Animal Agriculture: Sustainability, Challenges and Innovations

Land-based production of high-quality protein by livestock and poultry plays an important role in improving human nutrition, growth and health, as well as economical and social developments worldwide. With exponential growth of the global population and marked rises in meat consumption per capita, demands for animal-source protein are expected to increase 72% between 2013 and 2050. This raises concerns about the sustainability and environmental impacts of animal agriculture. An attractive solution to meeting increasing needs for animal products and mitigating undesirable effects of agricultural practices is to enhance the efficiency of animal growth, reproduction, and lactation.

The application of techniques in biotechnology can help to achieve this goal. In addition, a promising, mechanism-based approach is to optimize the proportion and amounts of amino acids and other nutrients in diets for maximizing whole-body protein synthesis and feed efficiency. Furthermore, new management skills are required to reduce various environmental and disease-associated stresses in livestock and poultry under practical production conditions. Improvements in farm animal productivity will not only decrease the contamination of soils, groundwater, and air, but will also help sustain animal agriculture to produce high-quality protein for the expanding global demand in the face of diminishing resources.

Currently there is no resource that offers specific knowledge of both animal science and technology including biotechnology for the sustainability of animal agriculture for the expanding global demand of food in the face of diminishing resources. In one book readers will find all the necessary information on important issues facing modern animal agriculture, namely its sustainability, challenges and innovative solutions. This book features new advances in animal breeding, biotechnology, nutrition, reproduction and management, as well as meat science. Such knowledge is expected to transform global animal production practices.

• Integrates new knowledge in animal breeding, biotechnology, nutrition, reproduction and management
• Addresses the urgent issue of sustainability in modern animal agriculture
• Provides practical solutions to solving current and future problems that face animal agriculture worldwide