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Poverty, livestock and food security are linked directly and indirectly. Insufficient capital to purchase enough food is a direct linkage, but even wealthy people can be poorly nourished if the nutritional quality of foods they consume is unbalanced. The most recent FAO State of Food Insecurity in the World report highlights that between 2010 and 2012 chronic undernourishment affected nearly 870 million people in the developing countries or 12.5% of the global population, the majority of whom live in developing countries. However, poverty is not necessarily equated with the level of malnutrition, especially that of children. There is a likelihood that higher levels of malnutrition among children would be found in lower income countries, but proportions of malnourishment may not always be associated with a country's economic status. Malnutrition is caused by a lack of sufficient calories and proteins from animal source foods (ASFs) and other sources, as well as micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency. Malnutrition and undernutrition severely affect children's physical and intellectual development. In developing countries, both urban and rural populations keep livestock for many reasons. Livestock value is measured economically, socioculturally, environmentally and nutritionally. ASFs contain some of the most important micronutrients needed by humans, and diverse diets that include ASF contain greater energy and higher protein digestibility than plants. For example, ASF protein digestibility is approximately 94%, whereas digestibility of bean protein is 78% and that of whole wheat 86%. However, rural populations that produce livestock do not necessarily benefit from adequate ASF consumption.

F ood and nutrition security is achieved when food is adequate (in terms of quantity, quality, safety, and sociocultural acceptability) to live a healthy and active life and is available for, accessible to, and satisfactorily used by all individuals at all times. 1 Globally, animal health professionals have a key role in promoting food security and enhancing human well-being by keeping food-producing animals healthy. The importance of this task was highlighted recently in a commentary 2 published in the JAVMA in which the authors clearly articulated global needs to ensure food security and the importance of including animal health specialists in policy decisions. As opportunities for the profession to contribute in this arena increase, it is incumbent on veterinarians to ensure they are well prepared. However, much of the education and experiences veterinarians receive in the developed world may be less useful in resource-poor settings, and veterinarians who intend to work in these settings need to ensure they are prepared to contribute. The purpose of this paper is to clarify key issues that must be understood for veterinarians to work successfully in resource-poor settings.Three concepts are key to successful project development and delivery in resource-poor settings, regardless of the institution or nation where participating veterinarians were trained. First, it must be understood that in these settings, food animals are the focus at the household level because they are part of the microeconomy and central to food security-livestock are lifestock. Second, the role of the host country' s NAHS must be recognized because all animal health care takes place within this framework and failure to recognize this framework could easily result in inefficient efforts or negative outcomes. Third, intercultural awareness and attention to cross-cultural communication must be made a priority because doing so is absolutely central to ensuring that efforts are worthwhile, positive, and sustainable.

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