Carbon Footprint of a Typical Crop–Livestock Dairy Farm in Northeast China

Yurong Wang, Shule Liu (), Qiuju Xie () and Zhanyun Ma
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Yurong Wang: College of Electrical and Information, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Shule Liu: Institute of Atmospheric Environment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Qiuju Xie: College of Electrical and Information, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Zhanyun Ma: Institute of Atmospheric Environment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Dairy farming is one of the most important sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the livestock sector. In order to identify the key emission links and the best emission-reduction strategies for combined dairy farms, this study selected a typical large-scale combined dairy farm in northeast China, constructed a carbon emission model based on the lifecycle assessment concept, and set up different emission reduction scenarios to explore the zero-carbon pathway for combined dairy farms. The results showed that: (1) enteric fermentation and manure management of cows are important sources of carbon emissions from the seeding-integrated dairy farms, accounting for 38.2% and 29.4% of the total, respectively; (2) the seeding-integrated system showed a 10.6% reduction in carbon footprint compared with the non-seeding-integrated system; and (3) scenarios 1–4 reduced carbon emissions by 9%, 20%, 42%, and 61% compared with the baseline scenario, respectively. Therefore, the integrated-farming model is important for the green development of animal husbandry, and as the “net-zero” goal cannot be achieved at present, integrated-farming dairy farms have the potential for further emission reduction. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for low-carbon milk production.

Keywords: lifecycle assessment; greenhouse gas emissions; milk production; assessment methodology; scenario analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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