scholarly journals Productivity-Enhancing Technologies. Can Consumer Choices Affect the Environmental Footprint of Beef?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4283
Author(s):  
Isaac A. Aboagye ◽  
Marcos R. C. Cordeiro ◽  
Tim A. McAllister ◽  
Kim H. Ominski

Use of productivity-enhancing technologies (PET: growth hormones, ionophores, and beta-adrenergic agonists) to improve productivity has recently garnered public attention regarding environmentally sustainability, animal welfare, and human health. These consumer perceptions and increased demand for PET-free beef offer opportunities for the beef industry to target niche premium markets, domestically and internationally. However, there is a need to critically examine the trade-offs and benefits of beef raised with and without the use of PETs. This review contains a summary of the current literature regarding PET products available. The implications of their use on resource utilization, food safety and security, as well as animal health and welfare are discussed. Furthermore, we identified gaps in knowledge and future research questions related to the sustainability of these technologies in beef production systems. This work highlights the tradeoffs between environmental sustainability of beef and supplying the dietary needs of a growing population.

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Judge ◽  
Julian W. Fernando ◽  
Angela Paladino ◽  
Yoshihisa Kashima

What are the consequences of lay beliefs about how things are made? In this article, we describe a Western folk theory of artifact creation, highlighting how intuitive dualism regarding mental and physical labor (i.e., folk psychology) can lead to the perceived transmission of properties from makers to material artifacts (i.e., folk physics), and affect people’s interactions with material artifacts. We show how this folk theory structures the conceptual domain of material artifacts by differentiating the contemporary lay concepts of art/craft and industrial production, and how it influences people’s evaluations of different types of artifacts and their makers. We propose that the folk theory and lay concepts of art/craft and industrial production are best understood within a specific sociohistorical context, and review potential sources of cross-cultural and cross-temporal variation. We conclude by making recommendations for future research and examining the implications for promoting environmental sustainability and social justice in production systems.


Author(s):  
Stephen G. Mackenzie ◽  
◽  
Ilias Kyriazakis ◽  

The focus of this chapter is on the environmental impact consequences of endemic livestock health challenges that lead to deterioration in animal health, and on the potential impacts arising from their mitigations. The first part of the chapter concentrates on the potential of animal health to affect the environmental impact of livestock systems. Subsequently, it reviews the literature to date which has quantified the impact of health challenges for the environmental impacts of livestock systems. The potential of successful health interventions to mitigate negative environmental impacts represents a point of synergy between concerns around environmental sustainability and animal welfare, both of which represent 'hot topics' in the discourse surrounding the livestock industry and its sustainability. The challenges associated with modelling health interventions and their potential to mitigate environmental impacts constitute the last section in the chapter.


2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1554) ◽  
pp. 2853-2867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip K. Thornton

The livestock sector globally is highly dynamic. In developing countries, it is evolving in response to rapidly increasing demand for livestock products. In developed countries, demand for livestock products is stagnating, while many production systems are increasing their efficiency and environmental sustainability. Historical changes in the demand for livestock products have been largely driven by human population growth, income growth and urbanization and the production response in different livestock systems has been associated with science and technology as well as increases in animal numbers. In the future, production will increasingly be affected by competition for natural resources, particularly land and water, competition between food and feed and by the need to operate in a carbon-constrained economy. Developments in breeding, nutrition and animal health will continue to contribute to increasing potential production and further efficiency and genetic gains. Livestock production is likely to be increasingly affected by carbon constraints and environmental and animal welfare legislation. Demand for livestock products in the future could be heavily moderated by socio-economic factors such as human health concerns and changing socio-cultural values. There is considerable uncertainty as to how these factors will play out in different regions of the world in the coming decades.


2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Dechen ◽  
Q. A. C. Carmello ◽  
F. A. Monteiro ◽  
R. C. Nogueirol

The Second International Symposium on Magnesium was held in São Paulo, Brazil, in November 2014. An overview of the role of magnesium in food production was the theme of the opening session of that meeting. This paper considers agricultural production systems, mainly in terms of sustainability, fertiliser-use efficiency and food security, with emphasis on soils of tropical regions. Magnesium in soils and plants, as well as in relation to other nutrients and to other agricultural production factors, is especially covered. Finally, the role of magnesium is considered in terms of plant and animal health, nutrient management and the need of future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Prince Nathaniel

AbstractThe Next-11 (N11) countries have witnessed great advancements in economic activities in the past few years. However, the simultaneous attainment of environmental sustainability and improved human well-being has remained elusive. This study probes into ecological footprint (EF) and human well-being nexus in N11 countries by applying advanced estimation techniques compatible with heterogeneity, endogeneity, and cross-sectional dependence across country groups. From the findings, human well-being, captured by the human development index, increases the EF, and EF also increases human well-being which suggests a strong trade-off between both indicators. This shows that policies that are channeled toward promoting human well-being are not in consonance with environmental wellness. Financial development and biocapacity increase the EF, while natural resources and globalization reduce it. Human well-being increases the EF in all the countries except in Egypt. This study argues that strong institutions could help mitigate the trade-offs and ease the simultaneous attainment of both environmental preservation and improved human well-being. The limitations of the study, as well as, possible directions for future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Ravi Kalaiarasan ◽  
Jan Olhager ◽  
Magnus Wiktorsson ◽  
Yongkuk Jeong

