Criteria for sustainable livestock production: a proposal for implementation

Abstract

After discussing some general problems in measuring sustainability, an identification of measurable criteria for the major agroecological problems is proposed, derived from explicit issues of unsustainability. The proposed criteria are briefly discussed. Factors which might influence the effect of inclusion of livestock in an agricultural system on each criterion are also discussed. It is argued that identification of livestock-specific criteria is impossible because of the large heterogeneity of livestock production systems and the non-linear relation between livestock-specific criteria and agroecological criteria. Therefore, a system-specific analysis is needed to assess the overall effect of livestock inclusion in an agricultural system on each of the proposed general criteria for sustainability. These are: demand and supply of consumable livestock products; potential human population supporting capacity; land area utilized for agriculture; degree of equity in food distribution; variability of production; net annual soil losses; nutrient balances and losses; water availability and utilization; soil organic matter; fossil energy and drug utilization. Such a system-specific analysis will also allow formulation of measurable criteria for other objectives, and an assessment of trade-offs between the criteria. Recognition of such trade-offs, together with the reduced acceptability of external effects (both in time and space), might appear to be the most important notion of the sustainability concept.