Potentials of Grassland-Based Livestock Farming in Switzerland—A Scenario Comparison

Isabel Jaisli () and Roman Grüter
Additional contact information
Isabel Jaisli: Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8820 Waedenswil, Switzerland
Roman Grüter: Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8820 Waedenswil, Switzerland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-10

Abstract: As roughage consumers, ruminants have the unique ability to convert raw materials that are otherwise inedible for humans into valuable food products, thereby making them crucial to Swiss agriculture, particularly in mountainous regions. This article reviews the current state of grassland-based livestock farming in Switzerland and provides an overview of several studies that explore potential future scenarios for livestock production, along with their projected impacts. The scenarios discussed illustrate how grassland-based livestock systems could serve as a viable alternative for promoting more sustainable livestock production in the future. All of the studies examined justify grassland-based farming within the framework of a “feed-no-food” strategy, in which arable land is prioritized for human food production. This approach has several consequences: reduced availability of animal feed, fewer livestock, an increase in arable land for human food production, higher levels of plant-based food output, and enhanced self-sufficiency. However, these scenarios also call for a significant reduction in livestock production and consumption, which hinges on the willingness of society, the economy, and policymakers to embrace such changes.

Keywords: livestock; grassland-based livestock farming; scenarios (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10362/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10362/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10362-:d:1530475

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().