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: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 22481
Special Issue Editors
Interests: meat production and quality; meat processing technology; sensory analysis; food safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: meat production and quality; game meat quality; production systems; milk production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
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 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
- animal husbandry
- sustainability
- food safety
- animal welfare
- food management systems
- innovative systems
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.