Air quality has a direct influence on health, welfare and production performance of livestock as the high concentrations of noxious gases, dust and airborne microorganisms are likely to reduce production efficiency and the general welfare of farm animals. Long term exposure to particulates in livestock buildings might also affect the respiratory health of farm workers. Dust in animal buildings contains many biologically active substances such as bacteria, fungi, endotoxins and residues of antibiotics (as a result of veterinary treatments) that are suspected to be hazardous to human health. Furthermore, air pollutants emitted from livestock buildings can reduce air, water and soil quality and can potentially undermine the health of nearby residents. Airborne emissions include ammonia, methane, nitrous oxide, particulates like dust and microorganisms. In addition, other potentially harmful substances such as heavy metals, antibiotic residues and components of disinfectants might be also emitted from livestock building that are potentially damaging to ecosystems. In this book, key aspects of agricultural air quality, such as monitoring, managing and reducing airborne pollutants in and around livestock facilities are reviewed. Features: addressing the raising awareness of the importance of optimal health and welfare for lifestock species with contributions from international specialists and researchers providing up-to-date information for professionals involved in modern animal producti This book will be useful for farming professionals, academics, students, policy makers, business leaders, regulatory bodies and agricultural consultants.

Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations: Current Knowledge, Future Needs discusses the need for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement a new method for estimating the amount of ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, and other pollutants emitted from livestock and poultry farms, and for determining how these emissions are dispersed in the atmosphere. The committee calls for the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a joint council to coordinate and oversee short - and long-term research to estimate emissions from animal feeding operations accurately and to develop mitigation strategies. Their recommendation was for the joint council to focus its efforts first on those pollutants that pose the greatest risk to the environment and public health.

"The assessment builds on the work of the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative"--Pref.

This book gives an overview of the relationships between agriculture and air quality, which is an issue of increasing importance for practitioners and policy makers. It provides the keys to understand natural and anthropogenic mechanisms governing emission and deposition of pollutants produced by and/or impacting agricultural activities It identifies how management practices can help mitigating emissions and how public policies on air pollution progressively addressed the agricultural sector This book was written for students, researchers and agriculture actors as well as for public decision-makers

Diffuse (non-point source) pollution is increasingly being recognised as a major source of water quality problems in both surface and ground water. Indeed, as pollution resulting from point sources is reduced by the efforts of regulators, diffuse sources frequently remain as the dominant source of pollution. The book is an introductory text covering the nature, causes and the significance of diffuse pollution of both urban and rural origin. Best management practices to tackle the problems are examined as are the ways in which the adoption of such practices may be brought about. Use is made of case studies from several countries to examine the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. Diffuse Pollution covers both urban and rural sources. Urban sources include run-off from impermeable surfaces of roads, industrial areas and housing which may be contaminated by hydrocarbons, heavy metals, organic chemicals and other undesirable substances. Rural sources include water containing pollutants arising from agriculture and forestry such as plant nutrients, pesticides, microbes and soil itself. This concise book will prove useful to practitioners in the field of pollution control both in an urban and a rural environment, to regulators, to researchers new to the field, and to academics and students. An extensive reference section aids the reader in exploring the subject further. Contents Diffuse pollution A Best Practice Approach An Introduction to BMPs for built environments Managing diffuse pollution from urban sources - a survey of best practice experience Rural BMPs Rural best practice experience Regulation, Economic instruments, and Education for controlling diffuse pollution Sustainability Full Contents List (439KB)

Greenhouse gas emissions by the livestock sector could be cut by as much as 30 percent through the wider use of existing best practices and technologies. FAO conducted a detailed analysis of GHG emissions at multiple stages of various livestock supply chains, including the production and transport of animal feed, on-farm energy use, emissions from animal digestion and manure decay, as well as the post-slaughter transport, refrigeration and packaging of animal products. This report represents the most comprehensive estimate made to-date of livestocks contribution to global warming as well as the sectors potential to help tackle the problem. This publication is aimed at professionals in food and agriculture as well as policy makers.

This book presents the latest findings and ongoing research in connection with green information systems and green information & communication technology (ICT). It provides valuable insights into a broad range of cross-cutting concerns in ICT and the environmental sciences, and showcases how ICT can be used to effectively address environmental and energy efficiency issues. Offering a selection of extended contributions to the 31st International Conference EnviroInfo 2017, it is essential reading for anyone looking to expand their expertise in the area.

The majority of meat, milk, and eggs consumed in the United States are produced in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). With concentrated animal operations, in turn comes concentrated manure accumulation, which can pose a threat of contamination of air, soil, and water if improperly managed. Animal Manure: Production, Characteristics, Environmental Concerns, and Management navigates these important environmental concerns while detailing opportunities for environmentally and economically beneficial utilization.

This open access book not only describes the challenges of climate disruption, but also presents solutions. The challenges described include air pollution, climate change, extreme weather, and related health impacts that range from heat stress, vector-borne diseases, food and water insecurity and chronic diseases to malnutrition and mental well-being. The influence of humans on climate change has been established through extensive published evidence and reports. However, the connections between climate change, the health of the planet and the impact on human health have not received the same level of attention. Therefore, the global focus on the public health impacts of climate change is a relatively recent area of interest. This focus is timely since scientists have concluded that changes in climate have led to new weather extremes such as floods, storms, heat waves, droughts and fires, in turn leading to more than 600,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly 4 billion people in the last 20 years. Previous work on the health impacts of climate change was limited mostly to epidemiologic approaches and outcomes and focused less on multidisciplinary, multi-faceted collaborations between physical scientists, public health researchers and policy makers. Further, there was little attention paid to faith-based and ethical approaches to the problem. The solutions and actions we explore in this book engage diverse sectors of civil society, faith leadership, and political leadership, all oriented by ethics, advocacy, and policy with a special focus on poor and vulnerable populations. The book highlights areas we think will resonate broadly with the public, faith leaders, researchers and students across disciplines including the humanities, and policy makers.