Research on Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Dairy Farming: A Systematic Mapping of Current Literature

Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist, Helena Hansson, Ulf Sonesson and Stefan Gunnarsson
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Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist: Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 234, S-53223 Skara, Sweden
Helena Hansson: Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7013, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Ulf Sonesson: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, P.O. Box 5401, S-40229 Göteborg, Sweden
Stefan Gunnarsson: Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 234, S-53223 Skara, Sweden

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: Dairy cows are able to convert fibrous materials, such as grass, roughage, and by-products from the food industry, into milk and meat, which justifies their role in food production. However, modern dairy farming is associated with major sustainability challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions. In order to develop sustainable future production, it is important to implement existing knowledge and fill knowledge gaps. The aim of this study was to systematically map the scientific literature on environmental, economic, and social sustainability at farm level in dairy farming. Literature published between January 2000 and March 2020 and with the geographical focus on Europe, North America, and Australia–New Zealand was included. In total, the literature search resulted in 169 hits, but after removing duplicates and papers outside the study scope only 35 papers remained. Of these, only 11 dealt with the three dimensions of sustainability, and several of these only mentioned one or two of the dimensions or set them in relation to that/those actually studied. Overall, the selected literature did not clearly explain how aspects of sustainability are interlinked, so possible negative or positive interactions between different aspects of sustainability dimensions remain unidentified.

Keywords: dairy cow; animal welfare; ecology; life cycle assessment; sustainable production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5502-:d:381777

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