TY - JOUR

T1 - Taking the steps toward sustainable livestock: our multidisciplinary global farm platform journey

AU - Rivero, M. Jordana

AU - Evans, Alex

AU - Berndt, Alexandre

AU - Cartmill, Andrew

AU - Dowsey, Andrew

AU - Farruggia, Anne

AU - Mignolet, Catyherine

AU - Enriquez-Hidalgo, Daniel

AU - Chadwick, Dave

AU - McCracken, Davy

AU - Busch, Dennis

AU - Pereyra, Fabiano

AU - Martin, Graeme B.

AU - Sanford, Gregg R.

AU - Sheridan, Helen

AU - Wright, Iain

AU - Brunet, Laurent

AU - Eisler, Mark

AU - Lopez-Villalobos, Nicolas

AU - Rovira, Pablo

AU - Harris, Paul

AU - Murphy, Paul

AU - Williams, Prysor

AU - Jackson, Randall D.

AU - Machado, Rui

AU - Suraj, P.T.

AU - Puech, Thomas

AU - Boland, Tommy

AU - Ayala, Walter

AU - Lee, Michael R.F.

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - Ruminant livestock are a vital global source of high-quality protein and bioavailable minerals and vitamins. They support healthy dietary choices by providing milk and meat produced from less productive land and food industry byproducts. However, despite the contribution of ruminants to food systems and the circular bioeconomy, ruminant production systems are increasingly questioned due to their environmental impact, particularly their significant contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and associated global warming. There is a need, therefore, to identify a pathway to sustainable global ruminant production. In 2014, our group defined eight strategies or “steps” (Eisler et al., 2014), to mitigate the environmental impacts of ruminant production while optimizing the quantity and quality of the food they produce. To realize these goals, we established the “Global Farm Platform” initiative (www.globalfarmplatform.org), a network of “farm platforms” or research farms (RFs), to explore multidisciplinary strategies and evaluate different production systems around the globe (Table 1). Here, we provide a perspective on our approach and the steps we are taking to realize the ambition of supporting sustainable ruminant livestock production as a part of future food systems contributing to both human and planetary health.

AB - Ruminant livestock are a vital global source of high-quality protein and bioavailable minerals and vitamins. They support healthy dietary choices by providing milk and meat produced from less productive land and food industry byproducts. However, despite the contribution of ruminants to food systems and the circular bioeconomy, ruminant production systems are increasingly questioned due to their environmental impact, particularly their significant contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and associated global warming. There is a need, therefore, to identify a pathway to sustainable global ruminant production. In 2014, our group defined eight strategies or “steps” (Eisler et al., 2014), to mitigate the environmental impacts of ruminant production while optimizing the quantity and quality of the food they produce. To realize these goals, we established the “Global Farm Platform” initiative (www.globalfarmplatform.org), a network of “farm platforms” or research farms (RFs), to explore multidisciplinary strategies and evaluate different production systems around the globe (Table 1). Here, we provide a perspective on our approach and the steps we are taking to realize the ambition of supporting sustainable ruminant livestock production as a part of future food systems contributing to both human and planetary health.

KW - circularity

KW - grazing systems

KW - mixed farming

KW - precision farming

KW - research farms

KW - ruminant livestock

U2 - 10.1093/af/vfab048

DO - 10.1093/af/vfab048

M3 - Article

C2 - 34676139

VL - 11

SP - 52

EP - 58

JO - Animal Frontiers

JF - Animal Frontiers

IS - 5

ER -