Challenges and opportunities for improving eco-efficiency of tropical forage-based systems to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions

Authors

  • Michael Peters Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Mario Herrero Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), St Lucia, Qld, Australia.
  • Myles Fisher Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Karl-Heinz Erb Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt-Vienna-Graz, Vienna, Austria.
  • Idupulapati Rao Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Guntur V. Subbarao Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Ibaraki, Japan.
  • Aracely Castro Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Jacobo Arango Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Julián Chará Centro para la Investigación en Sistemas Sostenibles de Producción Agropecuaria (CIPAV), Cali, Colombia.
  • Enrique Murgueitio Centro para la Investigación en Sistemas Sostenibles de Producción Agropecuaria (CIPAV), Cali, Colombia.
  • Rein van der Hoek Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Peter Läderach Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Glenn Hyman Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Jeimar Tapasco Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Bernardo Strassburg International Institute for Sustainability (IIS), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Birthe Paul Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Alvaro Rincón Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica), Villavicencio, Colombia.
  • Rainer Schultze-Kraft Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Steve Fonte Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
  • Timothy Searchinger Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17138/tgft(1)156-167

Abstract

Forage-based livestock production plays a key role in national and regional economies, for food security and poverty alleviation, but is considered a major contributor to agricultural GHG emissions. While demand for livestock products is predicted to increase, there is political and societal pressure both to reduce environmental impacts and to convert some of the pasture area to alternative uses, such as crop production and environmental conservation. Thus, it is essential to develop approaches for sustainable intensification of livestock systems to mitigate GHG emissions, addressing biophysical, socio-economic and policy challenges.

This paper highlights the potential of improved tropical forages, linked with policy incentives, to enhance livestock production, while reducing its environmental footprint. Emphasis is on crop-livestock systems. We give examples for sustainable intensification to mitigate GHG emissions, based on improved forages in Brazil and Colombia, and suggest future perspectives.

How to Cite

Peters, M., Herrero, M., Fisher, M., Erb, K.-H., Rao, I., Subbarao, G. V., Castro, A., Arango, J., Chará, J., Murgueitio, E., van der Hoek, R., Läderach, P., Hyman, G., Tapasco, J., Strassburg, B., Paul, B., Rincón, A., Schultze-Kraft, R., Fonte, S., & Searchinger, T. (2013). Challenges and opportunities for improving eco-efficiency of tropical forage-based systems to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical Grasslands-Forrajes Tropicales, 1(2), 156–167. https://doi.org/10.17138/tgft(1)156-167

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IGC 2013 Keynote Papers