# Environmental Indicators in Livestock Production Systems

Detailed sets of indicators will be developed as a follow-up (and in parallel) with this study. Some examples, categorized by environmental factor (soil, water, etc.) and whether the indicator is a measurement taken from the natural resource base, the livestock present, or the human component. They are in general response indicators, because these can be most easily defined.

Grazing systems
Category | Natural resource base | Livestock | Socio-economic
Soil/land | Erosion - Universal Soil Loss Equation Presence and use of legumesManure collection & application practices | Arid: Herd mobility Sub-humid, and humid: Stocking rate and productivity trends | Arid: Human carrying capacity of the land Land tenure and recent trends in fencing and crop-encroachment in key areas: Vulnerability to drought (reliance on food aid)
Vegetation | Proportion of ground cover Plant species composition and mosaics, rate between, rate of fire wood collections Presence and use of leguminous plants Utilization of crop aftermath, tame pastures and native rangelands Rate of deforestation | Forage demand Diet preferences Animal productivity & species composition | Infrastructure Cohesion of users groups Diversity of land use
Water | Water turbidity Number of boreholes Number of new surface watering points Water quality (nitrate, pesticide content) | Use requirements |
Air | Greenhouse gas balance | Greenhouse gas balance |

Mixed farm indicators
Category | Natural resource base | Livestock | Socio-economic
Soil | Erosion - Universal Soil Loss Equation Nutrient Levels - Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Copper, Zinc Organic Matter - Cation Exchange Capacity Farmgate and regional nutrient balances Presence and use of legumes | Access to animal traction, Manure storage and utilization, Quantity of concentrates brought into the system | Rate of integration and degree ofreliance on outside inputs; Community cohesion in watershed and regional landscape
Vegetation | Proportion of ground cover Plant species composition and mosaics Presence and use of leguminous plants | Forage demand Diet preferences | Farm income
Water | Water turbidity N, P in runoff and ground water Insecticide levels | Use requirements |
Air | Manure application techniques | Quality of animal diets Number of animals |

Indicators for industrial livestock production systems
Input-related | Production-related | Output-related
Land use changes and land requirements for feed production | Conversion efficiencies for N and P by animal species | Manure discharge Nutrient balances
Percentage of grains in concentrates and diet | Farmgate N and P balance | Fertilizing value of manure
Rangeland requirements for young stock | Ammonia emissions | Methane emissions
Livestock breeds used | Methane emissions | Tons of liveweight slaughtered
Inputs to feed production (fuel, fertilizer) | Fossil energy consumption | Tons raw milk
| Animal welfare index | Tons of raw hides processed
| Chemical use | Manure storage

Processing industry
Direct Indicators | Indirect indicators
amount of solid waste | portion of industrial and traditional processing
BOD output in wastewater (total, and not as a percentage of effluent r, as this would provide incentives to just increase water use) | portion of by-product utilization
CO2, CO and Nitrous Oxide Emissions |

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