FARM2FORK-05: Case study on agri-agro co-products for protein self-sufficiency in livestock

Our Case study aims to adress the following aspects:

• Using agricultural and agro-industrial co-products and by-products to increase protein self-sufficiency in livestock farming and reduce waste. While we have documented the availability, uses, and nutritional value of these products in animal feed, their impact on resilience and sustainability on a large scale still needs to be assessed.

• Reducing feed/food competition and improving protein self-sufficiency: for monogastrics, through foraging strategies and the use of food waste; and for ruminants, through the use of cover crops, off-season crops, and crop residues.

• Increasing nitrogen use efficiency and improving N-cycle closure in mixed crops/livestock systems through diverse fertilization and livestock feeding strategies at both farm and territorial scale.

• Testing innovative alternatives to improve resilience to climate change, such as integrating draught-resistant intercrops into ruminant grazing systems, using adapted multispecies grassland, incorporating trees for feed and shade, ...