Advances in Sustainable Agroecosystems: The Integrated Management of Crop, Livestock, and Environment
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 18
Special Issue Editors
Interests: grazing land systems; livestock nutrition; crop–livestock integration; plant–animal interactions
Interests: ruminal digestive interactions; forage systems; plant secondary metabolites; strategic supplementation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cropping systems are fundamental to global agroecosystems, providing essential goods such as food and fiber and delivering critical ecosystem services. Integrating cropping and livestock systems holds significant promise in enhancing production efficiency and overall productivity and mitigating economic risks while promoting agricultural sustainability. Despite these benefits, the adoption of integrated crop–livestock systems remains limited in modern agricultural practices. A deeper understanding is needed regarding the impacts of livestock integration on cropping systems, the influence of management practices on productivity and sustainability, and the socio-economic barriers that may impede widespread adoption.
This Special Issue aims to highlight innovative research and best practices in the integrated management of cropping and livestock systems, with an emphasis on economically viable and environmentally sustainable approaches. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies that address a range of topics. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Management strategies for integrated systems;
- Plant–animal interactions;
- Soil health;
- Hydrologic and nutrient cycling processes;
- Innovative solutions to current integration challenges.
We seek contributions that advance the scientific understanding and practical implementation of integrated cropping–livestock systems in diverse agricultural contexts.
Dr. Aaron Norris
Dr. Brandon Smith
Dr. Whitney Crossland
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- agroecosystems
- cover crops
- crop residue
- cropping systems
- integrated crop and livestock
- soil health
- sustainable production
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