Sustainability Of Livestock Farming Research Articles

Updates and Current Challenges in Reproductive Microbiome: A Comparative Analysis between Cows and Women.

The microbiota plays an important role in numerous physiological processes, pathogenesis, development, and metabolism in different animal species. In humans, several studies have demonstrated an association between the vaginal microbiota and fertility rates, and even success in assisted reproduction techniques. In the context of cattle reproduction, although few studies have addressed the microbiota in a healthy state (which is not associated with diseases that affect the reproductive tract of cows), changes in its composition also seem to influence fertility. This review aims to explain the importance of the reproductive microbiota in female bovines and what is available in the literature regarding its possible role in increasing fertility. What are the challenges involved in this process? Future perspectives on its use and manipulation as a selection or intervention tool. Will it be possible to one day extrapolate the findings to reality and apply them in the field? In short, understanding the role of the reproductive microbiota of female bovines can signal the prospect of increasing production, whether of milk or meat, from the same number of animals, as it can optimize reproductive efficiency and perhaps become an allied tool for the economic profitability and sustainability of livestock farming.

Improvements in fermentation and nutritive quality of elephant grass [Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone] silages: a review.

Elephant grass [Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. syn. Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone], also known as Napier grass and King grass, includes varieties Taiwán, Gigante, Merkerón, Maralfalfa, and others. The grass achieves high biomass production in tropical-subtropical, temperate, and arid areas. The high-water concentration of elephant grass suggests that ensiling could offer an alternative way to preserve the nutritional quality of the grass during storage, however, some considerations should be addressed because of the particularities of the grass. Ensiling elephant grass may produce adequate fermentation but could suffer effluent losses and subsequent losses of nutrients due to leaching. To improve fermentation and nutrient characteristics of elephant grass silages, several studies were conducted with the inclusion of additives. Lactic acid bacteria inocula have reduced pH and increased crude protein content of elephant grass silage, but aerobic stability of silages could be affected by the bacterial inoculation. There is limited information, however, on the potential of different silage inoculants to reduce growth of spoilage microorganisms during the aerobic phase of silage prepared with elephant grass. Exogenous fibrolytic enzymes also may improve elephant grass silage quality by enhancing microbial fiber-degradation with subsequent increase in lactic acid and its associated pH reduction. Another study approach to improve fermentation and nutritional quality of elephant grass silages involved the addition of different feeds at ensiling, including conventional feeds such corn, wheat, rice bran, and molasses or alternative feeds such as different dehydrated by-products obtained from the food industries of juice and jelly. In the manuscript, the presented scientific information shows the great potential of the different manipulations to improve the quality of elephant grass silages and with possible enhance of the economic profit and sustainability of livestock farming in the tropical areas.

Sustainability of Livestock Farming in South Africa. Outlook on Production Constraints, Climate-Related Events, and Upshot on Adaptive Capacity

The practice of pasture-based livestock farming systems in South Africa is susceptible to climate-related events, low production output, income fluctuation, and by extension poor adaptive capacity. Understanding the importance and gravity of sustainable livestock farming through adaptive capacity has been identified as a tool to cope in the face of the climate-related event which extends to production output. It is to this end, that the study explored the adaptive capacity and the socioeconomic determinants that influence this capacity used by the pasture-based livestock farmers in the study area. Random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 277 pasture-based livestock farmers in the study area from and their responses concerning on demography, farm-based characteristics, production constraints and adaptive capacity were used. Data were analyzed, in which the descriptive statistics, composite scores, and the extended ordered probit model were used to establish the results. The findings revealed the adaptive capacity score of low, moderate, and high to be 40.1%, 43.7%, and 16.2% respectively. Correspondingly, the model estimate revealed the significant factors that affect the adaptive capacity to include: the use of labor (p < 0.05), other sources of income (p < 0.05). Conversely, the age of the farmers (p < 0.05) and landowners (p < 0.01) was found significant but had a negative relationship to adaptive capacity. By implication, the study concluded that there is a need for fruitions of policies that support farmers’ socioeconomic behavior to engage more in adaptive capacity and to improve the Sustainable Development Goals of the united nation as well as vision 2030 of the National Development Plan.

