Animal Production Systems
Building healthy and sustainable food systems requires (radical) changes in the way our food, in particular animal-source food, is produced, processed, prepared and consumed. The Animal Production Systems group, led by Simon Oosting, aims to unravel the complexity of livestock systems, and to work with nature and technology to design a more sustainable future of animal-source food.
Research themes
Livelihood
We study the social and economic aspects of animal production, in tropical countries and in Europe. Our work focuses on how livestock can help to adapt farms and food systems to climate change.
Animal welfare
This theme deals with the interaction between animals and their environments, and with the impact this has on animals. Keeping livestock has ethical challenges, for example animal welfare, or the ethical issues of exploiting animals for our own benefit.
Environment
Livestock contributes to climate change and pollutes water and air, because of emissions from feed production and manure, and because of enteric fermentation in the gut, which creates methane gas. Livestock is responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gases.
Education
Education by this Chair Group
Students of the Animal Production Systems specialisation learn to describe, analyse and explore the role of livestock in sustainable food systems. In diverse lectures and practicals, students will get acquainted with a variety of tools, gain insights into sustainability of livestock production, and assess the impacts of innovations on economical, societal and environmental issues.
Publications & Projects
As scientists working at the Animal Production Systems Group we care about planet earth, people, and animals. We approach sustainability through three research themes: livelihood, environment and animal welfare. Our key expertise is the systems approach. It serves to understand the complexity of livestock systems and the urgent and pressing problems they are facing today. To analyse and design systems, we use both quantitative and qualitative methods and a combination of both.
Chair Holder
Simon Oosting, Ph.D., is the chairholder of the Animal Production Systems group, and a professor of sustainable development of livestock production systems. His expertise is climate change mitigation and tropical livestock production. Taking a participatory and interdisciplinary research approach, he explores the ecological, economic, and social contexts of livestock production to move toward a sustainable future of livestock production.
prof.dr.ir. SJ (Simon) Oosting
Professor / Chairholder
People of Animal Production Systems
Each chair group of Wageningen University & Research, under leadership of a professor, has its own area of expertise. Meet the people of Animal Production Systems.
Calendar
Follow us on social media
Stay up-to-date and learn more through our social channel.