Optimizing livestock feed provision to improve the efficiency of the agri-food system

摘要

In light of population growth and current ecological threats, such as resource depletion and climate change, the agriculture industry faces increasing pressures, demands, and scrutiny. Livestock production, in particular, receives criticism due to the land, water, and energy use, as well as the GHG emissions associated with these production systems. While acknowledging sustainability concerns regarding livestock production and consumption practices, we argue that livestock themselves form an integral part of sustainable agri-food systems. Livestock can act as a "battery of nutrients," storing nutrients that would otherwise be inaccessible or lost to the agri-food system and making them nutritionally-accessible to humans. Thus, we propose three agronomically-viable feed provision strategies that improve the efficiency and sustainability of current arable land-based production systems, including maximizing forages as feed, integrating crop and livestock systems, and using co-product feeds as well as wasted food. We conceptually apply these strategies to an Ontario context, using province-based land productivity estimates to approximate a 41% reduction in arable land use for feed production while maintaining sufficient animal protein output to satisfy an adequate diet.