Sustainable integration of laying hens with crops in organic farming. A review

ABSTRACT

Crop-livestock integration plays a key role in the sustainability of organic agriculture systems, where the reduction of inputs is central to farms performance. The existing literature has focused on the general dynamics of crop-livestock systems without exploring the specificities of each animal species. Egg production significantly contributes to the world food market and it is expected to continue due to its versatility. At the same time, consumption of organic products has increased in recent years, due to enhanced consumers’ awareness. This work reviews the complex web of relationships between various elements of organic agriculture systems with integrated laying hens. The major findings about the integration of laying hens with crops in organic systems are as follows: 1) contributes to the reduction of inputs (less feed and fertilizers) and a diversified production; 2) supports ecosystem services shaping the landscape toward biodiversity and contributing to a healthier environment; and 3) improves farmers’ livelihood, especially in developing countries. Its benefits will be increased by using mobile systems to ensure a better distribution of manure and in synchronization with canopy cover species, such as fruit and forest trees. However, more research is needed to find further contributions to this system sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• organic farming
• laying hens
• crop-hens integration
• crop-livestock systems
• weed control
• soil fertilization
• sustainable agriculture

Acknowledgement

This work was partially supported by grant IIA_PDR2020_GMÓVEL_LIC1 and project grants PDR2020-101-031353 and UIDB/00308/2020, through the European Regional Development Fund and the COMPETE 2020 Programs and FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, to whom the authors acknowledge.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Such as genetically modified organisms, irradiation technologies, and breeding techniques as embryo transfer techniques and cloning.