Invited review: Sustainability: Different perspectives, inherent conflict

Sustainability of dairy systems through the lenses of the sustainable development goals

In this paper, we propose to view the sustainability of dairy farming as nested within the sustainability of agriculture, a subset of the sustainability of food systems, which in turn could be construed as a subset of the national commitments of a country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Disciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary research are essential to study bio-physical system components and their interactions. However, when dairy farming is viewed as nested within broader societal systems, the inclusion of human elements calls for transdisciplinary research. Few of the 17 SDGs are left untouched by the livestock sector. Research should aim at identifying relevant farm-level metrics that are in alignment with any of the 231 indicators supporting the SDGs. We used two examples to illustrate the approach. In the first, SDG 13 (Climate Action) is used as a reminder that despite the current emphasis on reducing milk carbon footprint (kg CO2-e/kg milk), the contribution of the sector to Climate Action depends on reducing its annual emission (kg CO2-e/year; indicator 13.2.2). In the second example, indicator 2.4.1 (land use for sustainable agriculture) of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) is used to illustrate the potential tradeoffs between Milk N/Intake N as a metric of nitrogen use efficiency at the cow level and metrics such as the input:output ratio of human-edible protein (Milk N/Intake of human-edible N) that prioritize the use of human-inedible feed in dairy rations as a way to enhance efficiency and circularity at the food system level.

Sustainable education and youth confidence as pillars of future civil society

While sustainability is at the centre of many government agendas, there is a great risk of entrusting strategic decisions to those lacking in sustainability expertise. It is therefore necessary to ensure that universities are the green engines of sustainable communities. The present study administered a questionnaire to students enrolled in a Management Engineering programme at an Italian university, to collect their perceptions of and opinions on sustainability and energy issues. Students completed the questionnaire twice: once prior to beginning and once at the end of term. The results showed that students held more sustainable attitudes at the end of term, and perceived sustainable education and youth confidence as the building blocks of future society. They also observed that decarbonisation of the Italian energy system and national energy independence would require the significant development of renewable systems and interventions to promote energy efficiency. In addition, they recognised subsidies for green production, energy communities, differentiated waste collection and professional skills training as crucial. The sustainable university should support younger generations by encouraging student engagement in real-world projects and the development of long-term, structured teacher-student relationships.

Developing ‘Smart’ Dairy Farming Responsive to Farmers and Consumer-Citizens: A Review

Simple Summary

Dairy production has evolved over many generations to be an important source of high-quality nutrition for a significant proportion of the global population. However, it needs to evolve further to ensure it contributes to sustainable diets. Technological innovation can be a key enabler. It is also the case however that innovation brings about significant change, and can introduce unexpected, unintended and undesirable consequences, which are experienced differently by different actors on the ground. Thus, a major challenge is turning good science and technology into positive and innovative outcomes for society in an equitable way. Drawing on concepts from Responsible Research and Innovation (anticipation, inclusion, reflexivity and responsiveness) and Food Systems thinking, the authors reviewed the academic literature to consider the perspectives of different actors relating to technologies on dairy farms. It considers ‘smart’ on-farm technologies at three key stages of the dairy production cycle—breeding, feeding and milking—through the lens of two actor groups. It considers the farmers who may(not) adopt such innovations and the consumer-citizens who will(not) purchase/accept the resultant on-farm practices and foods. It highlights some differences between and within these actor groups, but also identifies commonalities, including tensions, faced by both groups. Dairy production in the future, thus, is not only challenged with embracing advanced technologies, the process by which such technologies are designed and selected must also be ‘smart’.

Abstract

Innovation has resulted in more dairy products being produced with less inputs than ever before. It has also affected how animals are raised, the structure of the sector and the nature of products produced. Not all impacts have been positive. As disruptive technologies—such as precision farming and robotics—herald significant change, it is timely to reflect on the perspectives of different actors on innovations within the sector. Drawing on a review of academic literature, this paper considers farmers’ and consumer-citizens’ perspectives; as expected, their diverse knowledge, interests and values surface a range of perspectives. To provide focus to the study, it examines technologies across three stages of the dairy production cycle: breeding, feeding and milking. It finds that consumer-citizen and farmer perspectives have been examined by researchers in several countries, using a variety of methods, across a range of technologies. It finds both areas of agreement and tension within and between consumer-citizen and producer cohorts. While differences in knowledge account for some variation, differences in values are also significant. The extent to which efforts can and should be put into addressing differences is raised as a point for reflection.