LivestockPlus: Forages, sustainable intensification, and food security in the tropics

The increased use of grain-based feed for livestock during the last two decades has contributed, along with other factors, to a rise in grain prices that has reduced human food security. This circumstance argues for feeding more forages to livestock, particularly in the tropics where many livestock...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2015-11, Vol.44 (7), p.685-693
Main Authors: Rudel, Thomas K., Paul, Birthe, White, Douglas, Rao, I. M., Van Der Hoek, Rein, Castro, Aracely, Boval, Maryline, Lerner, Amy, Schneider, Laura, Peters, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural commodities
Agricultural production
Agriculture
Agriculture - methods
Animal Husbandry
Animals
Atmospheric Sciences
Biomass
Cattle
Consumption
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Edible Grain - growth & development
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental Management
Farmers
Farming
Farming Systems Ecology
Farms
Feeds
Food security
Food supply
Food Supply - methods
Foods
Forage
Forages
Foraging behavior
Grain
Grasses
Human security
Humans
Leerstoelgroep Farming Systems Ecology
Life Sciences
Livestock
Livestock - physiology
Livestock feeds
Pastures
PE&RC
PERSPECTIVE
Physical Geography
Plant Breeding
Prices
Security
Small farms
Soybeans
Sustainability
Trends
Tropical environments
Tropics
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Summary:The increased use of grain-based feed for livestock during the last two decades has contributed, along with other factors, to a rise in grain prices that has reduced human food security. This circumstance argues for feeding more forages to livestock, particularly in the tropics where many livestock are reared on small farms. Efforts to accomplish this end, referred to as the 'LivestockPlus' approach, intensify in sustainable ways the management of grasses, shrubs, trees, and animals. By decoupling the human food and livestock feed systems, these efforts would increase the resilience of the global food system. Effective LivestockPlus approaches take one of two forms: (1) simple improvements such as new forage varieties and animal management practices that spread from farmer to farmer by word of mouth, or (2) complex sets of new practices that integrate forage production more closely into farms' other agricultural activities and agroecologies.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-015-0676-2