Summary
Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) can be productive, sustainable, and climate-resilient agricultural systems compared to specialized and intensive systems. This review explores the beneficial traits and contributions of ICLS to food security, social and economic benefits, and resilience, and proposes strategies to adopt ICLSs in low-, medium-, and high-income countries. Currently, global food security faces two main challenges. First, one in nine people do not have sufficient protein and energy in their diet, of those 50% are smallholder subsistence farmers and 20% are landless families in the low-and medium-income countries (LMICs). Second, specialized intensive agricultural practices often cause soil and environmental degradation. ICLS is an agricultural practice that could play a
Regional applicability
Whilst the review focuses primarily on low- and medium-income country contexts, the soil health and environmental sustainability principles are transferable to United Kingdom farming. However, the food security and smallholder subsistence contexts differ markedly; UK applicability is principally in the climate resilience, soil carbon sequestration, and reduced chemical input pathways, particularly for mixed or organic farming systems.
Key measures
Food consumption score, household dietary diversity, agricultural productivity, soil health, environmental degradation metrics, food security indicators, adoption barriers and facilitators
Outcomes reported
The review examined how integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) contribute to food security, nutritional outcomes (food consumption score, household dietary diversity), social and economic benefits, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability compared to specialised intensive systems. It identified adoption challenges and proposed policy and institutional strategies for successful ICLS implementation across income country contexts.
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