Title
Carbon footprint in Latin American dairy systems
Date Issued
01 February 2022
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Abstract
The study reviewed carbon footprint (CF) analyses for milk production in Latin America from cradle to farm gate. The objective was to estimate (1) the effect of feeding management (zero-grazing, semi-confinement, and pasture), (2) cattle system (specialized dairy vs. dual-purpose), and (3) region (tropical vs. temperate) on milk production (kg/cow/day) and CF (kg CO2eq/kg fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM)). A systematic literature review was conducted, and for the final analysis, a total of 32 individual CF (from 11 studies) were used. Studies included in the final analysis allowed to calculate CF per kg FPCM, included upstream emissions calculations, and used the IPCC’s tier 2 approach for enteric methane emissions. The range of the CF observed in the region was from 1.54 to 3.57 kg CO2eq/kg FPCM. Feeding management had a significant effect on milk production, but not on CF. Zero-grazing compared with pasture systems had a 140% greater milk production (20.1 vs. 8.4 kg milk/cow/day), but numerically greater CF for pasture systems (2.6 vs. 1.7 kg CO2eq/kg FPCM). Compared with specialized dairy cattle, dual-purpose cattle produced less milk (P < 0.001) and higher CF (P < 0.05). Compared with temperate regions, tropical region systems produced less milk and higher CF. In conclusion, in Latin America, the cattle system and region have a significant impact on CF, whereas the feeding management (zero-grazing, semi-confinement, and pasture) does not impact the CF of milk produced.
Volume
54
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencia animal, Ciencia de productos lácteos
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85121294704
PubMed ID
Source
Tropical Animal Health and Production
ISSN of the container
00494747
Sponsor(s)
This study was funded by Programa Nacional de Investigación Científica y Estudios Avanzados—PROCIENCIA as part of the Proyecto de Mejoramiento y Ampliación de los Servicios del Sistema Nacional de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica (contract number 016–2019).
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus