From the editor

The current issue contains four articles and five book reviews. Three of the articles are about animal production in agricultural systems. The fourth article is about the social costs to farmers in a sugar production system in Kenya. All four articles are critical of current practices and policies.

The first article (“Herd No More: Livestock Husbandry Policies and the Environment in Israel”) is by Elizabeth Wachs. Wachs reviews the environmental impact of both intensive livestock production in Israel and Bedouin pastoralist systems and examines Israel’s public policies in this area. She concludes that the “divisions between governmental supports for the Jewish and Arab sectors of livestock management are inconsistent with efficient environmental management. Policies should be designed to encourage Bedouin to find ways to sustainably continue their traditional livestock husbandry practices, which today are largely associated with ecological benefits and constitute a unique cultural asset for Israel and the world.”

In the second article (“Harm to Others: The Social Cost of Antibiotics in Agriculture”), Jonny Anomaly argues “that the harm principle of classical liberalism should guide agricultural policy in general, and the regulation of antibiotics in livestock in particular” since antibiotics contribute to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Anomaly develops an interpretation of the harm principle and applies it to an evaluation of some policy responses to this problem, including a ban on the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics.

The third article is by Stephanie Yue Cottee and Paul Petersan. In “Animal Welfare and Organic Aquaculture in Open Systems,” the authors raise questions about the compatibility of open net-pen aquaculture production with the principles inherent to organic farming. “The principles of organic farming espouse a holistic approach to agriculture that promotes sustainable and harmonious relationships amongst the natural environment, plants, and animals, as well as regard for animals’ physiological and behavioral needs. However, open aquaculture systems—both organic and conventional—present unresolved and significant challenges to the welfare of farmed and wild fish, as well as other wildlife, and to environmental integrity, due to water quality issues, escapes, parasites, predator control, and feed-source sustainability.”

In the fourth article (“Potential of Corporate Social Responsibility for Poverty alleviation among Contract Sugarcane Farmers in the Nzoia Sugarbelt, Western, Kenya”), Fuchaka Waswa, Godfrey Netondo, Lucy Maina, Tabitha Naisiko, and Joseph Wangamati argue that there is a need to institutionalize Corporate Social Responsibility within the daily operations of Nzoia Sugar Company to address net-income depressors and to bridge income gaps between the company and farmers in favor of sustainable community livelihoods. They suggest ten key building blocks for such a policy based on farmers’ responses and ethical considerations.

Richard P. Haynes

Editor-in-chief