TY - JOUR AU - Qi, Jiaguo AU - Xin, Xiaoping AU - John, Ranjeet AU - Groisman, Pavel AU - Chen, Jiquan PY - 2017 DA - 2017/06/13 TI - Understanding livestock production and sustainability of grassland ecosystems in the Asian Dryland Belt JO - Ecological Processes SP - 22 VL - 6 IS - 1 AB - Companioned by economic development, a dietary shift toward higher meat consumption is seen in developing countries and transitional economies, where the demand for livestock production has been increasing in response to such a dietary shift. In the Asian Dryland Belt, approaches to meet this demand have focused on grazing intensification, cropland conversion for animal feed, and supplemental feeding. With the scarcity of water, energy, and food in the region, a key question is whether or not the current approaches are sustainable. If not, what are the pathways to increase livestock production while protecting the region’s environment for a sustainable future? We provide our reviews and discuss current approaches in response to these dietary shifts and assess their environmental resilience with a focus on the grassland ecosystems in the Asian Dryland Belt. SN - 2192-1709 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-017-0087-3 DO - 10.1186/s13717-017-0087-3 ID - Qi2017 ER -