Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Dec;103(12):104295.
doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104295. Epub 2024 Sep 4.

Sustainable poultry farming practices: a critical review of current strategies and future prospects

Ramesh Bahadur Bist  1 , Keshav Bist  2 , Sandesh Poudel  3 , Deepak Subedi  4 , Xiao Yang  4 , Bidur Paneru  4 , Sudhagar Mani  3 , Dongyi Wang  5 , Lilong Chai  6
Affiliations
Review

Sustainable poultry farming practices: a critical review of current strategies and future prospects

Ramesh Bahadur Bist et al. Poult Sci. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

As global demand for poultry products, environmental sustainability, and health consciousness rises with time, the poultry industry faces both substantial challenges and new opportunities. Therefore, this review paper provides a comprehensive overview of sustainable poultry farming, focusing on integrating genetic improvements, alternative feed, precision technologies, waste management, and biotechnological innovations. Together, these strategies aim to minimize ecological footprints, uphold ethical standards, improve economic feasibility, and enhance industry resilience. In addition, this review paper explores various sustainable strategies, including eco-conscious organic farming practices and innovative feed sources like insect-based proteins, single-cell proteins, algal supplements, and food waste utilization. It also addresses barriers to adoption, such as technical challenges, financial constraints, knowledge gaps, and policy frameworks, which are crucial for advancing the poultry industry. This paper examined organic poultry farming in detail, noting several benefits like reduced pesticide use and improved animal welfare. Additionally, it discusses optimizing feed efficiency, an alternate energy source (solar photovoltaic/thermal), effective waste management, and the importance of poultry welfare. Transformative strategies, such as holistic farming systems and integrated approaches, are proposed to improve resource use and nutrient cycling and promote climate-smart agricultural practices. The review underscores the need for a structured roadmap, education, and extension services through digital platforms and participatory learning to promote sustainable poultry farming for future generations. It emphasizes the need for collaboration and knowledge exchange among stakeholders and the crucial role of researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals in shaping a future where sustainable poultry practices lead the industry, committed to ethical and resilient poultry production.

Keywords: animal welfare; climate-smart practice; environment; market opportunity; sustainability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DISCLOSURES The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Framework of sustainable poultry production.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Four most important pillars of sustainability farming.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Various alternative feed sources in the poultry industry.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Eight insects approved for poultry feeding. Figures are generated and edited from https://www.biorender.com/.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Illustrating the sequential phases in single-celled protein production.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Utilizing Waste Poultry Products for Biogas Production and Sustainable Energy Generation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Solar technology for the poultry industry.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abo-Al-Ela H.G., El-Kassas S., El-Naggar K., Abdo S.E., Jahejo A.R., Al Wakeel R.A. Stress and immunity in poultry: light management and nanotechnology as effective immune enhancers to fight stress. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2021;26:457–472. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adewolu M., Ikenweiwe B., Mulero S. Evaluation of an animal protein mixture as a replacement for fishmeal in practical diets for fingerlings of Clarias Gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) Israeli J. Aquaculture = Bamidgeh. 2010;62:237–244.
    1. Aggelopoulos T., Katsieris K., Bekatorou A., Pandey A., Banat I.M., Koutinas A.A. Solid state fermentation of food waste mixtures for single cell protein, aroma volatiles and fat production. Food Chem. 2014;145:710–716.. - PubMed
    1. AgMRC. 2021. Organic poultry profile. Available at https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/livestock/poultry/organic-pou... (accessed on September 10, 2023).
    1. Agricial. 2023. Organic poultry farming an overview of methods, benefits. Agricial.com Available at https://agricial.com/organic-poultry-farming-methods-benefits/ (accessed on September 3, 2023).