Livestock, Landscapes and Livelihoods: the contribution of global grazing-lands to climate change mitigation and adaptation - Constance Neely

1. Livestock, Landscapes and Livelihoods: the
contribution of global grazing-lands to
climate change mitigation and adaptation
Constance L. Neely
Quivira Coalition Conference
November 10, 2010
Livestock, Landscapes and Livelihoods: the
contribution of global grazing-lands to
climate change mitigation and adaptation
Constance L. Neely
Quivira Coalition
November 2010

2. United Nations Decade for Deserts
and the Fight Against Desertification
Deserere = ‘to abandon’
We can not abandon the peoples and
ecosystems in the world’s drylands

3. The Drylands
Value of Deserts and Drylands
• 2.1 billion people, about 40% of the world’s population
• 90% of this population is in developing countries
• 50% of the world’s livestock is supported by rangelands
• 46% of global carbon is stored in drylands
• 44% of all cultivated land is in dryland
• 30% of all cultivated plants come from drylands
• 8 of the 25 global hotspots are in the drylands.
Desertification Threats
• Desertification affects 3.6 billion hectares of land worldwide — or 25% of the
Earth’s terrestrial land mass·
• 110 countries at risk of land degradation·
• 12 million hectares of land, an area the size of Benin, are lost every year
• Annual land lost could produce 20 million tons of grain
• $42 billion in income is lost every year from desertification and land degradation

4. Grasslands
• Grasslands occupy ~30% of the total emerged ice free world and
70% of the agricultural area.
• Grasslands store up to 8 % of the world’s carbon and are an
important terrestrial carbon sink - storing 230-260 Tonnes C per
hectare (FAO 2006).
11 Shrub Cover, closed-open, evergreen
13 Herbaceous Cover, closed-open 14 Sparse herbaceous or sparse shrub cover
12 Shrub Cover, closed-open, deciduous

5. Livestock Based Livelihoods
• One billion people depend on
the livestock and the majority
of the world’s poorest depend
on livestock for at least a
portion of their livelihood.
• Extensive pastoralism occurs on
25% of global land area and
supports 200 million pastoral
households.

6. Livestock Based Livelihoods
• 25 million pastoralists and 240
million agro-pastoralists depend on
livestock as their primary income
source in SSA (40% of land area).
• Livestock is the fastest growing
agricultural sub sector. In some
countries it accounts for as much as
50% of GDP (WB, 2007)

7. Sub-Saharan Africa
Desertification affects 1/3 of
the continent.

8. Conversion of grassland ecoregions
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
North America South America Asia Africa Oceania
Remaining in grasslands Converted to croplands Converted to Urban area Other
White et al. 2000

9. Projected Land Use Conversions
Source:UNEP

10. 20-35% of global grasslands are degraded
Photo: A. Savory

11. Emissions
of GHG by Sector (CO2 eq)
IPCC 2007

12. Production fertilisants N
Energie fossile ferme
Déforestation
Sol cultivé
Désertification pâturages
Transformation
Transport
Fermentation ruminale
Effluents, stockage/traitement
Epandage fertilisants N
Production légumineuses
Effluents, stockage/traitement
Effluents, épandage/dépôt
Effluents, emission indirecte
CO2
CH4
N2O
Deforestation
34%
Enteric fermentation
26%
Livestock Related Emissions by GHG
Livestock is said to make up 80% of the agricultural emissions.
Chemical N. fert. production
On-farm fossil fuel
Deforestation
OM release from ag. soils
Pasture degradation
Processing fossil fuel
Transport fossil fuel
Enteric fermentation
Manure storage / processing
N fertilization
Legume production
Manure storage / processing
Manure spreading / dropping
Manu indirect emissions
Steinfeld, 2009

13. Range of GHG for commodities
in OECD-countries
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Pig Poultry Beef Milk Eggs
kgCO2eq/kganimalprotein
Steinfeld, 2009; Source: DeVries & DeBoer, 2009

14. Meeting Expected Demands: Livestock
Trends
Past and projected meat
production (million tonnes)
Past and projected milk production
(million tonnes)
Globally, Cereal production will have to
increase by almost a billion tonnes and meat
production will have to grow by more than 200
million tonnes by 2050
Steinfeld, 2009

15. Croppers to Livestock-Keepers
• “There are likely to be substantial shifts in the patterns of African
cropping and livestock keeping”
– crop yields decrease but can be handled through agronomic
means
– crop yields increase, particularly the case of the highlands -
“temperature limitations relaxed”
– crop yields decline drastically
• Shifting emphasis from marginal crop production to livestock
keeping
Jones and Thornton (2008)

16. Grasslands Emissions
• Biomass burning from the
savannas contribute 42% of gross
carbon dioxide to global emissions
(Levine et al. 1999, Andreae 1991).
• Worldwide, some 18–28 billion
tonnes of carbon are estimated to
have been lost as a result of
desertification
• Grazing-induced desertification in
the drylands has been estimated
to emit as much as 100 million
tonnes of CO2 per year (FAO/LEAD
2006)
Photo: C.Neely

