/animal health in addition to compromised food security and global impact. Animal diseases give rise to various socio-economic and biophysical impacts, ultimately impacting sustainability and food security.
Therefore, the sustainability dimensions for environmental, social, and economics are covered by the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Whereas SDG-2 goal depicts a more comprehensive approach that aims to eliminate hunger by focusing on food security and better nutrition, ultimately ensuring sustainable agriculture. Moreover, the SDG-2 targets assure complete access to nutritious, safe, and adequate food provision all year round. It improves the productivity and earnings of the food producers while developing a sustainable and resilient food production system. Therefore, it is imperative to focus on hunger eradication to ensure the food security of the consumers.
Hunger Eradication
It is reported that one out of nine individuals suffers from hunger globally, mainly residing in developing countries. Hence, the insufficiency of the required food quantity may lead to less food consumption, resulting in malnourishment and starvation. The logics for the hunger in various communities include poverty, lower agricultural productivity, unemployment, social discrimination, natural disasters, conflicts, wars, political instability, and gender inequality. A simple shortage of food can easily and quickly lead to doom.
Therefore, the livestock sector plays a major role in ending hunger while taking part at the various levels/entry points. Its main contribution is to enhance nutritious and healthy food consumption at the household level. The animal source foods supply the essential nutrients, and easily digestible protein aimed to eradicate hunger globally in addition to the betterment of nutrition and food security. It is reported that livestock products supply 33% protein intake and 17% caloric intake to the human diet globally. Healthy food, then, is a critical goal of humanity to achieve. Meanwhile, the elimination of hunger needs the alignment of the SDG-2 targets and indicators with the four major constituents of food security. These include the (availability, access, utilization, and stability of the diets) which facilitate the individuals to achieve food security.
Achieve Food security
According to FAO, food security represents that “all individuals, at all times, have economic and physical access to adequate, nutritious and safe food’’. Moreover, the safety and quality of animal source products are also associated with food security. It is revealed that various foodborne diseases can be transmitted via food chains, e.g., Salmonella spp. mainly responsible for foodborne illnesses. Thus, the quality of a diet is an essential link between the nutrition and food security outcomes required to achieve targets (nutrition and food security) of the SDG-2. However, it is only possible if we assure the sufficiency and nutritiousness of diet utilized by people. Thus, it is a way forward to improve people's nutrition.
Improved nutrition
SDG-2 emphasizes the need to ensure an adequate, safe, and nutritious diet for all individuals and eliminate malnutrition, which is a major global challenge. Moreover, food insecurity provokes the incidence of a different form of malnutrition. Therefore, SDG-2 focuses on diet quality which aims to improve the overall nutrition of individuals. Furthermore, food security and improved nutrition are the synergies of sustainable agriculture.
Promote sustainable agriculture
Food security is essential for the sustainable development of any country that could be assisted via enhancing production efficiencies. Thus, sustainable agriculture mainly aimed to achieve zero hunger. This problem is tackled at various levels by interconnecting the targets of SDG-2. Robust policy formation and implementation are required to ensure the food supply while promoting agricultural productivity and sustainable food production. Moreover, it requires efficient supply chain management to counteract the shorter product life and the enormous demand and supply fluctuations, quality issues, and seasonal production.
The latest technologies, i.e., IoT-based and ML and AI models, are mainly used to accomplish the SDG-2 targets, which provides efficient real-time data insights to overcome hunger-related challanges. It is facilitated via monitoring the nutritional supplies and developing sustainable agricultural productivity while ensuring minimal environmental damage. Thus, higher agricultural production is a key driver to address hunger. It aimed to create an organized and sustainable system of production that ensures healthier food from healthier soils.
YiedX's new approach to Biosecurity and SDG-2
It is well established that the recent advances in technologies and new Biosecurity practices ensure rapid detection of anomalities in poultry production. It reflects robust farming, minimizing the risk of disease spread to the flock. Whereas, the detection of poultry production diseases exhibits a greater value for the sustainability and food security of the poultry industry. Moreover, the early detection of poultry production diseases is a significant factor in disease management. It aimed to reduce the economic losses followed by the outbreak of diseases which compromise food security, productivity, and profitability. It mainly focuses on early disease detection to anticipate the emerging poultry production diseases. In this context, the formula is quite simple: if we can detect disease-related events early, we can act faster and in a better way to prevent damage such as animal life loss and consequences associated with late and ineffective treatment of diseases.
Whereas, SDG-2 aimed to eliminate hunger and achieve food security. Therefore, the detection and prevention of foodborne illnesses are essential to decrease the diseases burden in animals/poultry production farms. In addition, it minimizes the likelihood of human diseases via foodborne contamination. Therefore, it is concluded that the prediction and early detection of the diseases ensure optimum productivity, food security, and profitability.
To sum up
SDG-2 depicts a more comprehensive approach that aims to eliminate hunger by focusing on food security and better nutrition, ensuring sustainable agriculture. Moreover, the SDG-2 targets assure complete access to nutritious, safe, and adequate food provision all year round. Whereas, the livestock/poultry sector is a main component of the international food system. It plays a significant role in poverty reduction via food security and agriculture developments. Therefore, the detection and prevention of foodborne illnesses are essential to decrease the diseases burden in animals/poultry production farms, and ensure the availability of food in local and international markets. Therefore, we can say with great confidence that the technology that YieldX is introducing to the world is a technology that can beyond any doubt contribute to achieving the critical goal of SDG-2.
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