A group of scientists published findings this week from a global research project, offering an updated approach to maximizing sustainability in ruminant livestock production systems. The paper, Context Is Key to Understand and Improve Livestock Production Systems, was written by a 20-member team of scientists representing 15 organizations and institutions from around the globe. 

Researchers analyzed 10 expert-led case studies of livestock production systems from diverse agroecological regions, including the United States, Latin America, Brazil, England, Africa, Australia and the Tibetan Platueau of China. This approach enabled the researchers to explore the role multiple contextual factors—economic, environmental, and social—play in determining current production systems and the potential for change towards increased sustainability. 

“Livestock are not the same everywhere,” said co-author Mario Herrero, professor of food systems in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Atkinson Scholar at Cornell University. “Acknowledging the different roles livestock have is essential for tailoring interventions that can improve their environmental performance and simultaneously contribute to livelihoods and economic development.”

“More than three-fourths of the world’s agricultural lands are used for livestock production, and the farmers, ranchers and pastoralists that manage these lands use different systems and practices based on the unique circumstances of their geography,” said Clare Kazanski, Ph.D., lead author and senior scientist with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). “There is no one-size-fits all solution to achieving sustainability across these lands and production systems, but an understanding of the distinct, varied contexts of these locations can drive meaningful change for people and nature.”

The researchers found that a comprehensive understanding of the contextual factors, along with a comprehensive view of outcomes, is necessary to enact effective policies, secure investments and inform future research aimed at increasing the productivity and social benefits gained through livestock system sustainability.

Each of the systems included in the study have distinct barriers and enabling conditions for improving livestock production, but there are also emergent patterns the researchers identified that can point towards effective solutions by economic context and primary market setting.

The research team embarked on this project with a goal to spark discussion and awareness among decision makers on how considering context and multiple outcomes can result in positive outcomes for people and nature, including specific ideas for what researchers, policymakers, and funders could do. The researchers offer a framework for advancing effective solutions that is grounded enough in local conditions to be relevant, yet broad enough to be generalizable for policy or funding interventions. 

“Our research is a call to action for decision makers and investors,” said Kazanski. “By highlighting the importance of economic, ecological and social contexts in the communities and landscapes that support livestock production systems, we aim to inspire meaningful dialogue and drive transformative changes that will have far-reaching benefits for people and nature.”

The research project was funded by the MacDoch Foundation and led by TNC. Co-authors on the paper are from World Resources Institute; JG Research and Evaluation; Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford; University of Cape Town; Conservation South Africa; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; University of Queensland; Egerton University; Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford; Cornell University; Wageningen University; AgNext, Colorado State University; Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania; and University of California, Berkeley.

Read the full version of this article originally published by the Nature Conservancy.