Evaluation of strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from beef production in southern Brazil by life cycle assessment
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Due to its importance, Brazilian cattle production has been heavily charged regarding its responsibility for emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). In this context, the present study was conducted to evaluate the impacts on the GHG balance of better distribution of forage supply throughout the year, improved forage quality, introduction of forage legumes, improved reproduction rates, intensified pasture management and increased brood cow replacement rate, using a life cycle assessment with live weight gain (LWG) as the measure of productivity. Effects of grazing on soil carbon (C) stocks and their stabilization after application for 20 years of these modifications were also considered. The simulated production unit comprised a herd of 100 female and four male weaned animals and their progeny for the duration of their productive life; as well as land areas, external inputs, and other resources necessary for its operation. The estimated emission for baseline conditions (CB) was 22.5 kg CO2 eq. * kg LWG-1. Various combinations of changes in quantity, quality, and seasonal distribution of forages; and reproductive improvements, generated reductions in emissions of 4.8 to 8.9, and 16.3 to 24.2 times, respectively. More intensive use of pastures reduced the total emissions of the system to 0.8 kg CO2 eq. * kg LWG-1, whereas increasing the cow discard rate resulted in negligible variations. The positive effect of grazing and soil C stocks offset the total emissions of the evaluated system. As to long-term stabilization, the systems presented reductions in emissions of 2.5 to 3.3 times, compared to CB. These results reiterate the importance of C dynamics of roots and shoots in mitigating the environmental impacts of beef production systems in pastures.
Institution: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Language: Spanish
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2580482568