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of reference and measurement. According to FAO
(2007) breeds can be categorized as local (reported
by only one country) or transboundary (reported by
several countries). The latest assessment identifies
7 001 local breeds and 1 051 transboundary breeds
(FAO, 2010a).The breed concept originated in Europe and was
linked to the existence of breeders’ organizations.
The term is now applied widely in developing coun-
tries, but it tends to refer to a sociocultural concept
rather than a distinct physical entity. FAO uses the
following broad definition of the breed concept,
which accounts for social, cultural and economic
differences between animal populations and which
can therefore be applied globally in the measurement
of livestock diversity: “either a sub-specific group of
domestic livestock with definable and identifiable
external characteristics that enable it to be separated
by visual appraisal from other similarly defined
groups within the same species or a group for which
geographical and/or cultural separation from phe-
notypically similar groups has led to acceptance of
its separate identity” (FAO, 1999b).The paper describes the links between human diets,
expected changes in lifestyle and its impact on animal
genetic resources for food and agriculture.
Specifically, the focus is on the genetic resources
of domesticated avian and mammalian species that
contribute to food production and agriculture.2. Products and services provided by livestock
Livestock are used by humans to provide a wide
range of products and services. Over time, a variety
of breeds and types have been developed to provide
these outputs in a wide range of production envi-
ronments. Doubtless, foods derived from animals
are an important source of nutrients (Givens, 2010)
that provide a critical supplement and diversity to
staple plant-based diets (Murphey and Allen, 2003).
However, there are varied reasons for keeping livestock,
which include providing manure, fibre for clothes andresources for temporary and permanent shelter,
producing power, and serving as financial instruments
and enhancing social status (Randolph et al., 2007).
This range of products and services supporting the
livelihood strategies – especially of the poor – is a key
feature of livestock (Alary et al., 2011).Until recently, a large proportion of livestock in
developing countries was not kept for food. However,
the growing demand for meat products is being met
increasingly through industrial systems, where
meat production is no longer tied to a local land
base for feed inputs or to supply animal power or
manure for crop production (Naylor et al., 2005). As
pointed out by FAO (2010b), the non-food uses of
livestock are in decline and are being replaced by
modern substitutes. Not only is animal draft power
replaced by machinery and organic farm manure by
synthetic fertilizers, but also insurance companies
and banks replace more and more the risk man-
agement and asset functions of livestock.3. Trends in consumption and production of live-
stock products
Animal source foods (ASF), mainly meat, milk and
eggs provide concentrated, high quality sources of
essential nutrients for optimal protein, energy and
micronutrient nutrition (especially iron, zinc and
vitamin B12). Access to ASF is believed to have
contributed to the evolution of the human species’
unusually large and complex brain and its social
behaviour (Milton, 2003; Larsen, 2003). Today, ASF
contribute a significant proportion to the food intake
of Western societies (MacRae et al., 2005), but play
also an increasing role in developing countries.
Since the early 1960s, consumption of milk per
capita in the developing countries has almost doubled,
meat consumption more than tripled and egg con-
sumption increased by a factor of five (FAO, 2010b).
The growing demand for livestock products in devel-
oping countries has been driven mostly by population
growth, while economic growth, rising per capita
incomes and urbanization were major determinants