About this Research Topic

Background

Livestock farming defines an extremely varied scenario of production systems, from intensive and landless forms to wild breeding. Regardless of the system, animals interact with the environment in which they are integrated in a reciprocal way. Their physiological and productive assets, and therefore the welfare and profitability of animals, are the result of a series of adaptive pathways to environmental conditions, defined in the broadest way: methods and types of feeding, environmental microclimatic conditions, structures and infrastructures, quality and number of social relations with conspecifics and with humans, management choices. Furthermore, animals generally play an active role, direct and indirect, in influencing the environment in which they live. They influence the quality of the air, pastures, the environment, but also indirectly the feeding and overall management strategies. This Research Topic aims to bring together a series of contributions of high scientific quality, with the purpose of defining this research theme in its many aspects exploring the following elements:

• the different animal species and genotypes,
• the several types of animal-environment interactions,
• the most notable scientific challenges in identifying, for each type of breeding system and relationship, the best dynamic balance necessary to guarantee the highest levels of animal welfare, and consequently of productivity, ensuring sustainability, ethical and social responsibility of livestock farming.

This Research Topic does not aim to be fully exhaustive with respect to such a broad and highly complex topic. Nonetheless, it aims to provide readers with contributions capable of highlighting the great efforts that research in animal sciences is making towards the innovation of all livestock systems (even the most traditional ones), focusing on the “newest animals” that arise from genetic selection, while contributing to animal welfare, economic, social and environmental sustainability of agricultural production. For this reason, this collection aims to host scientific contributions (research papers, reviews, etc.) dealing with all species of economic interest, with an approach, for each species, open to the various farming systems and based on the concept of supply chain: from management of feed production to food for human consumption. For animal science researchers this is not a new theme, but the evolution of animals, the environment and markets have completely changed the perspectives. At the same time, scientific progress has introduced several innovative investigation tools and techniques, increasing the ability of research to achieve data and information with higher sensitivity and scientific solidity, while promoting new opportunities and scenarios. By way of example, global warming is a specific topic affecting all livestock systems. It relies on new knowledge to enable adapting farm management to the perspective of global warming, both in terms of animal welfare and of contribution of the same to the measure of this phenomenon. Another topic of relevance to this project is the great quantity and quality of technology that is being introduced today in the management of farms, generally identified by the term Precision Livestock Farming. In conclusion, while animal-environment interaction is an ancient theme, it is currently progressing and evolving in its approaches, problems, objectives, and investigation tools.

Image courtesy of the Italian National Brown Swiss Breeders Association (A.N.A.R.B.)

Keywords: Animal Management, Environment, Climate, Animal Welfare

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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