Source: Cheeke, P.R. 1993. Feed vs. food: Do livestock compete with humans for food resources? p. 65-77. IN P.R. Cheeke. Impacts of livestock production on society -- diet/health and the environment. Interstate Publ., Danville, IL.

Integrating livestock with crops can ultimately increase the efficiency of human food systems. The sustainability of livestock-incorporated production systems is dependent on whether or not the animals in the system are competing with humans for food. Animals are in direct competition with humans for food resources whenever they are fed foods that can be directly consumed by humans. Human foods such as grains and pulses are less efficiently used if fed to animals, because animals convert only a percentage of their diet to products such as milk, meat, and eggs. Ruminants can utilize forages and crop residues that humans cannot, and when they do, they are non-competitive. Intensive production systems for tropical livestock often improve efficiency of animal management, disease control, and consistency in feeding because they are based on feedstuffs such as corn, sorghum, wheat, barley, and milo which are not currently in high demand for human consumption in the tropics. However, animal production systems, which optimize the use of local resources, should be developed in order to optimize efficiency. For countries with a surplus of grain, such as those in North America and Europe, it is possible to feed corn grain rather than roughages like alfalfa hay and crop residues and not reduce the local food supply. A dichotomy exists between the developed and developing countries in respect to the integration of livestock into sustainable cropping systems. More intensive and specialized livestock and crop production make economic efficiency the major concern for developed countries. However, increasing the integration of crop and livestock for better food production makes biological efficiency the major concern in developing countries.

Abstract author: Michelle De Lillo, 10 November 1998.

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