Carbon Footprint of Traditional Dairy Cattle Systems in Cundinamarca, Colombia: Assessing the Role of Local Shrubs as a Mitigation Measure
In the high tropics of Cundinamarca Department, dairy farms contribute to 14% of Colombian milk production. In this Department, 94% of dairy systems correspond to small producers, and the most common grass species are Cenchrus clandestinus, and Lolium sp., which are usually mixed with Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense and other legumes. Cattle farming is responsible for 15% of Colombian greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), therefore, mitigation strategies are necessary. By using a life cycle assessment approach, this study aims to quantify the carbon footprint (CF) of 82 traditional dairy farms at the farm gate in 3 regions of Cundinamarca: Center Savanna, West Savanna, and Ubate Valley, determine the main hotspots of emissions, and identify the contribution of Acacia decurrens, Sambucus peruviana, and Baccharis latifolia on GHGE mitigation potential of farms. GHGE were calculated with the 2019 Refinement to 2006 IPCC guidelines and emission factors from databases. The functional units corresponded to one kg fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) and one kg live weight gain, in a cradle-to-farm-gate approach. Five methods for handling co-products leaving the farm were considered: biophysical, economic, energy, mass allocation, and the system expansion approach. For the 3 regions: The enteric fermentation and manure left in pastures corresponded to the primary sources of on-farm GHGE, and the manufacturing of feed was the main off-farm source. Milk CFs ranged between 1.5 and 2.2 kgCO2-eq kgFPCM-1. The inclusion of Acacia decurrens, Sambucus peruviana, and Baccharis latifolia in animal diets led to a reduction of CFs by 13 to 26%, and increases in milk yields between 19 and 37%, for the 3 regions. Our findings provide evidence of the mitigation of GHGE intensities and the increasing of milk productivities by the inclusion of locally available feedstuffs in cattle diets of traditional dairy systems from the high tropics in Colombia.
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