La riscoperta dell’allevamento multispecie

Abstract

The practice of breeding several animal species at the same time has accompanied the history of humans and is still widespread in many areas of the planet. In recent decades, multi-species livestock farming has attracted the interest of numerous researchers to understand any positive contributions to improve the level of sustainability of agro-zootechnical systems and has fully entered the set of methods suggested for the management of organic farming. The Mix-Enable project (Mixed livestock farming for improved sustainability and robustness of organic livestock), funded by CoreOrganic and for which 10 research institutions are involved (INRAE, BOKU, CRAW, FIBL, Forschungsring eV, IDELE, ITAB, SLU , TI-O and University of Tuscia), explored these characteristics on a sample of 102 organic farms in Europe (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland), detecting a series of information through a specific questionnaire administered to owners during the period October 2018-July 2019. The data collected (summarized in 1574 variables) were validated and subsequently used to build a set of indicators that could describe the main aspects of multi-species farming. Multi-species husbandry is to be considered a valid "rediscovery" for livestock farming in the next future since is characterized by various positive aspects, in particular for the efficiency in the use of resources, for the conservation of biodiversity, productivity, profitability, and animal health and welfare. The final results of the Mix-Enable project will be illustrated in a webinar on September 28, 2021, starting at 10:00. You can register at this link: http://limesurvey42.idele.fr/index.php/284171?lang=en