Diversified systems consist of components such as crops and livestock that coexist independently
from each other.
4 In this case, integrating crops and livestock serves primarily to minimize risk and not
to recycle resources. In an integrated system, crops and livestock interact to create a synergy, with
recycling allowing the maximum use of available resources.
Crop residues can be used for animal feed, while livestock and livestock by-product production and
processing can enhance agricultural productivity by intensifying nutrients that improve soil fertility,
reducing the use of chemical fertilizers.
A high integration of crops and livestock is often considered as a step forward, but small farmers need
to have sufficient access to knowledge, assets and inputs to manage this system in a way that is
economically and environmentally sustainable over the long term.