Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals
Livestock animals play a key role in organic farming systems by providing nutrients for croplands through manure production and nutrient-dense food for human consumption. However, we lack global, synthetic view about livestock productivity in organic farming and about its differences with convention...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd65e |
| _version_ | 1797747871676628992 |
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| author | Ulysse Gaudaré Sylvain Pellerin Marc Benoit Guillaume Durand Bertrand Dumont Pietro Barbieri Thomas Nesme |
| author_facet | Ulysse Gaudaré Sylvain Pellerin Marc Benoit Guillaume Durand Bertrand Dumont Pietro Barbieri Thomas Nesme |
| author_sort | Ulysse Gaudaré |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Livestock animals play a key role in organic farming systems by providing nutrients for croplands through manure production and nutrient-dense food for human consumption. However, we lack global, synthetic view about livestock productivity in organic farming and about its differences with conventional farming. Here we fill this important gap of knowledge by providing a first global comparison highlighting differences between organic and conventional farming on animal productivity, feeding strategy and feed use efficiency in dairy cattle, pigs and poultry (both layers and broilers). We found (a) a 12% lower animal productivity under organic treatment, (b) significant differences in feeding strategy, especially for organic dairy cattle fed with a lower proportion of concentrate and food-competing feed than in conventional systems, (c) an overall 14% lower feed-use efficiency under organic treatment (−11% and −47% for organic dairy cattle and poultry broilers, respectively) compensated by (d) a 46% lower human-food vs animal-feed competition in organic dairy cattle. These results provide critical information on the sustainability of organic livestock management. They are also key for modelling global organic farming expansion while avoiding overestimation of organic farming production in upscaling scenarios. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:56:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-866b2acd269e4e7a8ff6b8031e08863f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:56:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-866b2acd269e4e7a8ff6b8031e08863f2023-08-09T14:52:47ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262021-01-0116202401210.1088/1748-9326/abd65eComparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animalsUlysse Gaudaré0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7046-0577Sylvain Pellerin1Marc Benoit2Guillaume Durand3Bertrand Dumont4Pietro Barbieri5Thomas Nesme6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0695-9936INRAE, Bordeaux Sciences Agro , UMR 1391 ISPA, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, FranceINRAE, Bordeaux Sciences Agro , UMR 1391 ISPA, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, FranceUniversité Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup , UMR 1213 Herbivores, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FranceINRAE, Bordeaux Sciences Agro , UMR 1391 ISPA, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France; Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup , UMR 1213 Herbivores, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FranceUniversité Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup , UMR 1213 Herbivores, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FranceINRAE, Bordeaux Sciences Agro , UMR 1391 ISPA, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, FranceINRAE, Bordeaux Sciences Agro , UMR 1391 ISPA, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, FranceLivestock animals play a key role in organic farming systems by providing nutrients for croplands through manure production and nutrient-dense food for human consumption. However, we lack global, synthetic view about livestock productivity in organic farming and about its differences with conventional farming. Here we fill this important gap of knowledge by providing a first global comparison highlighting differences between organic and conventional farming on animal productivity, feeding strategy and feed use efficiency in dairy cattle, pigs and poultry (both layers and broilers). We found (a) a 12% lower animal productivity under organic treatment, (b) significant differences in feeding strategy, especially for organic dairy cattle fed with a lower proportion of concentrate and food-competing feed than in conventional systems, (c) an overall 14% lower feed-use efficiency under organic treatment (−11% and −47% for organic dairy cattle and poultry broilers, respectively) compensated by (d) a 46% lower human-food vs animal-feed competition in organic dairy cattle. These results provide critical information on the sustainability of organic livestock management. They are also key for modelling global organic farming expansion while avoiding overestimation of organic farming production in upscaling scenarios.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd65eorganic farmingconventional farminglivestock productionfeed-use efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Ulysse Gaudaré Sylvain Pellerin Marc Benoit Guillaume Durand Bertrand Dumont Pietro Barbieri Thomas Nesme Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals Environmental Research Letters organic farming conventional farming livestock production feed-use efficiency |
| title | Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals |
| title_full | Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals |
| title_fullStr | Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals |
| title_short | Comparing productivity and feed-use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals |
| title_sort | comparing productivity and feed use efficiency between organic and conventional livestock animals |
| topic | organic farming conventional farming livestock production feed-use efficiency |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd65e |
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