Biomass use, production, feed efficiencies, and greenhouse gas emissions from global livestock systems
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 16 December 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 110 (52), 20888-20893
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1308149110
Abstract
We present a unique, biologically consistent, spatially disaggregated global livestock dataset containing information on biomass use, production, feed efficiency, excretion, and greenhouse gas emissions for 28 regions, 8 livestock production systems, 4 animal species (cattle, small ruminants, pigs, and poultry), and 3 livestock products (milk, meat, and eggs). The dataset contains over 50 new global maps containing high-resolution information for understanding the multiple roles (biophysical, economic, social) that livestock can play in different parts of the world. The dataset highlights: (i) feed efficiency as a key driver of productivity, resource use, and greenhouse gas emission intensities, with vast differences between production systems and animal products; (ii) the importance of grasslands as a global resource, supplying almost 50% of biomass for animals while continuing to be at the epicentre of land conversion processes; and (iii) the importance of mixed crop–livestock systems, producing the greater part of animal production (over 60%) in both the developed and the developing world. These data provide critical information for developing targeted, sustainable solutions for the livestock sector and its widely ranging contribution to the global food system. Significance This report is unique in presenting a high-resolution dataset of biomass use, production, feed efficiencies, and greenhouse gas emissions by global livestock. This information will allow the global-change research community in enhancing our understanding of the sustainability of livestock systems and their role in food security, livelihoods and environmental sustainability.Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- The roles of livestock in developing countriesAnimal, 2013
- Potential for reduced methane and carbon dioxide emissions from livestock and pasture management in the tropicsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
- Livestock production and the global environment: Consume less or produce better?Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
- Forecasting potential global environmental costs of livestock production 2000–2050Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
- Livestock production: recent trends, future prospectsPhilosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2010
- Tropical forests were the primary sources of new agricultural land in the 1980s and 1990sProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
- A high-resolution assessment on global nitrogen flows in croplandProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
- Assessing the water challenge of a new green revolution in developing countriesProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007
- An overview of APSIM, a model designed for farming systems simulationEuropean Journal of Agronomy, 2002
- The DSSAT cropping system modelEuropean Journal of Agronomy, 2002