Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Coupling of crop and livestock production can reduce the agricultural GHG emission from smallholder farms

Xiangbo Xu, Yan Xu, Jing Li, Yonglong Lü, Alan Jenkins, Robert C. Ferrier, Li Hong, Nils Chr. Stenseth, Dag O. Hessen, Linxiu Zhang, Chang Li, Baojing Gu, Shuqin Jin, Mingxing Sun, Zhu Ouyang, Erik Mathijs

iScience · 2023

Read source ↗ All evidence

Summary

Ensuring global food security and environmental sustainability is dependent upon the contribution of the world's hundred million smallholder farms, but the contributions of smallholder farms to global agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been understudied. We developed a localized agricultural life cycle assessment (LCA) database to calculate GHG emissions and made the first extensive assessment of the smallholder farms' GHG emission reduction potentials by coupling crop and livestock production (CCLP), a redesign of current practices toward sustainable agriculture in China. CCLP can reduce the GHG emission intensity by 17.67%, with its own feed and manure returning to the field as an essential path. Scenario analysis verified that greater GHG emission reduction (28.09%-41.32%)

Source type
Peer-reviewed study
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2023.106798
Catalogue ID
SNmohxvpcm-k3f30e
Pulse AI · ask about this record

Dig deeper with Pulse AI.

Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.