Increasing beef production could lower greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil if decoupled from deforestation

Abstract

Recent debate about agricultural greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions mitigation highlights tradeoffs inherent in the way we produce and consume food, with increasing scrutiny on emissionsintensive livestock products 1-3. While most research has focussed on mitigation through improved productivity 4,5 , systemic interactions resulting from reduced beef production at regional level are still unexplored. A detailed optimisation model of beef production encompassing pasture degradation and recovery processes, animal and deforestation emissions, soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and upstream lifecycle inventory was developed and parameterized for the Brazilian Cerrado. Economic return was maximized considering two alternative scenarios: Decoupled Livestock Deforestation (DLD), assuming baseline deforestation rates controlled by effective policy; and Coupled Livestock Deforestation (CLD), where shifting beef demand alters deforestation rates. In DLD, reduced consumption actually leads to less productive beef systems, associated with higher emissions intensities and total emissions, while increased production leads to more efficient systems with boosted SOC stocks, reducing both per kg and total emissions. Under CLD, increased production leads to 60% higher emissions than in DLD. The results indicate the extent to which deforestation control contributes to sustainable intensification in Cerrado beef systems, and how alternative life-cycle analytical approaches 6 result in significantly different emission estimates.

Reducing Amazon Deforestation through Agricultural Intensification in the Cerrado for Advancing Food Security and Mitigating Climate Change

“…Increasing beef production by 25% in Brazil would increase CH 4 emission by only 2.9% [53]. Recently, Oliveira Silva et al [51] reported reductions up to 10% of GHG emission by 2030 for a scenario of beef production intensification in Brazilian Cerrado to meet an increase of 30% of current beef consumption when decoupled from deforestation. Adoption of feedlot would be another feasible option to overcome dry periods of fodder scarcity when beef production is low but demand is high.…”

“…The mean stocking of pastures in Brazil of 0.9 animal unit (AU) ha −1 [25] is too low and not sustainable. Therefore, increasing the stocking rate is a promising option for beef cattle production [51,52]. Beside genetic improvement to increase output, enhanced product quality and increased disease resistance of the livestock are among principal challenges.…”

Rationally Managed Pastures Stock More Carbon than No-Tillage Fields

“…The message of those reports has not only damaged the reputation of animal production but in special the grassland based production systems in Latin America. This has triggered some reaction, and other research have challenged the mentioned reports (Glatzle et al, 2014;de Oliveira Silva et al, 2016). The global warming reports and other papers have stressed how the use of grain in the feed of ruminants can reduce enteric emission of GHG (Peters et al, 2010;Doreau et al, 2011).…”

“…The sequestration of C by pasture plays an important role in partially mitigating the GHG emitted through ruminant production systems (Soussana et al, 2010;de Oliveira Silva et al, 2016). Carbon sequestration occurs principally as a result of the fixation of C via photosynthesis, which removes CO 2 from the atmosphere, and stores it as soil organic carbon (SOC).…”

Performance of crossbred steers post-weaned in an integrated crop-livestock system and finished in a feedlot

“…The intensification of the production system with the use of more efficient models of beef cattle production -through the ICL system, strategic nutritional supplementation, crossbreeding, and feedlot -makes it possible to increase productivity, by improving the use of areas and decreasing deforestation (Godfray et al, 2010;Silva et al, 2016). Crossbreeding between European and Zebu breeds is performed to improve the efficiency of meat production, as it increases the average daily gain in the post-weaning and shortens the production cycle.…”