Developing science–industry collaborations into a transdisciplinary process: a case study on improving sustainability of pork production

Sustainability of livestock farming is not only part of intensive public debate, but also refers to a multi-stakeholder field comprising many different interests and worldviews. Beyond the environmental, economic and social dimensions of livestock farming, especially animal welfare should be considered as an essential aspect of sustainability. Such sustainability issues may be successfully addressed by transdisciplinary research. Science–industry collaborations in the realm of livestock sciences do have the potential for becoming successful transdisciplinary projects if project partners are aware of the challenges and limitations. In the light of this situation the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna and an Austrian food retailer launched a collaborative research project. The main objective of the project was to develop measures to improve sustainability of current pig fattening systems with a special focus on animal welfare. These measures were subsequently implemented on three pig fattening farms in Austria and the effects on animal welfare, economic and environmental performance as well as the farmers’ perception were evaluated. In this paper, the research process will be analysed from a transdisciplinary perspective, identifying differences between transdisciplinarity and different forms of applied research. This is followed by a discussion of challenges and failures as well as opportunities and achievements of the project concluding with a presentation of recommendations for further research projects. Finally, it is discussed to which extent industry-funded research offers suitable conditions for transdisciplinary research projects in pork production using the present project as a case study.

Sustainability of livestock farming in the communal lands of Southern Namibia

AbstractThe impacts of livestock farming in southern Namibia's communal areas are investigated. Small stock farming is ubiquitous in this semiarid region, and provides many people with their only source of wealth and income. It is traditionally thought that livestock grazing negatively impacts on the vegetation resource. Using both interviews and interpretation of sequential aerial photographs, veld (a South African word descriptive of the general vegetation and soils within an area) resilience and changes in vegetation composition and cover were analysed. Results provide contrasting evidence. Resilience is illustrated by good plant regeneration after the 1999–2000 rainy season, an observation that provides support for a disequilibrium interpretation of the landscape, suggesting that productivity here is primarily event driven and not unduly impacted by grazing pressure. Additional, contradictory, results show that vegetation composition has indeed changed in the communal lands, from predominantly palatable perennials to unpalatable annuals. Localized areas of degradation are also evident. Using sequential aerial photography, comparison of land units under commercial tenure (1970) with the situation subsequent to incorporation into Namaland (1998) indicates an increase in bare soil from 6.3 to 11 per cent over the time period in question. This increase is attributed to, among other factors, increased pressure form livestock grazing. Although separating anthropogenic factors from other biophysical ones is difficult, it is argued that appropriate management practices should be employed that take into account both the veld's resilience and the observed localized degradation and species composition changes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sustainability of livestock farming in the communal lands of Southern Namibia

The impacts of livestock farming in southern Namibia's communal areas are investigated. Small stock farming is ubiquitous in this semiarid region, and provides many people with their only source of wealth and income. It is traditionally thought that livestock grazing negatively impacts on the vegetation resource. Using both interviews and interpretation of sequential aerial photographs, veld (a South African word descriptive of the general vegetation and soils within an area) resilience and changes in vegetation composition and cover were analysed. Results provide contrasting evidence. Resilience is illustrated by good plant regeneration after the 1999–2000 rainy season, an observation that provides support for a disequilibrium interpretation of the landscape, suggesting that productivity here is primarily event driven and not unduly impacted by grazing pressure. Additional, contradictory, results show that vegetation composition has indeed changed in the communal lands, from predominantly palatable perennials to unpalatable annuals. Localized areas of degradation are also evident. Using sequential aerial photography, comparison of land units under commercial tenure (1970) with the situation subsequent to incorporation into Namaland (1998) indicates an increase in bare soil from 6.3 to 11 per cent over the time period in question. This increase is attributed to, among other factors, increased pressure form livestock grazing. Although separating anthropogenic factors from other biophysical ones is difficult, it is argued that appropriate management practices should be employed that take into account both the veld's resilience and the observed localized degradation and species composition changes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.