ABSTRACT

Certainly some of the criticism is well deserved. But the problems lie not so much with the animals themselves or their use as food as they do with the ways the animals are incorporated into today’s agroecosystems and food systems. Animals can play many benecial roles in agroecosystems, and therefore make strong contributions to sustainability. Indeed, as we will see in this chapter, the inclusion of animals in an agroecosystem can often make the difference in realizing ecological sustainability and economic viability.