TY - JOUR
T1 - Challenges and opportunities for improving eco-efficiency of tropical forage-based systems to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions
AU - Peters, Michael
AU - Herrero, Mario
AU - Fisher, Myles
AU - Erb, Karl Heinz
AU - Rao, Idupulapati
AU - Subbarao, Guntur V.
AU - Castro, Aracely
AU - Arango, Jacobo
AU - Chará, Julián
AU - Murgueitio, Enrique
AU - van der Hoek, Rein
AU - Läderach, Peter
AU - Hyman, Glenn
AU - Tapasco, Jeimar
AU - Strassburg, Bernardo
AU - Paul, Birthe
AU - Rincón, Alvaro
AU - Schultze-Kraft, Rainer
AU - Fonte, Steve
AU - Searchinger, Timothy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2013.
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - 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 essen-tial 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.
AB - 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 essen-tial 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.
KW - Climate change
KW - Crop-livestock
KW - Environmental footprint
KW - Environmental services
KW - Tropical grasslands
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978314109&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84978314109&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.17138/TGFT(1)156-167
DO - 10.17138/TGFT(1)156-167
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84978314109
SN - 0049-4763
VL - 1
SP - 156
EP - 167
JO - Tropical Grasslands - Forrajes Tropicales
JF - Tropical Grasslands - Forrajes Tropicales
IS - 2
ER -