Agricultural News
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology Advocates More Research to Feed Growing World Population
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:21:02 CDT
Agriculture and society have entered into a critical phase where global population is growing and the availability of arable land and clean water is diminishing says a new report from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology in Ames, Iowa. The lengthy report, Water and Land Issues Associated with Animal Agriculture: A U.S. Perspective, explores how to double the production of livestock products to feed a hungry world without increasing environmental damage caused by livestock production and related activities.
The study's authors cover the production of beef, dairy, pork, and poultry, and they focus on policy transitions to prevent economic damage to producers and consumers. They report chronicles improved productivity in the livestock industry made through the deployment of technology as well as improvements made in waste management.
The paper recognizes the incredible gains in productivity made by U.S. producers and recommends more research to determine how these practices can be better employed elsewhere to achieve greater gains in productivity.
The paper's authors cover production of beef, dairy, pork, and poultry, and they provide a look at trends and new approaches.
Some notable examples of emerging regulatory, nonregulatory, management, and research approaches are: (1) a focus on policy transitions to prevent economic damage to producers and consumers; (2) environmental management programs, including goal setting, monitoring, and reporting; (3) the life cycle approach, which provides a comprehensive analysis of effects and a basis for efficient minimization of these effects; and (4) the systems approach, which considers the interdependent effects of livestock production decisions on air emissions, water quality, public health, the economy, and other issues.
The study recommends a broad-based program requiring sustained research, development, education, and extension programs from universities, government agencies, and the private sector.
You can download the entire free report by clicking here.
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