Study Highlights Impact of Livestock on Global Economy and Environment

Strategic Insights -

A new study has shed light on the significant effects of livestock on socioeconomic, environmental, and health dimensions globally. The research, conducted by the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil, examined the evolution of carbon and water footprints corresponding to global food trade networks between 1986 and 2020. The study aimed to identify potential associations between carbon and water footprints embedded in food trade and countries' economic welfare.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research found that global food exchanges between countries led to an increase in carbon and water footprints during the study period.
  • A country's centrality within the network was linked to economic welfare, indicating that countries with higher imports of carbon and water through global food trade derive economic benefits from participating in global trade.
  • The study emphasized the need for global efforts towards transformations of food systems, prioritizing sustainable development standards to ensure continued access to healthy sustainable diets for populations worldwide.
  • Complex network analysis was used to map countries' positions within annual food trade networks, and countries' metrics within networks were used to identify connections between participation in global trade of carbon and water footprints and economic welfare.
  • The research was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology and the Brazilian Ministry of Education.
  • Authors Murilo Mazzotti Silvestrini, Thiago Joel Angrizanes Rossi, and Flavia Mori Sarti contributed to the study.
  • The journal article was published in Standards, a publication of MDPI AG, in 2025.

Statistics:

  • The study covered a 34-year period, from 1986 to 2020.
  • The research focused on global food trade networks and the impact of carbon and water footprints on economic welfare.
  • The study found that countries with higher imports of carbon and water through global food trade derived economic benefits.
  • The journal article is cataloged as Standards, 2025,5(3):19 and is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/standards5030019.
  • The research was conducted by the Institute of Economics, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil.

Sources:

  • Socioeconomic and Environmental Dimensions of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries: A Network Study on Carbon and Water Footprints in Global Food Trade. Standards, 2025,5(3):19. (https://doi.org/10.3390/standards5030019)
  • NewsRx. State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Researchers Describe Advances in Livestock (Socioeconomic and Environmental Dimensions of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries: A Network Study on Carbon and Water Footprints in Global Food Trade). Agriculture Week. October 16, 2025; p 717.