17. • “…to help raise the attention of both
the technical and general public to the
very substantial contribution of animal
agriculture to climate change and air
pollution, to land, soil and water
degradation and to the reduction of
biodiversity.”
-Samuel Jutzi, Director
Animal Production and Health Division
FAO
Livestock’s Long Shadow

18. “You can’t have shadow, if you don’t
have light.”
-Joyce Turk

19. Mitigation and Adaptation

20. Mitigation Options
Productivity increase
Reduce emissions per unit of animal product:
– improved genetics
– animal health
– livestock fertility
– feeding
Shift in species: from ruminants to monogastrics
Steinfeld, 2009

21. Mitigation Options
Manure management
(i) reduce emissions
during storage and
application
(ii) recover energy from
organic matter
– balanced feeding
– anaerobic digestion
(methane production)
– waste application
Steinfeld, 2009

22. Keekonyokie
Slaughterhouse

23. Mitigation Options
Controlling enteric fermentation
Reduce methane emission
from the rumen
– lower fiber content
– feed additives, e.g.
medium-chain fatty acids,
plant extracts,
– rumen manipulation
Steinfeld, 2009

24. Cost mitigation measures
Potential at 3 different costs per unit CO2-eq
IPCC (4AR), 2007

25. Capturing Carbon

26. Options to Reduce Emissions
- grazing land management
CO2 CH4 N2O
Nutrient management + +/-
Grazing intensity +/- +/- +/-
Increased productivity + +/-
Fire management +/- +
Species introduction (legumes) +/- +/-
Restoration of degraded land
Erosion control,organic
amendments
+ +/-

27. Grassland Management
Improved grazing land management
has the second highest technical
potential for mitigating C emissions
(IPCC 2007)

28. Promoting Carbon Sequestration
• Deep rooted perennial species
• Full ground cover
• Prohibit burning
• Planned and controlled grazing

29. Potential for Carbon Sequestration
Globally technical potential per year to
2030
• Grazing lands management (1.5 Gt CO2 e)
• Rehabilitating degraded land (0.6 Gt CO2 e)
Improving management on 10 % of the land area in Africa would result in gains of
1328 Tg of carbon per year for 25 years. (Batjes, 2004)

30. Africa Livestock Based CH4 Emissions
Emissions
• 267 Tg CO2e (76 Tg C)/yr
Sequestration potential
• Management - 1328 Tg C /yr
• Rehabilitation - 20 - 43 Tg C /yr

31. Grasslands
Grasslands Carbon Africa
Grassland
Degradation
Soil Carbon Gap
Global Livestock Density

32. courtesy of HG Brauch UNU-HCS
Carius et al.
Environmental ConflictsDrought Risk Hot-Spots

33. “Insatiable Carbon Absorbers”
• Drylands store approximately 46% of the
global carbon share
• Its soils contain 53% of global soil carbon and
its plants 14% of the global biotic carbon.

34. And the Adaptation?

35. Photos: C. Leggett
Ecosystem Processes – managing the foundation
Photos: C. Leggett
Solar Energy Flow
Biological Community DynamicsWater Cycle
Nutrient Dynamics
Leggett, 20

37. water table
Non-effective water cycle Effective water cycle
Soil bare between plants Soil covered with plants and
mulch
50-80% of rainfall is lost through run-off
and evaporation.
After:
www.managingwholes.com
1 % increase in SOM
144,000 L H20 per Ha

38. Photo credit: C.Neely
Photo credit: C. Leggett
Photo credit: C. Leggett
Tools of the Trade

39. Zimbabwe - Regenerating Landscapes
Photo credits: A. Savory

40. Namibia
AustraliaKenya
Mexico

43. Carbon Sequestration Potential of Four Land Use Systems
(Adapted from IPCC, 2000, Swaminathan, 2009)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Agroforestry Grazing
management
Forest
management
Cropland
management
PotentialCarbonSequestrationby2040
(MtCy-1)
Agroforestry and grassland management have a high potential particularly given the
extensive areas.

44. Before Change: C Fluxes After Net C
effect
Desertifiication
Woody
encroachment
Tropical deforestation
130,000
210,000
Fire
&
Conversion
88,000
Leaching
losses
Erosion
Losses
2,100
16,800
Woody Encroachment
Increased spatial heterogeneity
of C and nutrients
Desertification
Increased spatial heterogeneity
of C and nutrients
21
1
13
0.7
19,000
12,000
3,900
200,000
700 increase in NPP
Repeat
Burning
(each burn)
14,000
C desminuye en produccion
NPP
Erosion Losses
Increased Erosion
Losses
Three ecological degradation syndromes associated with livestock production systems. Values
indicate mean carbon stocks (kg ha-1) or fluxes (kg ha-1 yr-1) as reported throughout the scientific
literature (adapted from Asner et al. 2004). Net effect on C storage is depicted on far right.

