Livestock and sustainable food systems: a complex relationship

Livestock production is more than just producing meat, milk and eggs. It provides many crucial services world-wide, particularly for small-scale and women farmers in the Global South. But these important services are often only insufficiently considered in the current debate on livestock’s negative impact on the environment and climate, our authors claim. An overview of livestock’s multiple roles and its intricate position in food systems – and a plea for context-specific and multifaceted approaches in developing sustainable solutions for tomorrow’s animal husbandry.