Socio-Ecological Win-Wins from Extensive Animal Farming
Join us on September 20, 2023 in Göttingen to discuss how human-animal interactions have the ability to shape our future food system
Humans and our food systems have been a part of nature since time immemorial. Agroecological pastoral systems are where ecological knowledge and concepts are applied to raising animals as a food source. Such food systems have the ability to address land use-change and mitigate the impacts of the impending climate crisis.
Integrating animals back into (near-)natural areas through extensive animal farming systems including, e.g., beef, lamb, semi-domesticated wildlife such as bison (wisent) and intercropping with free-ranging poultry, has the potential to lessen negative environmental impacts of food production while gaining social benefits.
“Suitable socio-ecological indicators are needed to fully understand the true potential and limitations of animal farming to address societal and environmental sustainability challenges.”
Human-Animal Interactions
Extensive animal farming systems tend to require more physical labor inputs than their industrial counterparts. It could be questioned how fruitful extensive animal farming systems are at competing on highly integrated and globalized market products. Yet, the need for human resources (e.g. labor inputs) can also be an indicator for socio-ecological benefits through increased human-nature interactions.
Human-animal interactions are often viewed highly-positive within the public health, psychology, and veterinary sciences. The example most of us know is companion animals, i.e. pets. Yet, human-animal interactions are seldom recognized as a derived benefit from agroecological systems. Direct and indirect human-animal interactions are prevalent within our current-day food system. Herd managers interact regularly with the animals to whom they are responsible. Other social-ecological benefits of extensive animal farming systems are public goods and services such as landscape maintenance, aesthetics, and human “happiness” derived from observing and interacting with animals (e.g., sharing in the joy of a new born bison calf).
Consumers’ search for products and services associated with environmental conservation and/or animal welfare represents another level of human-animal interactions. Labeling socio-ecological practices presents the opportunity for these farming systems to increase their added-value potential.
Join us at GEWISOLA 2023 in Göttingen
The role and recognition of socio-ecological indicators in animal farming will be discussed on September 20, 2023 in Göttingen, Germany as a part of GEWISOLA 2023 — Sustainable food systems and land use change conference (registration required).
Together with Dr. Antje Risius, Dr. Elsa Varela, and myself, we will be hosting the pre-conference workshop “Socio-ecological perspectives on mixed pastoral systems in light of sustainability and nature conservation.” Within the workshop, impulses and case studies will be used to depict different approaches from around the world to exemplify the socio-ecological value of extensive animal farming systems and how to account for value-added in order to sustain these systems in the modern world.
“We aim to build a network of knowledge informing socio-ecological indicators for agroecological pastoral systems to support sustainable food systems and nature conservation.”
Workshop Program
Short Presentations (9:00 AM- 11:00 AM)
Ekaterina Stampa (Universität Kassel): Trade-offs between biodiversity, animal welfare and pasture grazing? Preferences from consumer’s point of view (15 Min. + 5 Min. Discussion)
Antje Risius (Universität Göttingen): Status quo on socio-ecological pay-off? “Multi-production” in extensive animal husbandry and nature conservation. (15 Min. + 5 Min. Discussion)
Elsa Varela (Alexander von Humboldt research fellow, Universität Göttingen): Extensive meat production and wildfire prevention in the Mediterranean — Case study 1 (15 Min. + 5 Min. Discussion)
Brianne Altmann (DAAD PRIME Fellow, Universität Kassel): How extensive can we go? North American bison as a food source in Canada — Case study 2 (15 Min. + 5 Min. Discussion)
Severin Hübner (Thünen-Institut): Grazing brothers in mixed systems in organic production in Germany; Perspectives for animal co-production ‚under‘ value? — Case study 3 (15 Min. + 5 Min. Discussion)
Panel discussion + Workshop (11:15 AM -12:15 AM)
Participation
We welcome practioners, decision-makers, students, researchers, and anyone else interested in the topic of socio-ecological indicators and human-animal interactions to register for GEWISOLA 2023 and join our discussion at the University of Göttingen on September 20, 2023.