45. Sylvopastoral Systems

46. Land use Carbon
(t/ha)
Degraded pasture 0.04
Natural pasture without trees 0.5
Natural pasture with high density of
trees
1.2
Improved pasture without trees 1.0
Natural pasture with high density of
trees
1.3
Improved pasture with high density of
trees
2,5
Forest plantations 3.9
Secondary forest 6.5
Carbon Sequestration in pasture and forest systems in
The sub-humid tropics of Costa Rica

47. M.Ibrahim FAO IFAD side event COP14 3
Dec 2008
Mainstreaming Payment for Environmental
Services
In Costa Rica, FONAFIFO which is the institute
responsable for payment of environmental
services, passed a regulation compensating
farmers for adoption of silvopastoral practices:
pays 40 to 50 US/ha/yr

48. Forage Trees
Native Sylvopastoral
Systems
Live Fence

49. Tanzania - Ngitili System
500,000 hectares regenerated

50. million hectares of farmer managed natural regeneration in Niger

52. • Species that sequester
carbon
• Species of high nutrition
value
• Potential to reduce
emissions related to enteric
fermentation.
• Other attributes which may
lend themselves to
adaptation
• Analogue sites

53. Assessing Changes in Carbon Balance
–Life Cycle Analysis
–Farming System
Assessments; Field
Based
–Landscape

54. GrupoGanaderíayManejodelAmbiente
Chain of carbon footprint in conventional systems
Concentrates
Supplements
Fertilzers
419
KgCO2e
80.4
KgCO2e
206.1
KgCO2e
206.4
KgCO2e
22 miilking cows71519
KgCO2e
pasture

55. Chain of carbon footprint in silvopastoral systems
Concentrates
Forage banks
419
KgCO2e
206.4 KgCO2e
15 milking cows
37735.8 KgCO2e

56. Comparison of Carbon Footprint in both systems
Figure KgCO2e per kg of milk corected by % fat and %protein in both systems
(case study ,livestock farm in Esparza, Costa Rica).
Nota: FPCM= fat and protein corrected by milk
2,2
1,1
0,0
0,5
1,0
1,5
2,0
2,5
Kg(CO2e/FPCM)
Conventional Silvopastoral

57. Assessing Carbon Accumulation
Soil Carbon
– Highly variable
– Soil carbon has a fixed
timeline (25-50 years)
– Measurement, Monitoring,
Verification Intensive and is
not agreed
– Not yet accepted in formal
trading mechanisms
– Practice based reductions
– Stick to above ground?

58. • randomization to minimize local biases that might arise from convenience
sampling
Sentinel site
surveillance
a spatially stratified, hierarchical,
randomized sampling framework
Sentinel site (100 km2)
16 Clusters (1 km2)
10 Plots (1000 m2)
4 Sub-Plots (100 m2)

59. Differentiated Impacts
• 1 in 19 persons in developing countries
will experience climate related disaster
• Majority of the world’s poor with
greater dependence on natural
resources
• Women are more vulnerable
• Women are less well represented in
global negotiation processes

60. Livestock Based Livelihoods
Photo credit: C.Neely
Photo Credit: T. Wollen

61. Socio-Economic Issues
• Shrinking transit routes due to
cultivation; privatization, land
tenure and common property
issues; international boundaries;
nature conservation
• Competition from other land uses
(biofuels)
• Lack of services - education and
healthcare
• Lack of voice in the policies that
affect them.

62. SARD Kenya Livestock Working Group
Value Chain Pastoralist Field School
Kajiado, Kenya

63. Knowledge Base
Grasslands Carbon Working Group

64. Grazing Systems and Development
• Keep food security and poverty alleviation in the as
the main aim.
• “Climate Smart Development” is a means.
• Livestock are an irreplaceable source of livelihoods
for the poor and pastoralism remains the most
rational strategy for marginal areas.
• Well managed grazing lands and silvo-pastoral
systems play a critical role in climate change
mitigation.
• The associated co-benefits (increased soil organic
matter, productivity, water capture and retention,
biological diversity) provide a vital adaptation
strategies. Grasslands fit all the global agendas.

65. UNFCCC COP-16 Cancun
“No agriculture no deal” – Copenhagen (2009)
Agriculture can potentially be part of the solution to climate
change in ways that respect and support the development
and food security requirements of developing countries
(FAO).
Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the Subsidiary Body for
Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), stressed that
while agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, it
is also the backbone of LDC economies, food security and
livelihoods
Agriculture as an issue of importance to developing countries
that had "moved up the agenda" in the negotiations.

66. Will climate change be the ultimate incentive
to do what we have meant to be doing all
along?