A Systematic Mapping of Current Literature on Sustainability at Farm-Level in Beef and Lamb Meat Production

Abstract

Beef and lamb meat production is associated with important cultural, economic and environmental impacts in most countries worldwide. However, it is also related with sustainability challenges. To enable cattle and sheep farming to develop in line with sustainability, existing knowledge need to be implemented and identified knowledge gaps filled. The purpose of this article was to systematically map the scientific literature on environmental, economic and social sustainability at farm-level beef and lamb meat production to identify knowledge gaps and to point to important future actions and areas of research. Papers published January 2000–August 2020 with a geographical origin in Europe, Northern America, and Australia-New Zealand were included. The systematic literature search resulted in a total of 1355 hits; however, after removing papers which were considered out of the scope of the study, and duplicate papers, only 22 and 11 papers related to beef and sheep farming, respectively were retained for further analysis. Of these, only 11 in total included all three sustainability dimensions. Several papers only mentioned one or two of the sustainability dimensions or put them in relation to that/those main dimension covered, thus limiting the extent to which possible synergies or tradeoffs between different sustainability aspects actually can be studied. This indicates a need for a more comprehensive approach when studying farm-level sustainability. Future research would benefit from a more holistic approach and include all dimensions of sustainability within the same study. Further, focus should also be on how to measure and assess sustainability aspects in a standardized way.

U.S. beef producer perspectives on “sustainable beef” and implications for sustainability transitions

“…In beef production systems, the interactions between the environmental, social, and economic "pillars" of sustainability are complex and multifaceted [17][18][19]. While numerous studies have attempted to examine and evaluate the different dimensions of sustainability in the beef industry, there is not a well-established definition for what it actually is or consensus around what methods or metrics should be used to achieve or evaluate it [11,12]. Furthermore, a recent systematic mapping of the sustainability in beef and lamb production literature found a majority (60%) of studies focused on just one or two dimensions of sustainability, thus highlighting a need for research that adopts a more holistic approach where all three dimensions of sustainability are included and examined in concert with each other and within the same study [11].…”

“…Specifically, environmental sustainability in the beef industry is often discussed in reference to the land, water, and greenhouse gas burdens of production [13] and is most commonly evaluated using either life cycle assessment (LCA) or ecological footprint approaches [11]. For example, using life-cycle approach, beef supply chains are estimated to emit about 2.9 gigatons of CO 2 -eq globally, about 40% of all livestock emissions [20].…”

“…Given the complexity of the beef supply chain, which operates at multiple scales across multiple regions, it is no surprise that there is no one definition of sustainability in the industry or consensus on the methods or indicators that should be used to measure it. While a number of papers have attempted to define and assess sustainability and beef production globally and in the U.S. [11][12][13][14][15], very little research examines producer perspectives on what sustainability means and how to achieve it. Yet, sustainability advocates (i.e.…”

Taking Stock of Social Sustainability and the U.S. Beef Industry

“…A 2021 review article published in Sustainability systematically mapped literature on sustainability at the farm-level for beef and sheep production [51]. The study examined environmental, economic, and social sustainability where they included social equity, health equity, livelihood, labor rights, community development, community resilience, animal health, and animal welfare as aspects of social sustainability.…”

Effect of Suckling Management and Ewe Concentrate Level on Methane-Related Carbon Footprint of Lamb Meat in Sardinian Dairy Sheep Farming

“…Growing concerns of European citizens about the environmental impact of animal productions require that foods must also guarantee sustainability, especially in terms of climate-altering gas emissions [ 6 ]. As a consequence, the number of livestock life cycle assessment (LCA) studies has considerably increased in the last two decades [ 7 ].…”