Climate change, Livestock

2. Presented By:
Dr. Ishwor Dhakal
Rampur Campus, Nepal

3. About 7.3 million cattle and 5.2 millon buffallo reared in Nepal. These Large
ruminants (raised for both beef (only buffalo) and milk, as well as for inedible outputs
like manure and draft power) are the animal species responsible for the most
emissions, representing about 65% of the livestock sector’s emissions. The main
sources of emissions are: feed production and processing (45 percent of the total),
outputs of GHG during digestion by cows (39 percent), and manure decomposition
(10 percent). The remainder is attributable to the processing and transportation of
animal products. Livestock play role in emissions estimated at 7.1 gigatonnes CO2-eq
per annum, representing 14.5 percent of human-induced GHG emissions. Enteric
emissions and feed production (including manure deposition on pasture) dominate
emissions from ruminant production. About 44 percent of livestock emissions are in
the form of methane (CH4). The remaining part is almost equally shared between
Nitrous Dioxide (N2O, 29 percent) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2, 27 percent). This can
potentially be mitigated by improving animal and herd efficiency, improved breeding
and animal health interventions, manure managements (recovery, recycling of
nutrients and energy ), better management of grazing land and improving feed and
feeding practices. Thus the government should focus on extension and agricultural
support services, research and development, financial incentives, advocacy, Nationally
Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for livestock and international agreement as
a key area for action.
Key word:

4. Livestock population status of Nepal :
1. Cattle : 72,74,022
2. Buffalo: 52,41823
3. Sheep: 8,09,538
4. Goat: 97,86,354
5. Swine: 11,60,035
(Source: Krishi Diary , 2011/2012)

5.  Global warming refers to a significant rise in
the planets temperature making it
uninhabitable
 The more these green house gases, the hotter
the earth (Sarmah, 2010)

6.  Average emissions per cow per day from the open lots
were 0.13 kgNH3, 0.49 Kg CH4, 28.1 Kg CO2, and
0.01 kg N02.
 4.5 kg/ head/day cow dung production.
 Biogas production rate: 0.3 m3/kg TS (total solid),
where TS value of fresh discharge (% by wt.)-16 for
cow.

7. Sources of emissions are :
 feed production and processing (45 percent of the
total),
 GHG during digestion (enteric) by cows (39 percent)
 and manure decomposition (10 percent).
 Remainder processing and transportation of animal
products. (6%)

8. Cattle
67%
Buffalo
9%
sheep/Goat
7%
Chikens
8%
Pig
9%
Species wise contribution on GHG Production
Cattle Buffalo sheep/Goat Chikens Pig

9. Feeding and processing
45%
GHG production
39%
manure
10%
others
6%
Total GHG contribution by Livestock
Feeding and processing GHG production manure others

10. General objectives
 To assess the contribution of livestock production in
climate change and mitigation strategies.
Specific Objectives
 To assess GHGs production by livestock production
 To assess the contribution of different livestock on the
production of GHGs

11.  The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated
with livestock supply chains add up to 7.1
gigatonnes (GT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-
eq) per year. (FAO, 2006).
 Among the livestock, cattle population
contributes most towards enteric CH4
production(Johnson & Johnson, 1995)

12.  Ruminant livestock such as cattle, buffalo,
sheep and goats contributes the major
proportion of total agricultural emission of
methane (Leng, 1993; Lassey, 2007;
Chhabra et al., 2009).
 The animals release methane into
atmosphere through exhaling or ruminating
through mouth or nostrils

13.  Global emission of methane from the
digestion process of ruminants is about 80
Million tones per year (Gibbs & Johnson,
1994) and considered to be single largest
source of anthropogenic methane emission
(IPCC, 2001)
 Globally, livestock production contributes 18
percent of global greenhouse gas emissions
(GHG)

