Climate & Environment

One way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock is to increase per animal productivity, such as through improved quality feeds. At the same time, carbon sequestration can be increased through better management of the grasslands used by livestock for grazing. The Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement through Market Expansion (PRIME) project in Ethiopia used both approaches to mitigate the harmful impacts of livestock GHG production. The project empowered stakeholders to design and establish collective plans to manage pastures and water points. The project also supported soil and water conservation measures, enclosed degraded pastures, performed selective bush thinning, and cleared the invasive plant Prosopis.

These practices improved pasture quality and reduced bare soil and overgrazing, which enhanced carbon sequestration in the soil. Effective improvements were conservatively estimated to take place on over 101,000 ha, and these interventions were estimated to have enhanced soil carbon stocks from 36.5 to 44.1 t of carbon/ha, roughly -0.1 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year. To improve feeds, the project supported increased use of quality grasses, treated fodder (e.g., with molasses and/or urea), and promoted crop residues and food processing waste for livestock feed. Roughly half the dairy cattle (about 1.2 million), sheep (also about 1.2 million), and goats (about 1.6 million) benefited from improved feed within the intervention area. This improved feeding for all sheep and cattle was resulted in a change in GHG emissions of -35,590 tCO2e per year.

Together, uptake by livestock keepers of improved grazing management and improved feeding show that these strategies can enhance livestock productivity and mitigate the impacts of rangeland livestock production on GHG emissions.

Impact evidence sources:

Nash, J. et al. 2016. Pastoralist areas resilience improvement through market expansion (PRIME) in Ethiopia: Mitigation co-benefits of livestock productivity. CCAFS Info Note. Copenhagen, Denmark: CIAT and FAO. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77619

The Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands (REGAL) project sought over 5 years to increase economic growth in rural communities by improving the competitiveness and inclusiveness of livestock value chains in northern Kenya. It aimed to improve the enabling policy environment, create end-market opportunities and new investments, increase livestock productivity through improved inputs and services, and increase resilience by ensuring inclusive value chain growth. These outcomes were intended to mitigate livestock contributions to greenhouse gases (GHGs) in several ways. Improved links between livestock producers and buyers, and better market information would result in a decrease in slaughter age by one year on average for all livestock types, for cattle, camels and small ruminants. This would lead to a 10% decrease in herd size which, scaled to the full project scope would reduce net GHG emissions (by –185,952 tCO2e/year). Feed quality improvement would also lower the emissions per unit of output, leading to an additional net change in emissions across the full herd of –9,053 tCO2e/year.

Overall, the reductions in emissions due to the project interventions were approximately 10% per year (-195,006 tCO2e/year) due to improved feed quality and herd size management, with the reduced herd providing about 95% of all GHG mitigation benefits per head. These results show that improving market access for livestock keepers can also mitigate GHG emissions from livestock – by enabling producers to more easily sell animals at prime age which leads to reduced herd sizes.

Impact evidence sources:

Nash, J. et al. 2016. Resilience and economic growth in arid lands – Accelerated growth in Kenya: Mitigation co-benefits of herd size and feed quality management. CCAFS Info Note. Copenhagen, Denmark: CIAT and FAO. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77632

Livestock systems that rely on common land for grazing can be vulnerable to soil degradation. Some rural communities have established ‘exclosures’ – fenced areas that exclude livestock for a given, sometimes extended, length of time.

This study in the northern highlands of Ethiopia sought to determine whether and to what degree this practice restores degraded soils. Existing and replicated 5, 10, 15 and 20-year exclosures were selected and paired with samples from adjacent communal grazing lands. The exclosures were found to have significantly higher levels of soil nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P) and cation exchange capacity then the surrounding grazing lands. The differences in N and P increase with the age of the exclosure. It demonstrates that simple exclosure technology can at least in part restore degraded lands.

Impact evidence sources:

 Mekuria, W. and Aynekulu, E. 2013. Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia. Land Degradation and Development 24(6): 528-538. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1146

Livestock manure is one of the biggest anthropogenic sources of methane emitted to the atmosphere. Biogas digesters that also produce a useful energy source can be a good way to tackle this in smallholder dairy or cattle systems.

In India, a study of the National Biogas and Manure Management Program (NBMMP) in Assam sought to determine the outcomes of the program in two districts. The household biogas plants were designed to reduce the dependency on LPG and kerosene for cooking and lighting purposes, produce waste digestate fertilizers for vegetables and crops, and reduce the need to collect firewood. The biogas plants examined were installed at individual households that kept dairy cattle or buffalo and were determined to be able to manage and help build the plants. They were 3 m³ in volume and were mostly 10-15 years old.

The study found that although some 20% of the plants were no longer functioning, the functioning units delivered 1 to 3 hours per day of biogas for cooking and heating water. 55% of the households with functioning plants were also using the digestate to fertilize crops or gardens. Additional training and follow up extension were identified to improve the biogas plants further. The study found significant benefits to households, at the same time as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from manure and protecting forest resources.

Impact evidence sources:

Raha, D., Mahanta, P. and Clarke, M.L. 2014. The implementation of decentralised biogas plants in Assam, northeast India: The impact and effectiveness of the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme. Energy Policy 68: 80-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.12.048