Evidence for resilience livestock: Guide to livestock data analysis in the ERA dataset

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of livestock-related data within the Evidence for Resilient Agriculture (ERA) dataset. It focuses on the exploration of data regarding animal feed nutritional composition, digestibility, and livestock outcomes. The guide outlines the methodology used for data collection, including search terms, screening criteria, and data extraction processes. It further delves into the structure and utility of the ERA data model, enabling users to explore livestock-specific studies and associated metadata.

Key areas covered include the geographic distribution of livestock studies, practices involving feed addition and substitution, diet composition, and common outcomes such as weight gain and feed intake. The guide also demonstrates how to harmonize data units, link metadata with observations, and visualize livestock-related outcomes using Shiny applications and analytical workflows.

The resource is dynamic and continually evolving, serving as a living data resource. It is designed to improve over time with updates to the data model and analytical workflows, ensuring relevance and usability for researchers. Users can access the following:
• ERL GitHub Repository for source code and ongoing development.
• Static HTML Guide for an in-depth exploration of the dataset.
• Dynamic Markdown File that can be run interactively from the ERL project in RStudio.

This guide serves as a foundational tool for researchers, providing step-by-step instructions to analyze livestock systems in the context of agricultural resilience and sustainability, while supporting modular exploration within the ERA framework.