Environmental impacts of pig farming

Environmental impact of pig farming:

Yet another example that we can only improve what we measure!

Pig farming in the context of global food demands

Meeting the growing global demand for food is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges we will face in the coming decades. The productive sector (including agriculture and livestock) will need to feed an increasingly larger population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

In other words, the development of sustainable agri-food systems is a mandatory requirement. Pig farming already demonstrates high levels of performance and plays a crucial social role in ensuring food security for the planet.

However, there is still room for improvement when it comes to environmental sustainability. In this regard the old saying  “we can only improve what we measure”, becomes truly relevant.

The environmental impacts of pig farming have generally been analyzed in isolation (e.g., focusing on the animal) or limited to direct associations (e.g., emissions in the animal’s environment).

Source: This article was originally published as a content in portuguese in nutriNews Brasil