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Title: Toward agricultural sustainability through integrated crop–livestock systems. II. Production responses

Author
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item LEMAIRE, GILLES - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item CARVALHO, PAULO - Federal University Of Rio Grande Do Sul
item SULC, R - The Ohio State University
item DEDIEU, BENOIT - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: European Journal of Agronomy
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/24/2014
Publication Date: 6/2/2014
Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J., Lemaire, G., Carvalho, P.C., Sulc, R.M., Dedieu, B. 2014. Toward agricultural sustainability through integrated crop–livestock systems. II. Production responses. European Journal of Agronomy. 57:1-3.

Interpretive Summary: Intensification of cropping and animal production as two separately specialized agricultural systems has led to unacceptable deterioration of the environment due to (i) excessive concentration of nutrients and pathogens in livestock production systems and (ii) loss of natural biodiversity and excessive simplification of ecosystem processes with uniform land use in arable cropping systems. Maintaining or enhancing diversity of agricultural systems – at all levels of organization, i.e. the field, the farm, the landscape, and the region – may be a solution to reconcile the seemingly dichotomous goals for achieving high quantity and quality of food production and improve environmental quality. A scientist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh NC collaborated with scientists from INRA in France, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the Ohio State University to organize a set of relevant papers from the 2nd International Symposium on Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2012. A set of ten papers are being published to address how integrated crop-livestock systems affect crop and animal production. This editorial introduces the rationale and need for future research on this theme.

Technical Abstract: Intensification of cropping and animal production as two separately specialized agricultural systems has led to unacceptable deterioration of the environment due to (i) excessive concentration of nutrients and pathogens in livestock production systems and (ii) loss of natural biodiversity and excessive simplification of ecosystem processes with uniform land use in arable cropping systems. Maintaining or enhancing diversity of agricultural systems – at all levels of organization, i.e. the field, the farm, the landscape, and the region – may be a solution to reconcile the seemingly dichotomous goals for achieving high quantity and quality of food production and improve environmental quality. A scientist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh NC collaborated with scientists from INRA in France, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the Ohio State University to organize a set of relevant papers from the 2nd International Symposium on Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2012. A set of ten papers are being published to address how integrated crop-livestock systems affect socio-economic aspects. This editorial introduces the rationale and need for future research on this theme.