OM A123

Sheep and goat sectors are facing an uncertain future due to a general lack of competitiveness stemming from poor technical and economic results, but also due to severe social and environmental challenges. In order to overcome this situation, innovative solutions are needed at different levels (animal, flock, livestock population, farm, territory, value chain, etc.) to make the sheep and goat industries more sustainable and profitable when faced with emerging environmental, climatic, socio-economic, demographic, policy and market challenges. These innovations may improve production techniques, labour organisation, equipment and infrastructures, as well as collective programmes for selection or health campaigns. They can also strengthen social forms of organisation such as product quality schemes or the management of communal areas. Innovative feeding strategies coupled with precision flock management practices that target the reduction of production gaps and adjust to the environmental challenges, hold promise to tackle the above mentioned objectives. The FAO-CIHEAM Sheep and Goat Network organised a Joint Seminar of its two Subnetworks (Production Systems and Nutrition) in Vitoria-Gasteiz from 3 to 5 October 2017. The objective of the Seminar was to encourage the participation and interaction among scientists and technicians working in the sheep and goat industry around the Mediterranean countries, with a view to exchange experiences and research results that tackle with the challenges that the sector is facing and provide pathways for ensuring the sustainability of the sheep and goat production systems. This publication compiles 88 articles from the invited, theatre and poster contributions that were presented in the Seminar.