Abstract
Purpose Different livestock production systems contribute to globally Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) emission differently. The aim of this paper is to understand variation in emission in different production systems and it is also important for developing mitigation interventions that work for a specific production system. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment interactive model (GLEAM-i) to estimate the GHG emission and emission intensity and tested the effectiveness of mitigation strategies from 180 farms under three production systems in northern Ethiopia, namely, pastoral, mixed and urban production systems. Findings Production systems varied in terms of herd composition, livestock productivity, livestock reproductive parameters and manure management systems, which resulted in difference in total GHG emission. Methane (82.77%) was the largest contributor followed by carbon dioxide (13.40%) and nitrous oxide (3.83%). While both total carbon dioxide and methane were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in urban production system than the other systems emission intensities of cow’s milk and goat and sheep’s meat were lower in urban systems. Improvement in feed, manure management and herd parameters resulted in reduction of total GHG emission by 30, 29 and 21% in pastoral, mixed and urban production systems, respectively. Originality/value This study is a first time comparison of the GHG emission production by various production systems in northern Ethiopia. Moreover, it uses the GLEAM-i program for the first time in the ex ante settings for measuring and comparing emissions as well as for developing mitigation scenarios. By doing so, it provides information on the various livestock production system properties that contribute to the increase or decrease in GHG emission and helps in developing guidelines for low emission livestock production systems.
Highlights
Background information and justificationDespite livestock production being an important source of livelihoods for many communities around the globe, especially in low- and middle-income countries, it is an important contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
It is globally estimated that 7,516 million metric tons per year of CO2 equivalents (CO2eq), or 18% of annual worldwide GHG emissions, are attributable to cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry (Steinfeld et al, 2006); more exhaustive estimation of food production is responsible for 26% of the total annuals global GHG emission (Hannah, 2019)
Urban production system was responsible for the highest GHG emission, i.e. 58.44% of the total GHG, while the pastoral and mixed production systems were responsible for 22.96 and 18.60% of the total emission, respectively (Table 4)
Summary
Despite livestock production being an important source of livelihoods for many communities around the globe, especially in low- and middle-income countries, it is an important contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Despite its significant contribution to global GHG emissions, livestock will continue to be important source of incomes and livelihoods, especially for the global poor. Livestock production systems that offer reduced GHG emission potentials without significantly reducing livestock productivity need to be identified. This can be achieved by estimating and comparing the GHG emissions from different livestock production systems with various levels of intensification and comparing various intensification scenarios. The Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model interactive (GLEAM-i) provides a flexible tool for undertaking GHG estimation from various livestock systems ex ante (FAO and New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, 2017a, 2017b)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
