Animal husbandry (Food)

Interpretation of theme:	A branch of agriculture concerned with the breeding and feeding of domestic animals. (Source: MGH)
Is item of theme:	Food

Related overviews

• Key policy issues overview displays the components and their Key policy issues organised by policy theme.
• Policy interventions overview displays policy interventions organised by policy theme.

Animal husbandry (Food) associations

Policy themes are used to classify Key policy issues and policy interventions. The tables below contain the issues and interventions associated with theme item Animal husbandry (Food).

Associated Key policy issues and their components

Component	Description
Land-use allocation	How can agricultural intensification increase global food production, and what policies will contribute to this?
Livestock systems	What are the impacts of increasing livestock production on land use, greenhouse gases and other emissions to air and surface water?
Livestock systems	How does the use of marginal lands for grazing increase the risk of degradation and loss of productivity, inducing more forest clearing?

Associated policy interventions, their components and the affected components

Policy intervention	Description	Implemented in	Affects component
Change in grazing intensity	Change in grazing intensity, usually more intensive. This would require better management of grasslands, including for example the use of grass-clover mixtures and fertilisers, bringing the length of the grazing season in tune with the period of grass production, and rotations.	Land-use allocation	Land-use allocation Livestock systems Terrestrial biodiversity
Changes in consumption and diet preferences	Interventions that target consumption changes or changes in dietary preferences	Agricultural economy	Agricultural economy Aquatic biodiversity Ecosystem services Land-use allocation Livestock systems Nutrients Terrestrial biodiversity
Improvement of feed conversion	Improvement of feed conversion ratio of small ruminants, such as sheep and goats. This means other breeds will be used that need less grass to produce the same amount of meat.	Livestock systems	Livestock systems Nutrients
Increased livestock productivity	A change in production characteristics, such as milk production per animal, carcass weight and off-take rates, which will also have an impact on the feed conversion ratio; in general, this will be lower in more productive animals	Livestock systems	Land-use allocation Livestock systems
Intensification or extensification of livestock systems	A change in the distribution of the production over pastoral and mixed systems; usually to a larger share of the production in mixed systems, which inherently changes the overall feed conversion ratios of ruminants.	Livestock systems	Agricultural economy Land-use allocation Nutrients
Intensification/extensification of livestock systems	A change in the distribution of the production over pastoral and mixed systems; usually to a larger share of the production in mixed systems, which inherently changes the overall feed conversion ratios of ruminants.	Livestock systems	Agricultural economy Land-use allocation Nutrients