Nieto, M.I.; Barrantes, O.; Privitello, L.; Reiné, R. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Grazing Systems in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Central Argentina. Sustainability2018, 10, 4228.
Nieto, M.I.; Barrantes, O.; Privitello, L.; Reiné, R. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Grazing Systems in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Central Argentina. Sustainability 2018, 10, 4228.
Nieto, M.I.; Barrantes, O.; Privitello, L.; Reiné, R. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Grazing Systems in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Central Argentina. Sustainability2018, 10, 4228.
Nieto, M.I.; Barrantes, O.; Privitello, L.; Reiné, R. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Grazing Systems in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Central Argentina. Sustainability 2018, 10, 4228.
Abstract
The livestock sector can be a major contributor to the mitigation of greenhouse (GHG) emissions. Within the sector, beef production produces the largest proportion of the livestock sector’s direct emissions. The objective of this study was to assess the on-farm GHG emissions in semi-arid rangelands in Argentina and to identify the relationships between emissions and current farm management practices. A survey recorded detailed information on farm management and characteristics. Assessments of GHG emissions were based on the IPCC Tier 2 protocols [1]. The relationships between farm management and GHG emissions were identified using General Linear Models. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of farms that differed from others in emissions and farm characteristics. Emissions per product sold were low on farms that had improved livestock care management, rotational grazing, received technical advice, and had high animal and land productivities. Emissions per hectare of farmland were low on farms that had low stocking rates, low number of grazing paddocks, little or no land dedicated to improved pastures and forage crops, and low land productivity. Our results suggest that the implementation of realistic, relatively easy-to-adopt farming management practices has considerable potential for mitigating GHG emissions in semi-arid rangelands of central Argentina.
Keywords
livestock care management; rotational/continuous grazing; technical advice; stocking rate; functional units
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Horticulture
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
