An overview is given of existing approaches and applications to account for the flow of
materials within and in association with low input farming of fish and livestock, notably
of carp and poultry. Statistical methods describe or quantify the effect of environmental
and management factors on fish growth and yield, and the interactions between these
variables. Other methods are bioresource-flow accounting (“resource-flow diagrams”),
energy and nutrient flow budgeting, mass balance modelling and dynamic simulation
modeling. Some of these tools were specifically designated to assess sustainability,
notably of integrated agriculture-aquaculture farming systems, others to enable a wide
range of system-analytical functions and purposes.