Feeding the world is not only a complex technical matter, but also a demanding governance issue. As food security has all the characteristics of a wicked problem (variety of problem definitions, conflicting interests, interconnectedness across scales, inherent uncertainties), conventional governance arrangements do not seem to work. New ways of concerted actions are introduced to better link global challenges with local practices. One example of this is the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock: a partnership of public, private, social, and civil society actors, committed to the sustainable development of the livestock sector. It aims to enhance shared understanding of sustainability and its underlying development issues and to build consensus on the path towards sustainable food security through dialogue, consultation, and joint analyses. This article analyses the Agenda as a new type of governance arrangement to enhance food security. It relies on a theoretical framework that consists of five governance capabilities, which are considered crucial for coping with wicked problems: reflexivity, resilience, responsiveness, revitalisation, and rescaling. The aim of this paper is threefold: 1) to assess the Agenda and learn from that; 2) to evaluate the capabilities framework as a tool to assess governance arrangements; and 3) to reflect on the potentials of new governance arrangements to deal with food security. The article illustrates how the governance capabilities framework can be used as a tool to analyse the multi-stakeholder platform for enhancing food security. It concludes that the Agenda successfully encompasses many elements of these capabilities although improvements are possible.

At the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Scotland, during the summer months of 1987, two adult water buffaloes, two Brahman cattle and two BrahmaniFriesian steers walked round a circular track on concrete or through 300 mm deep mud. Average walking speed (m\s) when unloaded, or average walking speed (m\s) when pulling 324 N, energy for walking (J\m\kg) and net mechanical efficiency (%) were 1n05 and 0n81 (P 0n01), 1n03 and 0n80 (P 0n001), 1n49 and 3n34 (P 0n001) and 31n0 and 31n8 for concrete and mud respectively. Energy values were calculated from gaseous exchange measured with an open circuit system.In Central Nigeria, from September 1991 to May 1992, the energy expenditure of eight Bunaji (White Fulani) bulls was monitored using portable oxygen measuring equipment (modified ' Oxylog ') when walking, ploughing and harrowing on six soil surfaces ranging from hard, smooth earth to ploughed, waterlogged clay. Average walking speeds (m\s), pulling speeds (m\s) and energy cost of walking (J\m\kg) varied from 0n97 to 0n65, 0n55 to 0n47 and 1n47 to 8n58 respectively. Net mechanical efficiency averaged 31n4 % and was unaffected by ground surface.The energy cost of walking for the Bos indicus cattle on smooth ground (1n47 J\m\kg) in this trial was less than that previously reported for Bos taurus (1n80 J\m\kg) and the reported average value for cattle (Bos indicus and Bos taurus) on treadmills (2n09 J\m\kg). The implications for practical agriculture of the higher levels of energy expenditure for walking in muddy conditions are discussed.

The extra energy used for walking on the level and on negative gradients above that used when standing still (Ew) (J/m per kg live weight) was measured in two entire male donkeys (Equus asinus). E w was not affected by speed within the measured range (V = 0-6 to 1-3 m/s) but gradient (0, -10%, -15%) had a significant effect EWJOT; = 0-97 (s.e. 0-02), E n _ m = 0-55 (s.e. = 0-03) and E W _ 1S% = 0-67 (s.e. 0-03). The extra energy cost of carrying loads (E c ), defined as J/m per kg carried was measured using the same animals. Loads were placed over the animals shoulders and speed was varied within the range 0-6 to 1-3 m/s (E ckvel = 1-1 (s.e. 0-04), E c _ w% = 2-7 (s.e. 0-17) and E c _ 15% = 3-3 (s.e. 0-20) were significantly different. The energy cost of pulling loads (E p ) (f/m per kg) was measured while the animals pulled loads up to proportionately 0-17 of their live weight. The animals wore a breast-plate harness and walking speed was varied within the range 0-6 to 1-3 m/s. Mean values were 26-5 (s.e. 0-72) on the level, 15-3 (s.e. 1-2) on the -10% gradient and 6-2 (s.e. 0-43) on the -15% gradient.The two donkeys used in this experiment were more efficient in both carrying and pulling loads than oxen and buffaloes. Negative gradients have a significant effect on energy consumption and when estimating the energy expenditure of working animals this factor should be taken into account.

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