scholarly journals Livestock and Climate Justice: Challenging Mainstream Policy Narratives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando García-Dory ◽  
Ella Houzer ◽  
Ian Scoones
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Mobile Systems ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Pastoral Production ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Policy Narratives ◽  
Material Conditions ◽  
Livestock Systems ◽  
Pastoral Production Systems

In discussions around food systems and the climate, livestock is often painted as the villain. While some livestock production in some places contributes significantly to climate change, this is not universally the case. This article focuses on pastoral production systems – extensive, often mobile systems using marginal rangelands across around half of the world’s surface, involving many millions of people. By examining the assumptions behind standard calculations of greenhouse gas emissions, a systematic bias against pastoralism is revealed. Many policy and campaign stances fail to discriminate between different material conditions of production, lumping all livestock systems together. Injustices arise through the framing of debates and policy knowledge; through procedures that exclude certain people and perspectives; and through the distributional consequences of policies. In all cases, extensive livestock keepers lose out. In reflecting on the implications for European pastoralism, an alternative approach is explored where pastoralists’ knowledge, practices and organisations take centre‑stage.

Estimation of tsetse challenge and its relationship with trypanosomosis incidence in cattle kept under pastoral production systems in Kenya

2008 ◽  
Vol 155 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 287-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Bett ◽  
P. Irungu ◽  
S.O. Nyamwaro ◽  
G. Murilla ◽  
P. Kitala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Pastoral Production ◽  
Pastoral Production Systems

Assessing the importance of livestock water use in basins

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Cook ◽  
M. S. Andersson ◽  
M. J. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Livestock Systems

Recent concern over food prices has triggered a renewed interest in agricultural production systems. While attention is focused mainly on cropping, a complete analysis of food production systems should recognise the importance of livestock as major consumers of resources – in particular water – and as providers of food and other products and services. We propose that there is a need to examine not just food systems in isolation, but combined food and water systems, both of which are described as in a critical condition. From this broader perspective, it appears even more important to understand livestock systems because first, a total evaluation of agricultural water productivity – the gain from water consumed by agriculture – cannot be made without understanding the complexities of livestock-containing systems and; second, because in most tropical river basins, livestock systems are the major consumers of water. To identify total water productivity of livestock-containing systems, we describe concepts of agricultural water productivity and review the complexities of tracking the flow of water through livestock-containing systems: from inputs as evapotranspiration (ET) of forage and crops to outputs of valued animal products or services. For the second part, we present preliminary results from water use accounts analysis for several major river basins, which reveal that for Africa at least, livestock systems appear to be the major water consumers. Yet, little is known about the fate of water as it passes through these systems. We propose that livestock-containing systems offer substantial scope for increasing total water productivity and that there is considerable merit in improving the capacity to analyse water consumption and water productivity through such systems. Without removing this major source of uncertainty, the potential for systemic improvement to meet the world food and water crisis remains undefined and hence under-acknowledged.

Phosphorus leaching from pastures can be an environmental risk and even a significant fertiliser expense

2006 ◽  
pp. 293-296
Author(s):  
Matt R. Redding ◽  
A. Ghani ◽  
M. Kear ◽  
M. O'Connor ◽  
W. Catto
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Phosphorus Leaching ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
P Loss ◽  
Reactive Phosphate Rock ◽  
Pastoral Production ◽  
Phosphorus Losses ◽  
Pastoral Production Systems

While it is true that leaching is usually not a strong pathway for phosphorus (P) loss under many systems, is it true for all? Two studies reported in this paper sought to establish if significant phosphorus leaching can occur under normal pastoral production systems. Undisturbed-core lysimeters collected from a Wharekohe silt loam from Northland were treated with fertiliser P (reactive phosphate rock and superphosphate) then leached from August to November, 2005. In a second study, soil profiles under pasture for sheep/beef and dairy production in the catchments of the Rotorua lakes were sampled to depths of 1.5 m (28 sites), and soil Olsen P and P retention capacity index were determined down these profiles. Phosphorus losses from the Wharekohe soil to 25 cm depth were up to 33% of the P applied (superphosphate applications of 50 and 100 kg P/ha). Some Rotorua soils displayed enriched P concentrations at depth (to 1.5 m), often coupled with moderate or low P sorption capacities. If connectivity exists between leaching pathways and surface water bodies these observations indicate that alternative management strategies need to be developed and adopted for soils that leach significant quantities of P. The Wharekohe silt loam is one such soil. Keywords: phosphorus, leaching

What’s beyond capitalist natures? The view from a camel’s back

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Model ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Pastoral Production ◽  
Pastoral Production Systems

The authors’ formulation ‘capitalist natures’ may be too quick to imply that the formal and/or real subsumption of all natures is in the process of being accomplished. I point toward liminal and dynamic cases, such as camels in pastoral production systems, to trouble the mental model of a spatialized ‘outside’ that is either simply colonized by or subsidizing capitalist relations.

Successes and Problems with Measuring Water Consumption in Beef Systems

2019 ◽  
pp. 651-670
Author(s):  
Mieghan Bruce ◽  
Camille Bellet ◽  
Jonathan Rushton
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Multiple Uses ◽  
Large Water ◽  
Efficient Water Use ◽  
Livestock Systems

Beef production is considered to have a large water footprint, with values ranging from 3.3 to 75,000 L H20/kg. The water consumption in beef production is primarily associated with feed, estimated to be about 98%, with other requirements representing less than 1%. However, beef production is a complex system where cattle are often raised in different areas using a range of resources over their lifetime. This complexity is demonstrated using three countries with very different environments and production systems, namely Australia, Brazil, and Kenya. To achieve efficient water use in beef systems, and food systems more generally, a classification system that reflects how animals are managed, slaughtered, and processed is required. Methods for assessing water use in livestock systems, from production to consumption, need to be standardized, whilst also including the alternative uses, multiple uses, and benefits of a certain resource in a specific location.

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