ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially launched a global road-testing initiative for sustainable livestock standards through its Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) partnership.
The collaborative pilot involves China, Brazil, Indonesia, Uruguay, and countries across Central Asia, marking a new phase in the global implementation of science-based livestock sustainability frameworks.
The launch was announced during the inaugural FAO LEAP Partner Meeting in Beijing, China, held on 2–3 December 2025, as part of a broader FAO LEAP meeting series from 30 November to 5 December 2025 ago. The forum brought together FAO, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), universities, livestock and food industries, and international partners.
The road-test focuses on two key FAO LEAP guidelines: Ecosystem Services and Circular Bioeconomy Approaches. These guidelines will be jointly tested across participating countries to accelerate adoption, enable national-level contextualization, and strengthen evidence-based policymaking for low-emission livestock systems.
Head of the Research Center for Sustainable Industrial Systems and Manufacturing at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Nugroho Adi Sasongko, said Indonesia’s participation reflects a strategic commitment to transforming its livestock sector in line with global standards.
“This road-test is critical to ensuring that FAO LEAP’s global standards can be applied in real-world national contexts—supporting emissions reduction, resource efficiency, and improved competitiveness of Indonesia’s livestock industry,” Nugroho said on January 6, 2026.
Through collaboration with FAO LEAP and CAAS, BRIN is advancing the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, strengthening monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, improving supply-chain efficiency, and promoting downstream development of sustainable livestock products within a circular economy and bioeconomy framework.
The meeting brought together more than 50 international experts from China and partner countries. Over the past 18 months, FAO LEAP partnerships in China have expanded rapidly—from one partner in 2023 to nine in 2025—representing the fastest national expansion in FAO LEAP’s history.
FAO LEAP Chair and Executive Director of the International Feed Industry Federation, Alexandra de Athayde, emphasized that FAO LEAP’s strength lies in open, science-based collaboration and a multi-stakeholder approach.
She noted that livestock transformation must address the entire value chain—from feed production and farming systems to processing, distribution, and consumption—while safeguarding global food system resilience.
Representing Indonesia, Nugroho also presented developments in the country’s agricultural and livestock industrial systems from the perspectives of LCA, circular economy, and bioeconomy. He highlighted the strategic role of FAO LEAP guidelines as a scientific foundation for national policy formulation and sustainable production systems.
FAO LEAP Partnership Manager Xiangyu Song described the road-test as a milestone for strengthening the global FAO LEAP community.
“This joint pilot will accelerate the adoption and localization of FAO LEAP guidelines at the national level,” he said.
The programme also included field visits to livestock innovation centers and industrial zones in China, showcasing artificial intelligence-based precision livestock farming and digitalized supply chains. These visits facilitated applied knowledge exchange among researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers.
As concrete outcomes, the meeting delivered several strategic agreements, including plans for cross-country road-testing projects, the official announcement of expanded FAO LEAP partnerships in China, a proposal to establish a Global LEAP Knowledge Dissemination Hub, and strategies for translating and localizing FAO LEAP guidelines into multiple languages and online learning platforms.
Through its active engagement in the FAO LEAP road-test, BRIN has reinforced Indonesia’s position as a key player in the global transition toward sustainable livestock systems.
This effort aligns with BRIN’s mandate to support low-emission development, national food security, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through science, innovation, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. (AT Network)
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