LEAP2

The LEAP work programme 2016 – 2018, known as LEAP2, is supporting the consolidation of LEAP1 guidelines through the road testing, and broadens its scope by developing additional guidelines:

bio soil water nutrient road

Road testing

LEAP guidelines are extensive and vary in scope and detail as a result of technical discussions that have evolved over the initial 3 years project work programme. Therefore, the clarity and applicability of LEAP recommendations needs to be checked.

The road testing aims to collect feedback for the improvement of the technical documents and provide sufficient guidance for adoption and application of LEAP guidelines at various scales.

Video: Application of LEAP guidelines in support of the Uruguay family farming improvement project (by Gonzalo Becona)

Nutrient modelling and assessment of eutrophication and acidification

The LCA framework in livestock sector is challenged by some outstanding methodological issues related to the accounting of nutrients along the life cycle of feed crops and livestock products. Several models for nutrient accounting and impact assessment methods exist, but there is no consensus across LCA framework on this subject. The approaches proposed so far overlook some aspects that are fundamental to making the assessments on livestock products meaningful and accurate.

Technical Advisory Group (TAG) aims to expand LEAP guidelines to include comprehensible methods on nutrient-flows accounting and to recommend impact assessment methods for eutrophication and acidification.

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Water footprint

Water is an essential production input for feed and livestock supply chains. Efficient management of this resource is essential to ensure food security and viability of livestock supply chains and a better future for next generations.

This TAG aims to develop guidelines on water footprint in livestock supply chains that can support water management solutions through the identification of hotspot of water use in livestock supply chains. It provides consensus on water footprint indicators and guidance on how to account for water consumption and pollution in livestock supply chains. 

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Soil carbon stock changes in grasslands and rangelands

Carbon sequestration corresponds to an increase in the stock of soil organic carbon, which can be measured at farm level or estimated in different ways from balances of carbon fluxes. The lack of consensus on methods and data to account for soil carbon stock changes is an important barrier to correctly report its sequestration potential.

This TAG will focus on building consensus on the accounting of soil carbon stock changes related to livestock supply chains and will draw a more complete picture of GHG sources and sinks of emissions in the existing LEAP guidelines.

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  • Call for technical cooperation
  • 1st face-to-face meeting of the Soil Carbon Stock Changes Technical Advisory Group - 15-17 March 2017
  • 2nd face-to-face meeting the Soil Carbon Stock Changes Technical Advisory Group - 07-10 August 2017


Biodiversity indicators

Through its significant use of natural resources and contribution to environmental pressures, livestock has a strong influence on biodiversity. Biodiversity is an emerging issue in recent environmental assessments; however, the methodologies that are being developed do not address important specificities of the livestock-biodiversity relationship. These specificities include the combination of negative and positive effects, the diversity of mechanisms of impact, and the important share of impact occurring off-farm.

The objective will be to expand the environmental scope of the LEAP documents by integrating detailed quantitative guidelines on biodiversity assessment, using key biodiversity indicators.

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