Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration in Dairy Goat Farming Systems in Northern Extremadura, Spain

Abstract

Livestock farming is an activity closely linked to the environment, directly affecting its surrounding ecosystem while utilizing the natural resources it provides. Accordingly, it is essential to study these production systems in order to implement more sustainable models that allow for a balance between socioeconomic and environmental factors. The main objective of this study was to analyze the environmental impact of nine different dairy goat production systems located in northern Extremadura, Spain. The selected farms ranged from extensive and organic production models to more intensive ones. The methodology used was a life cycle assessment (LCA) to calculate the carbon footprint, following the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) guidelines. A comprehensive evaluation of emissions was conducted, considering the different global warming potentials (GWPs) established by the IPCC for the main gases associated with livestock farming. In addition, carbon sequestration (Cseq) was incorporated into the analysis to assess the contribution of goat farming to climate change mitigation based on its production management. CH4 emissions were the main source (44–67%) of GHGs, followed by CO2 from inputs (20–48%), and finally N2O (7–13%). A trend was observed linking increased CH4 emissions to more extensive and less productive livestock systems. However, the significant role of soil as a carbon sink was highlighted, as it greatly offsets the emissions produced, demonstrating its potential mitigation due to Cseq, particularly in more extensive models. The importance of this factor suggests that it should be taken into account in such studies to provide a realistic view of the final impact of each production system.

Keywords

• carbon footprint
• dairy goat farms
• carbon sinks
• life cycle assessment