Comparative evaluation of data requirements and level of decision support provided by decision support tools for reducing livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

Quantifying and mitigating the environmental impact of livestock sector is of global interest as it has an important role in the global climate change. Although accurate estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock production systems is complex, there are several available tools to assist with the emissions estimation. These tools differ in many ways, such as in terms of accessibility, methodology, assumptions, and scope. Such tools are important because they help farmers know where their farms and livestock production processes stand in terms of sustainability. This information also helps farmers in devising and implementing mitigation strategies. In this paper, we review and assess popular and available open-access decision-support tools (DSTs) for estimating farm-level GHG emissions from livestock production systems. We noted that most of the available tools are built based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 guidelines, and relevant region- and product-specific assumptions. Only a very few tools, such as GLEAM and CFT, are suitable for all geographic locations. Apart from GHG emissions estimation, some tools, such as AgRECalc, provide static general recommendations to support decision-making in GHG emissions mitigation, and other tools, such as Holos, include scenario analysis. We also observed that most of the tools are lacking concrete recommendation provisions to assist in developing mitigation strategies. Such recommendation engines can be of great help to farmers in identifying potential focus areas to prioritize while developing mitigation strategies. We, furthermore, present a high-level framework of a decision support system that addresses the discovered gaps and can be adopted for sustainable livestock farming.