14. Enteric fermentation-process description
 Enteric fermentation is the digestive process
in herbivores animals by which carbohydrates
are broken down by micro-organisms into
simple molecules for absorption into the
bloodstream
 CH4 is produced in the rumen and hindgut of
animals by a group of Archaea known
collectively as methanogens, which belong to
the phylum Euryarcheota.
 Among livestock, CH4 production is greatest
in ruminants, as methanogens are able to
produce CH4 freely through the normal
process of feed digestion

15.  All methanogen species can utilize hydrogen
ions (H2) to reduce CO2 to produce the CH4
as this reaction is thermodynamically
favorable to the organisms

16. Source :www.fao.org.clomatechange

17.  Large ruminants (raised for both buff beef and milk, as
well as for inedible outputs like manure and draft
power) are the animal species responsible for the most
emissions, representing about 65% of the livestock
sector’s emissions.
 Enteric emissions and feed production (including
manure deposition on pasture) dominate emissions
from ruminant production
 About 44 percent of livestock emissions are in the
form of methane (CH4). The remaining part is almost
equally shared between Nitrous Dioxide (N2O, 29
percent) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2, 27 percent).

18.  improving animal and herd efficiency. This includes
using better feeds and feeding techniques, which can
reduce methane (CH4) generated during digestion as
well as the amount of CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O)
released by decomposing manure.
 Improved breeding and animal health interventions to
allow herd sizes to shrink (meaning fewer, more
productive animals).

19.  Manure managements that ensures recovery and
recycling of nutrients and energy, plus the use of
energy saving devices, also have a role to play.

20.  Better
management of
grazing lands to
improve
productivity and
create carbon
sinks to reduce
emissions.

21.  In South Asian mixed dairy farming systems, emission
can potentially be reduced by 38 percent by
improving feed and feeding practices, as well as
animal health and husbandry.(FAO, 2012)

22.  Extension and agricultural support services. This suite
of approaches facilitates practice change for
mitigation and production enhancement, by providing
access to good practices and technologies and building
capacity to implement them. . Commonly used
approaches include communication, training,
demonstration farms and establishing producers’
networks for knowledge sharing.

23.  Research and development. R&D is necessary to build
the evidence base for mitigation intervention and
technologies. It is required to tailor adapted and
effective mitigation strategies and plays an important
role in refining existing technologies/practices to
increase their applicability. R&D is also necessary for
increasing the supply of new and improved mitigation
technologies/practices.

24.  Financial incentives. These include either ‘beneficiary pays’
mechanisms (abatement subsidies, carbon credit markets) or
‘polluter pays’ mechanisms (emissions tax, tradable permits).
Economically efficient mechanisms for incentivizing the
adoption of mitigation technologies/practices also include
support (e.g. soft loans) to initial investments associated to the
adoption of most efficient practices.
 Market friction instruments. This includes measures that that
seek to increase the flow of information about the emissions
associated with different livestock commodities (e.g. labeling
schemes). This can help consumers and producers to better
align their consumption and production preferences with the
emission profiles of these commodities.

25.  Advocacy. Raising awareness about livestock’s role in
tackling climate change, to influence and promote
mitigation policy development for the sector.

26.  NAMAs. The development of Nationally Appropriate
Mitigation Actions for livestock are national level
processes through which countries can develop
sectoral mitigation policies that integrate other
development objectives, and seek international
support towards their implementation.

27.  International agreements. These include commitments,
both within and outside the UNFCCC that provide
high level incentives to mitigate livestock sector
emissions and ensure that mitigation effort is shared
between the different sectors of the economy.

28.  Livestock animal are responsible for most
(65% of total) emissions.
 Out of total livestock emissions
 44% methane
 29% Nitrous oxide
 27% Carbon Dioxide

29.  Mitigation strategies are improving animal
and herd efficiency, improved breeding and
animal health interventions, manure
managements (recovery, recycling of
nutrients and energy ), better management of
grazing land and improving feed and feeding
practices.

30.  The government should focus on extension
and agricultural support services, research
and development, financial incentives,
advocacy, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation
Actions (NAMAs) for livestock and
international agreement as a key area for
action.