Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems
Land-use changes, mainly driven by the advancement of large-scale soybean monocultures over extensive livestock production systems, have fostered land concentration in the agribusiness sector and an increase of grain-finished livestock production systems (feedlots). While it is recognized that both—...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Capítulo de libro |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Elsevier
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23250 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978032390034800018X https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90034-8.00018-X |
| _version_ | 1855487093860466688 |
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| author | Litre, Gabriela Lagrange, Sebastian Pablo Arbeletche, Pedro Champredonde, Marcelo Bolletta, Andrea Ivana |
| author_browse | Arbeletche, Pedro Bolletta, Andrea Ivana Champredonde, Marcelo Lagrange, Sebastian Pablo Litre, Gabriela |
| author_facet | Litre, Gabriela Lagrange, Sebastian Pablo Arbeletche, Pedro Champredonde, Marcelo Bolletta, Andrea Ivana |
| author_sort | Litre, Gabriela |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Land-use changes, mainly driven by the advancement of large-scale soybean monocultures over extensive livestock production systems, have fostered land concentration in the agribusiness sector and an increase of grain-finished livestock production systems (feedlots). While it is recognized that both—intensive (grain-finished) and extensive (grass-finished)—livestock production systems are affected by climate change while contributing to it through greenhouse emissions, their distinct socio-environmental impacts must be better understood. Through a mix of literature review and the results of original field research in the grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay, this chapter aims at overcoming the frequently polarizing discourses generated by the “extensive versus intensive” beef production debate by learning from the analysis of fruitful controversies. The authors start by analyzing how feedlots are frequently less vulnerable to climatic change, while they present a greater risk to water quality due to the increased volume of waste and manure management practices. Grain-finished beef systems, on the other hand, may contribute to the reduction of air quality through the emissions of particulate substances and gases, while they may present negative environmental impacts, as they require longer finishing periods (10–12 months) and more animals and land to produce the same quantity (not necessarily quality) of beef. After critically assessing the socio-environmental impacts of both production systems in their complexity, the chapter will end with a series of convergent, evidence-based recommendations to design sustainable and socio-environmentally friendly livestock production solutions. |
| format | Capítulo de libro |
| id | INTA23250 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA232502025-07-31T12:30:15Z Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems Litre, Gabriela Lagrange, Sebastian Pablo Arbeletche, Pedro Champredonde, Marcelo Bolletta, Andrea Ivana Ganadería Sostenibilidad Producción Pecuaria Ganadería Extensiva Ecosistema Crianza Intensiva Animal Husbandry Sustainability Livestock Production Extensive Husbandry Ecosystems Intensive Husbandry Land-use changes, mainly driven by the advancement of large-scale soybean monocultures over extensive livestock production systems, have fostered land concentration in the agribusiness sector and an increase of grain-finished livestock production systems (feedlots). While it is recognized that both—intensive (grain-finished) and extensive (grass-finished)—livestock production systems are affected by climate change while contributing to it through greenhouse emissions, their distinct socio-environmental impacts must be better understood. Through a mix of literature review and the results of original field research in the grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay, this chapter aims at overcoming the frequently polarizing discourses generated by the “extensive versus intensive” beef production debate by learning from the analysis of fruitful controversies. The authors start by analyzing how feedlots are frequently less vulnerable to climatic change, while they present a greater risk to water quality due to the increased volume of waste and manure management practices. Grain-finished beef systems, on the other hand, may contribute to the reduction of air quality through the emissions of particulate substances and gases, while they may present negative environmental impacts, as they require longer finishing periods (10–12 months) and more animals and land to produce the same quantity (not necessarily quality) of beef. After critically assessing the socio-environmental impacts of both production systems in their complexity, the chapter will end with a series of convergent, evidence-based recommendations to design sustainable and socio-environmentally friendly livestock production solutions. EEA Bordenave Fil: Litre, Gabriela. University of Brasilia. Center for Sustainable Development; Brasil Fil: Litre, Gabriela. INCT Odisseia. Observatory of Socio-Environmental Dynamics; Brasil Fil: Litre, Gabriela. Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE) and University of Montpellier. Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions (MAK’IT); Francia Fil: Lagrange, Sebastián Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; Argentina Fil: Arbeletche, Pedro. Universidad de la República. Escuela de Agronomía; Uruguay Fil: Champredonde, Marcelo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; Argentina. Fil: Bolletta, Andrea Ivana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; Argentina 2025-07-31T12:26:21Z 2025-07-31T12:26:21Z 2022 info:ar-repo/semantics/parte de libro info:eu-repo/semantics/bookPart info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23250 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978032390034800018X 978-0-323-90034-8 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90034-8.00018-X eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Elsevier Environmental Sustainability and Industries : technologies for solid waste, wastewater, and air treatment / edited by: Pardeep Singh, João Paulo Bassin, Sanchayita Rajkhowa, Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain, Ramesh Oraon. Elsevier, 2022. Chapter 21, p. 499-524 |
| spellingShingle | Ganadería Sostenibilidad Producción Pecuaria Ganadería Extensiva Ecosistema Crianza Intensiva Animal Husbandry Sustainability Livestock Production Extensive Husbandry Ecosystems Intensive Husbandry Litre, Gabriela Lagrange, Sebastian Pablo Arbeletche, Pedro Champredonde, Marcelo Bolletta, Andrea Ivana Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| title | Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| title_full | Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| title_short | Fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production: beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| title_sort | fruitful controversies in sustainable livestock production beyond the intensive versus extensive livestock polarization in nonforest ecosystems |
| topic | Ganadería Sostenibilidad Producción Pecuaria Ganadería Extensiva Ecosistema Crianza Intensiva Animal Husbandry Sustainability Livestock Production Extensive Husbandry Ecosystems Intensive Husbandry |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23250 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978032390034800018X https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90034-8.00018-X |
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