The Root towards More Circularized Animal Production Systems: From Animal to Territorial Metabolism

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The relationship between the rates of world population growth and the consumption of natural resources is a subject of strong debate in the political and academic areas. Since the 1960s, technological progress has made it possible to achieve extraordinary increases in agricultural productivity, which was at the basis of the so-called green revolution. However, this happened at the expense of environmental sustainability. Agricultural activities impact natural resources such as water, air, biodiversity, which are crucial for future generations. The livestock sector is particularly sensitive to the problem, being responsible for an important part of the global greenhouse gas emissions. To make livestock production more sustainable, a radical rethinking of livestock production models is required. In the face of these needs, the circular economy provides a sound basis for a sustainable transition. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the crucial factors for a transition towards more “circularized” animal production systems. More precisely, our work aims to identify economic, social, and environmental factors that can boost transition, by framing it within a circular vision of livestock farming. ABSTRACT: This paper deals with a relevant topic in the literature on sustainable management of animal farms, concerning the transition towards circular methods of animal production. The paper aims to put forward an original analytical multilevel perspective overlapping different dimensions at either micro, meso, and macro level. Starting from the Malthusian analysis on depletion of natural resources, with risks of the fragility of the natural and economic systems, the paper points out the importance of moving away from intensive methods of production, by adopting more circularized approaches based on resources efficiency. The application of circular economy approaches to animal production is theorized through the concept of territorial metabolism involving not only internal resources (at the animal farm level) but also territorial resources. The paper underlines the critical points of the transition, which is labeled as a socio-technical transition in that it involves not only technical issues but also social aspects. Critical points are addressed through consumers’ acceptance of products drawn on circular approaches and political support to transition, through political tools which are boosted in recent documents of the European Union, like the Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy.