The EU animal task force stated "Only 20-25% of annually produced terrestrial agricultural biomass (crops and grasslands) is edible as human food. Thus, animals are very useful to convert the remaining 75% into edible food and manure that is a source of nutrients and carbon for plants and soils" and "it is essential to develop science-based management strategies that reduce the current reliance on non-renewable resources".

“Feed-food competition” refers to “the tensions and trade-offs between two alternative uses for edible crops: direct consumption by humans versus feeding livestock”(Breewood & Garnett, 2020). However, this competition takes place within a broader system of competing end-uses for the many different resources available to the food system, the broader economy, and human society at large. These resources include land, wild fish, water, labour, capital, and ecosystem services (Breewood & Garnett, 2020).

The use and re-use of resources not or no-more intended for human consumption could represent the keystone for a lasting increase in the sustainability of animal nutrition.

The main objective of the research topic will be to collect worldwide data about research focused on reducing feed-food competition in a trans-disciplinary approach providing useful results for both companies and policy makers.

The issue can be explored taking into account different subjects:

• Sustainable crop management for feed production

• Use of alternative ingredients such as

• Insects

• Food waste

• Former food

• Agro-industrial by-products

• Agro-industrial co-products

• Use of new feed additives obtained by sustainable processes starting from functional wastes or by-products

Moreover, the Topic could welcome papers focused on new methods for determination of competition indexes and improvement of current methodology for sustainability assessment.

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Participating Journals

Impact