As climate change continues to propel the entire world towards the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions, impact of livestock emissions on environment has become crucial when relating to soil health as well as carbon sequestration. Surprisingly enough, emissions from livestock can have a positively improving effect on the quality of soils and storing much more carbon if respective practices are in place.
Let’s take a look at how GHG emissions from livestock creates healthier, carbon-rich soils and what this brings with it to sustainable agriculture.
How do Cows Produce Methane?
Livestock emissions, mainly methane, are always touted as one of the biggest contributors to climate change. However, if well managed, livestock emissions contribute to soil health. Methane is primarily generated through a natural process of digestion by the cows. As these microbes digest the fibrous plant material in the cow’s stomach, methane gas is a byproduct, and the cow expels most of this methane as she burps. Though it is an extremely potent GHG emissions from livestock, if handled effectively, byproducts from cattle farming, such as manure, will hugely enhance soil health.
Impact of Livestock Emissions on Agriculture
Organic matter and nutrients in cow manure contain carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus that helps to get more fertile soils in the following ways:
Nutrient-Dense Manure for Enhanced Soil Productivity
Livestock manures are an important source of organic nutrients, with significant benefits for soil enrichment. In the farm fields, manure application supports beneficial soil microbes, improves soil structure, and supports carbon sequestration. Moreover, organic matter creates soil biodiversity, raises the retention of water by soils, and helps them to capture more carbon, including livestock emissions into becoming powerful tools for enriching soil health.
Methane as Byproduct for Carbon Sequestration
While methane is an undeniable potent greenhouse gas, researchers have shown that related microbes in soil convert the emission into stable organic compounds. This means carbon-rich organic matter increases the level of SOC, hence, long-term carbon storage. A high SOC level aids in maintaining healthy fertile soils with more resistance to erosion and a wide variety of plant life.
Improving Soil Carbon Through Managed Grazing
Rotational grazing over specific areas for a small period prevents overgrazing and allow pastures time to recover. It creates deeper root systems in the plants, which then improve carbon storage in the soil. The process of grazing also aids in the development of several grasses and legumes, thus aiding the organic matter and SOC to be stored in the soil.
Agroforestry and Livestock
The combination of trees with pastures captures more carbon, supports increased biodiversity, and increases fertility levels in soils over time.
Benefits of Carbon-Rich Soils
- Carbon-rich soils will provide mineral nutrient supplies required by plants, thereby improving sustainable food production without synthetic fertilizers.
- It enhances water retention. Organic matter in soils holds more water, which is essential for agriculture in areas that frequently experience droughts and water shortages.
- Healthier, carbon-rich soils resist erosion, protecting the land against degradation and loss of arable land.
Further, researchers have found that the farms with an enterprise mix of arable crops as well as livestock had maintained a third more soil organic carbon than those just farmed for arable crops.
Embracing livestock’s role in sustainable agriculture do not have to be all bad for climate change as they can contribute to carbon-rich, healthy soils under good management. While shifting towards more sustainable agriculture systems, benefits of livestock in enhancing soil health can assist in building resilience in agriculture to produce in harmony with environmental stewardship. Ecosystems with reduced carbon emissions could form the basis of long-term food security by investing in soil health through sustainable livestock management.