Towards a system-specific framework for the sustainability evaluation of low-input ruminant meat production systems in developing countries

Abstract

The concept of sustainability is associated with numerous evaluation approaches making various claims. To their credit, the evaluation approaches contributed to the evolution of the concept from a rather vague and mostly qualitative notion to progressively being defined in more quantitative terms. The diversity of low-input ruminant meat production systems make the use of a single blueprint for sustainability evaluation completely impractical. Most sustainability evaluation approaches fail to adequately and accurately take account of the realities of the low-input production systems. For example, the multifunctionality of ruminant livestock and other credence values of rangeland-based production systems are rarely considered in most sustainability evaluations. Development of a holistic and transdisciplinary system-specific approach that effectively address the complexity and realities of the low-input production could be important. This review examines the strength and weaknesses of currently available sustainability evaluation frameworks and suggests parameters for a system-specific evaluation framework for low-input ruminant meat production.