Special Issue "From Farm to Table: Sustainable Management in Animal Husbandry"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Kaić
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science and Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: meat quality traits; meat processing; sensory analysis; food safety; food quality; agriculture
Dr. Nikolina Kelava Ugarković
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science and Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: milk and meat production; milk and meat quality; food quality; animal by-products; low-emission farms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For decades, applied practices and technologies in animal husbandry were aimed to increase productivity with no or minor concerns of the effects of this drive, either locally or globally. However, with time, various issues of such production practices have been detected, and a need for solutions has emerged. Sustainable animal husbandry balances between the growing demand for animal-derived products and the need to reduce negative side-effects. In order to preserve ecological processes, biodiversity, and productivity into the future, sustainable animal husbandry integrates environmental, social, and economic aspects of food production. Principles of sustainability in animal husbandry can be applied through the entire process of production (i.e., from farm to table). 

Animal husbandry production is perceived as one of the major global environmental issues. It has been argued that a well-organized, highly efficient animal husbandry management system provides the best opportunities for sustainability. Namely, domestic animals—especially cattle (beef and dairy)—are considered to be one of the major contributors of global methane emissions from animal husbandry. On the other hand, deforestation and the use of forest soils to cultivate feed for domestic animals presents a second environment-related issue. Another environmental issue arising from animal husbandry is associated with manure management and the need to properly store and apply manure to minimize nitrate pollution from agriculture. Socio-economic aspects of sustainable animal husbandry are oriented towards animal-welfare-related issues, food quality, and safety. The welfare of animals used for food production has become an important parameter in purchasing and in perceived food quality. Protocols to assess the welfare of different domestic animal species have been developed to control and minimize the deprivation of animals’ basic needs (food, water, and expression of normal behavior, and freedom from discomfort, pain, injury, disease, fear, or distress). Additionally, alternative animal husbandry systems have been developed to meet animal welfare standards and to offer value-added products to the market. Maintaining biodiversity as part of sustainable animal husbandry can be achieved through the use of indigenous breeds of cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horse, and poultry. Local breeds and specific food products obtained from them also contribute to the socio-economic aspect of sustainable animal husbandry. The use of local or alternative feed sources has the potential to improve the quality of food produced either from indigenous or selected breeds. Animal-derived foods obtained from sustainable animal husbandry systems, in addition to the required quality parameters, need to be properly handled, processed, and stored in order to prevent possible foodborne illness and negative effects on human health.

This Special Issue will offer findings that address the challenge of sustainable food management in animal husbandry. Manuscripts describing new approaches, new syntheses, and new theories are welcome.

Therefore, we encourage you to submit articles covering the following issues:

  • Local livestock breeds;
  • Local and alternative feed resources;
  • Alternative animal husbandry systems;
  • Animal nutrition;
  • Animal welfare;
  • Animal health;
  • Manure management;
  • Environmental footprints;
  • Socio-economic approaches;
  • Food quality;
  • Food safety.

Dr. Ana Kaić
Dr. Nikolina Kelava Ugarković
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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • animal husbandry
  • sustainability
  • food safety
  • animal welfare
  • food management systems
  • innovative systems

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Communication
Efficacy of Hormonal Growth Promoter Implants on the Performance of Grazing Steers of Different Breeds in Southern Chile
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9135; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169135 - 15 Aug 2021
Viewed by 387
Abstract
Increasing demands for land is necessitating the optimisation of grazing land used for livestock production. Hormonal growth promoter implants (HGPI) are widely used to improve cattle performance and thus land-use efficiency. However, there is limited information on their efficacy in grazing systems. Forty [...] Read more.
Increasing demands for land is necessitating the optimisation of grazing land used for livestock production. Hormonal growth promoter implants (HGPI) are widely used to improve cattle performance and thus land-use efficiency. However, there is limited information on their efficacy in grazing systems. Forty grazing steers, 10 of each breed (Angus, Hereford, Holstein, Overo Colorado), had growth rates monitored for 85 days after which half received HGPI and half continued as a control. Growth rates were monitored for an additional 61 days and performance between the groups compared. Implants had a significant impact on liveweight gain (LWG; p = 0.013), and whilst breed did not (p = 0.65), there was an interaction effect of breed × treatment (p = 0.029). For three of the four breeds, the LWG was greater in the implant group (mean +14.3%). The exception was for Holstein steers which did not respond to the implant. In general, HGPI were found to be effective in increasing LWG of grazing cattle and thus has the potential to increase yield densities and relieve pressures of land use and competition. The efficacy may be affected by breed and other extraneous factors not covered in this study. Furthermore, the use of HGPI must be carefully considered in a wider context since its use might have secondary impacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Farm to Table: Sustainable Management in Animal Husbandry)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Alterations in the Rumen Particle-Associated Microbiota of Goats in Response to Dietary Supplementation Levels of Schizochytrium spp.
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020607 - 10 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 817
Abstract
Fat rich microorganisms, such as microalgae Schizochytrium spp., are potential biotechnological tools in the modulation of rumen microbiome towards ecofriendly and high nutritional value end-products. However, limited in vivo trials have been reported on the topic. The aim of this study was to [...] Read more.
Fat rich microorganisms, such as microalgae Schizochytrium spp., are potential biotechnological tools in the modulation of rumen microbiome towards ecofriendly and high nutritional value end-products. However, limited in vivo trials have been reported on the topic. The aim of this study was to contribute to the knowledge on the effect of fat rich microalgae on the methanogenic and feed degrading particle-associated microbes in goats’ rumen content. For the trial, twenty-four goats were divided into four homogenous clusters (six goats/treatment) according to their fat corrected (4%) milk yield, body weight and age and individually were fed with alfalfa hay and concentrate feeds (F/C = 50/50). The concentrate of the control group (CON) contained no microalgae, while those of the treated groups were supplemented daily with 20 (ALG20), 40 (ALG40), and 60 (ALG60) g of Schizochytrium spp./goat. The relative abundances of total Archaea, methanogens, Methanomassiliicoccales, Methanobrevibacter spp., Methanosphaera stadmanae and Methanobacterium formicicum were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in microalgae-fed goats compared to the CON ones. Moreover, a significant decline in the relative abundances of Firmicutes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Butyrivibrio fibrosolvents, and Neocallimastigales in the rumen particle-associated microbiota of microalgae supplemented goats were observed. In conclusion, goats’ diets supplementation with Schizochytrium spp., could be considered a sustainable nutritional strategy for methanogens inhibition in their rumen particle-associated microbiota. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Farm to Table: Sustainable Management in Animal Husbandry)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop