Agroecological principles and practices for the transition to sustainable cattle farming. Review

Abstract

The development of the livestock sector is affected by environmental, economic, food, energy, sanitary, and migratory crises, all of which have an impact on people's food and health. These crises force producers to reflect and rethink the livestock breeding practices they apply within the sociocultural, environmental, economic, and political context. Sustainable cattle ranching makes it possible to face these crises by applying agroecological practice. The objective of this review is to analyze the agroecological principles and practices that promote a transition toward sustainability in the cattle sector. Both the impact of the civilization crisis on cattle raising and the perspectives and scope of agroecology were discussed with the aim of identifying the contributions of this discipline to the production of good-quality milk and meat accessible to society. It was concluded that agroecological principles and practices are universal and can be applied to cattle ranching in order to achieve sustainable production systems. These principles and practices can be adapted to climate zones and reduce the impact that the civilization crisis has generated in cattle raising. These principles and practices should be applied according to the level, quantity, and quality of the resources of each dimension. The analyzed initiatives show that meat and milk are produced with the lowest possible inputs, a low environmental impact, and the formation of organized communities. Finally, their proper application depends to a large extent on the willingness, motivation, and empowerment of the producers.