Climate-Smart Livestock Systems: An Assessment of Carbon Stocks and GHG Emissions in Nicaragua

Abstract

Livestock systems in the tropics can contribute to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing carbon accumulation. We quantified C stocks and GHG emissions of 30 dual-purpose cattle farms in Nicaragua using farm inventories and lifecycle analysis. Trees in silvo-pastoral systems were the main C stock above-ground (16–24 Mg ha-1), compared with adjacent secondary forests (43 Mg C ha-1). We estimated that methane from enteric fermentation contributed 1.6 kg CO2-eq., and nitrous oxide from excreta 0.4 kg CO2-eq. per kg of milk produced. Seven farms that we classified as climate-smart agriculture (CSA) out of 16 farms had highest milk yields (6.2 kg cow-1day-1) and lowest emissions (1.7 kg CO2-eq. per kg milk produced). Livestock on these farms had higher-quality diets, especially during the dry season, and manure was managed better. Increasing the numbers of CSA farms and improving CSA technology will require better enabling policy and incentives such as payments for ecosystem services.

Reducing deforestation and improving livestock productivity: greenhouse gas mitigation potential of silvopastoral systems in Caquetá

“…Previous literature has focused on the relevance of carbon sequestration over a large range of different LU options in livestock-dominated landscapes [53], or addressed exclusively the livestock GHG emissions component of SPSs [36]. In our work, we show that Figure 6.…”

“…Although multiple studies have examined the GHG mitigation potential of different forms of SPSs per unit of product (e.g. kg of meat, liters of milk) [36,37], few have attempted to evaluate the GHG mitigation potential per hectare (ha) while accounting for soil and aboveground carbon (C) sequestration taking place in these systems, nor the GHG emissions arising from deforestation that can potentially be avoided [30]. As stocking rates increase in SPSs higher levels of livestock GHG emissions from enteric fermentation and manure are emitted per ha.…”

Arboreal/Arbustive Component Associated to Livestock Systems in San Vicente del Caguán Municipality, Caquetá—Colombia

“…Thus benefit not only includes animal welfare, but that also improves: soil fertility by nutrient dynamics; forage production; carrying capacity of the land; environmental conditions, increasing relative humidity, carbon sequestration/accumulation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions [62]. Thereby, we recommend this system, not only by these benefits mentioned but also for farmer incomes by higher farm outputs, indeed, which is a cleaner way of achieving a biological, ecological and socio-economic livestock production efficiently and sustainably.…”

Cattle and the Climate: Why Industrial Production Is Not The Solution To Emissions From Beef And Dairy Farms

“…These striking differences are partly due to allocating emissions between multiple products and services as discussed above, but that is not the whole story. Other possibilities include (1) a bias towards including unusually data-rich, well-managed farms in research studies (Lizarralde et al, 2014); (2) the omission of land-use change in some work (Gaitán et al 2016); and (3) the use of detailed, on-farm data that more accurately represents the studied farms than the regional statistics used by the FAO (Garg et al, 2016).…”