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Sustainable Livestock and Agricultural Production: Challenges and Perspectives

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 September 2026 | Viewed by 764

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Engineering, School of Engineering, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras 37200-000, MG, Brazil
Interests: rural buildings and environment; animal welfare and thermal comfort; sustainable livestock production; precision livestock farming; greenhouse gas emissions; computational modeling and simulation; digital technologies in dairy farming
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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Florence, Italy
Interests: UAV; drone rover terrain; geographic information systems; spatial analysis; digital mapping; precision livestock farming; wildlife monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Fluminense Federal University, 156 Passo da Pátria Street, Block D, Niteroi 24210-240, RJ, Brazil
Interests: rural structures; environmental comfort; sustainable materials; life cycle assessment (LCA); waste valorization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing global demand for safe, nutritious, and accessible food places significant pressure on agricultural and livestock systems, which must intensify production while minimizing environmental, social, and economic impacts. Sustainable livestock and agricultural production have therefore emerged as a strategic approach to reconcile food security, technological innovation, and the preservation of natural resources. This Special Issue aims to integrate science, production, and society, providing a platform for reflection and practical solutions that support the development of resilient, efficient, and inclusive agricultural systems.

The scope of this Special Issue is broad, welcoming original research on diverse aspects of sustainability in agriculture and livestock, including greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, resource efficiency, biodiversity, climate resilience, digital innovations, precision farming, circular economy approaches, socio-economic factors, consumer perceptions, and public policies. Studies introducing new indicators, methodologies, or assessment models are also encouraged, without limiting authors to specific topics, as long as they contribute to advancing sustainable food production.

By bringing together interdisciplinary research and applied experiences, this Special Issue seeks to consolidate scientific advances and support the implementation of sustainable practices that promote food production in an ethical, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner. In doing so, it aims to contribute to more resilient and innovative agricultural and livestock systems capable of meeting global food demands while preserving natural resources and maintaining environmental integrity.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Patrícia Ferreira Ponciano Ferraz
Dr. Leonardo Conti
Dr. Daiane Cecchin
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • sustainable agriculture
  • livestock production
  • food security
  • climate resilience
  • resource efficiency
  • animal welfare
  • greenhouse gas emissions
  • precision farming
  • circular economy
  • agroecology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 679 KB  
Article
Effects of Thermal Variability on Milk Production Traits in Dairy Cattle Under Temperate Continental Conditions in Serbia
by Nenad Mićić, Dragan Stanojević, Dragan Milićević, Miloš Marinković, Marina Lazarević, Ljiljana Samolovac and Vladan Bogdanović
Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 3966; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18083966 - 16 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Milk production in dairy cattle is increasingly challenged by thermal variability. This underscores the need for reliable assessment of microclimatic conditions and their interaction with animal- and management-related factors to ensure sustainable dairy production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the [...] Read more.
Milk production in dairy cattle is increasingly challenged by thermal variability. This underscores the need for reliable assessment of microclimatic conditions and their interaction with animal- and management-related factors to ensure sustainable dairy production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of thermal variability and selected environmental and biological factors on key milk production traits in dairy cattle. The influence of fixed factors related to production conditions and microclimatic variability, including the Temperature–Humidity Index (THI) as an indicator of thermal variability, on daily milk yield (MY), milk fat content (MF), and milk protein content (MP) was assessed. This study used a dataset covering two observation periods of daily milk production traits in cows of different breeds (Simmental, Holstein-Friesian, Red Holstein, and Brown Swiss) reared in three regions of the Republic of Serbia (Mačva, Podunavlje, and Šumadija), enabling an assessment of thermal variability under diverse production and microclimatic conditions. The expression and variability of the investigated traits were determined using the PROC FREQ and PROC MEANS procedures, while the effects of individual factors were analysed using general linear and regression models, with results expressed as least squares means. All examined factors showed a highly significant effect on MY, MF, and MP (p < 0.0001). Milk production was highest within the THI range of 51–60, corresponding to thermoneutral conditions, whereas higher THI values (>60) reflect increasing thermal load and were associated with measurable reductions in milk yield, as confirmed by statistical analysis. These findings demonstrate that thermal variability and heat stress significantly influence milk production and composition and highlight the importance of integrating microclimatic indicators into sustainability-oriented dairy management and breeding strategies. Full article
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