Globalisation, competitive markets and increasing sustainability requirements are demanding companies to focus on visibility to improve their supply chains and ultimately their businesses. This paper aims to identify perspectives, principles and prospects of production logistics visibility (PLV). The study is based on a literature review of articles presenting definitions, development trends and the future role of PLV. It is concluded that visibility is generally defined by availability, quality, accessibility and usefulness of information. PLV could refer to the extent to which actors within the production systems have access to timely and accurate information considered useful to their operations. According to the findings, antecedents of PLV include digitalisation, IoT and connectivity. These steps are required to turn data into meaningful information that can be used for decision making in production and logistics setting to improve operational and business performance. Furthermore, to fully benefit from PLV, there has to be an integration of external and internal perspectives. Concluding, the paper defines future research efforts including four lines of exploration and development: (1) Intra-site visibility for material management including dynamic synchronisation, takt and resource planning. (2) Supply-oriented visibility for dynamic status and prediction of supply network status. These two initial lines of enquiry should include the perspectives of stakeholders, parameter, enabling technologies and potential impact. (3) A synthesised framework for Production Logistics Visibility, relying on utilizing antecedents and enabling multi-criteria decision in production logistics based on visibility, where performance in terms of efficiency, sustainability and flexibility is ensured. (4) To specifically detail and exploit the potential in production logistics visibility in the aspect of environmental sustainability and closed material and product loops.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 7135
Author(s):  
Latifah Abdul Ghani ◽  
Nora’aini Ali ◽  
Ilyanni Syazira Nazaran ◽  
Marlia M. Hanafiah ◽  
Norhafiza Ilyana Yatim

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) system, which can be used as a decision support tool for managing environmental sustainability, includes carbon footprint assessment as one of the available methodologies. In this study, a carbon footprint assessment was used to investigate seawater production systems of a desalination plant in Senok, Kelantan, Malaysia. Three stages of the desalination plant processing system were investigated and the inventory database was developed using the relevant model framework. Subsequently, measurements and interpretations were performed on several key indicators such as greenhouse gases, energy efficiency, acidic gases, smog, and toxic gases. Overall, the results of the study indicate that the Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology that is used in the desalination plant in the study area is one of the best options to meet the demands of the environmental sustainability agenda (SDGs). This is due to the lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, of about 3.5 × 10−2 kg of CO2 eq per m3/year, that was recorded for the entire operation of the system. However, several factors that influence important errors in carbon footprint decisions, such as the lack of EIA reporting data and the literature on carbon footprint in the Malaysian scenario, in addition to direct and indirect carbon input calculations, need to be identified in more detail in future research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Blomkvist ◽  
Marlise Hofer

Abstract Olfactory impairment is one of the more unique symptoms of COVID-19 infection, and has therefore enjoyed increased public attention in recent months. Olfactory impairment has various implications and consequences ranging from difficulty detecting dangerous pathogens to hindering social functioning and social behaviours. We provide an overview of how olfactory impairment can impact three types of close social relationships; family relationships, friendships and romantic relationships. Evidence is divided into several categories representing potential mechanisms by which olfactory impairment can impact close social relationships: bonding disruptions, decreased social support, missed group-eating experiences, hygiene concerns, and altered sexual behaviours. We conclude with a discussion of emerging future research questions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Gunnarsson ◽  
Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist ◽  
Torun Wallgren ◽  
Helena Hansson ◽  
Ulf Sonesson

We systematically mapped the scientific literature on the sustainability of pig production at farm-level. Sustainability was considered holistically, covering its economic, environmental, and social dimensions, each consisting of a broad range of different aspects that may contradict or reinforce each other. Literature published between January 2000 and March 2020 with a geographical focus on Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand was included. A standard template with predefined keywords was used to summarise aspects of each sustainability dimension covered in identified papers. We found that papers analysing environmental sustainability were more frequent than papers analysing economic or social sustainability. However, there are many different aspects within each dimension of sustainability, hampering comparisons between studies. In addition, each dimension of sustainability has many sides, making it difficult to compare different studies, and different dimensions and aspects may have complex interrelations. Our systematic literature review revealed that these interrelations are not well understood and that possible trade-offs or synergies between different aspects of sustainability dimensions remain unidentified. This systematic mapping of the current literature on farm-level sustainability in pig production can support a more informed discussion on knowledge gaps and help prioritise future research at farm-level to enhance sustainability in pig production.


2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 541-560
Author(s):  
Silvia Cristina Maia Olimpio ◽  
◽  
Sergio Castro Gomes ◽  
Antônio Cordeiro de Santana ◽  
◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to analyze the production patterns present in rural properties producing cattle in the micro-regions that make up the state of Pará. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied to identify the patterns, and these data are used to evaluate correlation between the heterogeneity of rural properties and the environmental impact on the identified patterns. The theoretical contribution is based on discussions on global impacts of food production and environmental sustainability and the impacts of livestock production systems in Brazil and the Amazon. Survey data were taken from the 2017 Agricultural Census, available for the 144 municipalities in the state, and pooled into 22 micro-regions. Three patterns of rural properties were identified: the first related to conservation management practices and called transition management; the second highlights aspects associated with information technology and communication (ICT) and productivity called technical productive efficiency; the third indicates the importance of social organization and access to information called social participation. With these patterns, it was possible to develop the Traditional Performance Indicator (TPI), in which the micro-regions of São Félix do Xingu, Itaituba and Conceição do Araguaia were those with the highest values of this indicator, water protection practices are present in the properties, however, in precarious conditions, and conservation practices are rarely used. The correlation between heterogeneity, measured by the size of pasture area in each microregion, and the TPI is positive, strong and significant. In this transition context, public policies are essential to provide access to infrastructure, credit and good animal health and biotechnology practices


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