Today, 800 million people, i.e. 20% of the developing countries' population, and up to 37 % of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, are undernourished; 192 million children suffer chronic malnutrition. In 2030, mankind will take up the formidable challenge of feeding more than 9 billion people compared to the present world population of 5.7 billion.
For FAO, food security represents a priority objective and consequently important proposals have been presented and discussed in the FAO Council held in Rome from 30 May to 1 June 1994.
The problem has recently been considerably exacerbated as increasing human populations cultivate more land and reduce the available grazing area. The predicted increase of the world population will primarily occur in the developing countries and will be associated with a drastic increase of urban settlements. This will have a deep effect on agriculture through the increasing pressure on land, competition for available feed resources, as well as increasing demand for food commodities. The fundamental challenge is to increase food production, productivity and sustainability and, equally important, its distribution and accessibility to ensure that a balanced diet is available to everyone. Increased food production in the long-term must not, however, be achieved at the irreversible expense of the environment, notably over-exploitation of marginal land, pollution, and loss of biodiversity (FAO Animal Production and Health Division, Staff Working Group, 1994).
Minilivestock farming represents an important animal resource, able to meet the increasing demand for animal protein, in the developing world. Perfectly tailored to small and landless farmers' capabilities -as it requires neither important capital nor investment costs -minilivestock farming is in a position to offer good job opportunities for the socially more vulnerable sector of the population strata such as women, children and disabled persons and, in this context, could represent an important factor for social promotion.
Minilivestock farming is able to contribute efficiently to food security in various ways. Most species considered as minilivestock are characterized by a high productivity rate and thus are able to provide important quantities of nutritious food in a short period.
In fact, some species, due to their rapid dissemination are, at present and under certain conditions, considered a genuine pest; a good example is represented by the golden snail in the Philippines. But most of these species are fortunately considered authentic delicacies, highly appreciated by the gourmets, according to the local and traditional eating habits. Therefore, they are able to provide farmers with a good income, especially when the processing of the products can generate an additional value. Snails in the Mediterranean European countries and in Western Africa, grasscutters in Western and Central Africa, (1960-3115 ~) 1995 Chapman & Hall