SUSTAINABLE ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
Academic Year 2019/2020 - 2° Year - Curriculum Pianificazione del paesaggioCredit Value: 6
Scientific field: AGR/17 - Livestock systems, animal breeding and genetics
Course Language: Italian
Taught classes: 28 hours
Exercise: 28 hours
Term / Semester: 2°
Learning Objectives
Understanding of the relationships between the animal production systems and the environment; identify strength and weakness points in each system.
Course Structure
Classes, seminars and practice exercise, including also technical visit.
Detailed Course Content
1. Animal production systems and products of animal origin: comments on FAO statistical data. Animal production systems classification according to FAO. Natural resources use in animal production systems.
2. Agro-pastoral systems as a source of land protection or degradation. Multifunctional role of pasture. The role of grazing management in pastoral systems. Outlines on dry matter intake estimation by grazing animals.
3. Animal production systems and environmental pollution. Technical and feeding strategies to mitigate nitrogen and phoshporus pollution from monogastric and ruminants. Gas emissions and air pollution. Environmental impacts of animal breeding: elements of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), carbon footprint and water footprint.
4. Examples of GIS applied to livestock field.
5. Organic livestock system. Differences between conventional and organic systems according to the EU rules. Product quality in conventional and organic systems.
6. Sustainability: indicators in the different animal production systems.
Textbook Information
Stefanon B., Mele M., Pulina G. Allevamento animale e sosteniblità ambientale. I principi. FrancoAngeli Editore, 2018.
In addition, notes prepared by the professor and papers published in national journals or books are provided. All the suggested educational materials, including the slides commented during classes, are available on Studium.