Dear Colleagues,

For millennia, livestock farming has been an integral part of human civilization, providing food, clothing, and livelihoods. It plays a crucial role in converting low-quality feed, inedible forage, and certain industrial by-products into high-quality dietary protein. Human consumption of nutrient-dense animal products can reduce reliance on staple grains, thereby decreasing the demand for water and fertilizers required for their cultivation while ensuring a sufficient supply of high-quality protein.

Agriculture, including animal production, is a strategic sector in ensuring food security. Today, food security encompasses not only the physical availability of food at affordable prices but also its nutritional and health quality. With a growing global population and increasing concerns about the state of the natural environment, effective management of livestock farming is becoming ever-more critical. Additionally, consumers are increasingly interested in minimally processed, natural, organic, and functional foods, as well as the ethical aspects of production, such as animal welfare. Consequently, the development of new, sustainable livestock production systems has become a top priority.

Sustainable livestock farming involves practices that minimize environmental impact, promote the ethical treatment of animals, support local communities, and ensure economic viability for farmers. These practices ensure food security by producing safe food, reducing the depletion of resources essential for production, preserving natural resources and environmental values, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing carbon sequestration, and upholding the ethical treatment of animals. Globally, these strategies are critical to the health of our planet and the sustainability of ecosystems.

Future food security will rely on maintaining the agricultural production base: arable land, economically viable farms, and the genetic resources of plants and animals. The role and importance of the livestock sector must be emphasized, as it is critical for ensuring food security and supporting economic development, particularly in the event of supply chain disruptions.

This Special Issue will significantly complement the existing literature by presenting the latest research on sustainable animal husbandry and the production of animal-derived food. It will also serve as a unique platform for discussing practical challenges and opportunities related to implementing solutions for achieving sustainable development goals. Therefore, we invite you to contribute to this Special Issue by publishing high-quality research papers, review articles, and communications. We particularly (but not exclusively) encourage authors to include the following topics in their work:

• The concept of sustainable animal production basic principles and benefits for farmers, consumers, animals, and the environment;
• Production systems utilizing natural resources;
• The importance of native breeds for maintaining natural areas and regulating vegetation succession, especially in marginal and agriculturally unused areas;
• Animal nutrition and maximizing nutrient utilization in animal diets (improving nutritional value and feed digestibility) to exploit the genetic potential of livestock;
• Identification and utilization of new anti-methanogenic feed ingredients for the development of the ruminant sector;
• Development and utilization of new protein feed ingredients for monogastric animals, such as insects reared on indigestible plant residues, for a circular economy;
• The utilization of crop residues, by-products, new fodder and forage plants, marginal or unused lands, and forest biomass;
• The development of crops resistant to the effects of climate stress (drought, heat, floods);
• The real-time monitoring of animal behavior, nutrition, and health;
• The management of livestock manure, organic fertilizer economy, biofuel, and biomass production;
• The preservation of biodiversity through sustainable practices;
• Increasing carbon sequestration;
• Organic animal production;
• Modern technologies supporting sustainable breeding (digital technologies, precision animal farming);
• Fodder–livestock system agronomic management.

Dr. Anna Kasprzyk
Dr. Ewa Januś
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainable environmental development
• animal production systems and food quality
• biodiversity and animal welfare
• greenhouse gas emissions
• carbon sequestration
• life cycle assessment
• animal nutrition
• manure and slurry management
• animal health management
• precision animal farming technologies
• digital technologies in animal husbandry