Challenges of livestock: climate change, animal welfare and agroforestry

Abstract

Livestock is an activity that generates employment and foods for human consumption. The ruminants are fundamental for the conversion of forage resources into foods and traction due to the symbiotic association with the ruminal microbiota. In this context, this manuscript describes the importance of ruminants as generators of resources, but its adverse effects are also described, specifically the emission of greenhouse effect gases (GHG). The growing trend in the demand for beef and sheep meat, as well as bovine milk, suggests analyzing the current strategies used in their feeding and its effect on animal welfare. These strategies have been implemented to increase the productivity per animal unit and, recently, to reduce the intensity of GHG emissions originated by enteric fermentation. However, most of the techniques used to measure the emission of these gases in ruminants are inaccessible in non-development countries, which suggests proposing interdisciplinary strategies to mitigate their emission. Thus, a brief description of agroforestry and its contribution to carbon fixation was also realized. Currents research about non-fixing and nitrogen-fixing were added due to nitrous oxide emissions from forests and Agroforestry Systems. In this way, the livestock agroecosystem and its environmental benefits that favor the mitigation of GHG and animal welfare, are strategies that encourage environmental sustainability and the systems of animal production