Low-quality forages increase methane yield in cattle by 10
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Low-quality tropical forages fed at restricted intake to cattle can substantially increase methane yield compared to previous estimates, up to 10% higher. Improved feeding practices can help mitigate methane emissions from livestock while boosting smallholder farmer productivity and income. A study found that below-maintenance feed intake increases the amount of methane produced per unit of feed by cattle. More data is needed on enteric methane emissions in African cattle under local conditions to accurately report national greenhouse gas emissions.
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Low-quality forages increase methane yield in cattle by 10
- 1. § Low-quality tropical forages at restricted intake substantially increase methane yield in tropical cattle § Methane emissions factors may be up to 10% higher than previous estimates § Improved feeding suggest a way forward to mitigate methane emissions and points towards higher productivity and economic benefits for smallholder farmers Below-maintenance feed intake increases methane yield from enteric fermentation Partners Kassel University, University of Hohenheim, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Outcomes • Potential pathway towards intensifying livestock production and the opportunity to accurately report national greenhouse gas emissions to UNFCCC CLIMATE CHANGE & GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock thanks all donors & organizations which globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. cgiar.org/funders This document is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. June 2020 Context • Enteric methane emissions factors for cattle in Africa are currently based “best-guesstimates” from studies carried out outside of Africa • Localized data are necessary for accurate national greenhouse gas reporting under UNFCCC • Intensified livestock systems are essential to ensure food security in the future Our innovative approach • An experiment that investigated the performance and methane emissions from starving animals (no animals were harmed!) Future steps • Link the baseline results to intervention testing experiments in the future • Extrapolate the findings to other climatic zones and livestock production systems in Africa Lutz Merbold, Mazingira Centre, ILRI l.merbold@cgiar.org ENVIRONMENT Citation Goopy JP, Korir D, Pelster D, Ali AIM, Wassie SE, Schlecht E, Dickhöfer U, Merbold L, Butterbach- Bahl K (2020) Severe below-maintenance feed intake increases methane yield from enteric fermentation in cattle. British Journal of Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114519003350 Aerial overview of ILRIs Mazingira Centre in Nairobi, Kenya Boran steer and animal respiration chamber at ILRI’s Mazingira Centre in Nairobi