The notion of livestock is used in relation to livestock : the group of pack or work animals that move and feed together. The term can refer to the group of livestock of a producer or an area, or to the activity consisting of the breeding and marketing of these species.
As an economic activity , livestock farming is based on the exploitation of domesticated animals for productive purposes , taking advantage of their meat , leather, milk, etc. The subject dedicated to livestock farming is called a rancher .
Knowledge of zoology and veterinary medicine is very important for the development of livestock farming, whose origins date back to the transition from an economy of gathering, hunting and fishing to an economy based on voluntary production. These professionals can currently help prevent and control some animal diseases , for example.
Bovine farming (cows), swine farming (pigs), sheep farming (sheep) and goat farming (sheep) are among the most important livestock activities worldwide. A large number of people around the planet have livestock as a means of living.
Due to the needs of space and natural resources, livestock farming is carried out in rural environments . Many times, in the same field, livestock farming is developed simultaneously with agriculture , since the land is used to raise animals and grow crops . In addition, animals can generate manure that is used as fertilizer for plants, while plants can serve as food for animals.
It is important to note that livestock farming is not a natural activity, that is, it was not in nature 's plans for one of its creations to proceed in this way to obtain food: hunters have claws, sharp teeth, strength and agility that are ideal for catch their prey, just as herbivores are born with the means to tear off the leaves and branches of plants; Only the human being sought a path different from that indicated by his own body.
This behavior has its consequences, and they are not exactly good. As mentioned in a previous paragraph, artificial measures are necessary to deal with certain problems, such as animal diseases, since they are treated as resources and, since they represent significant amounts of money, they cannot be discarded unless that is absolutely necessary. Livestock farming also negatively affects the environment , especially that practiced at industrial levels.
According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ), livestock farming is the activity carried out by humans that has the greatest impact on the planet. More than a third of the Earth is used for the production of grain for feed and more than a quarter for grass. Let's not forget that farm animals also need to eat, and a lot, and to sustain this business, natural spaces, such as large forests , are often destroyed.
About 18% of greenhouse gases arise from livestock farming, and is directly related to acid rain . As if all this were not enough, practicing this activity consumes almost 10% of the entire planet's water each year, while so many people die of thirst or go to war to get a little more of this precious natural resource.
In more precise terms, it takes 20 thousand liters of water to produce just 1 kilogram of beef. On the other hand, livestock farming also causes water pollution due to residues from animal feed, their feces, fertilizers and pesticides, among other sources.