Abstract
Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally.
The growing global population is putting pressure on agricultural
production systems that aim to secure food production while minimising
GHG emissions. In this study, the GHG emissions associated with the
production of major food commodities in India are calculated using the
Cool Farm Tool. GHG emissions, based on farm management for major crops
(including cereals like wheat and rice, pulses, potatoes, fruits and
vegetables) and livestock-based products (milk, eggs, chicken and mutton
meat), are quantified and compared. Livestock and rice production were
found to be the main sources of GHG emissions in Indian agriculture with
a country average of 5.65 kg CO2eq kg-1 rice, 45.54 kg CO2eq kg-1 mutton
meat and 2.4 kg CO2eq kg-1 milk. Production of cereals (except rice),
fruits and vegetables in India emits comparatively less GHGs with <1 kg
CO2eq kg-1 product. These findings suggest that a shift towards dietary
patterns with greater consumption of animal source foods could greatly
increase GHG emissions from Indian agriculture. A range of mitigation
options are available that could reduce emissions from current levels and
may be compatible with increased future food production and consumption
demands in India.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 234-241 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment |
Volume | 237 |
Early online date | 7 Jan 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 16 Jan 2017 |
Keywords
- agriculture
- Cool farm tool
- greenhouse gas emissions
- Indian diets
- sustainability
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural food production to supply Indian diets: Implications for climate change mitigation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Profiles
-
Jennie Macdiarmid
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, The Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health - Professor in Sustainable Nutrition and Health
- Clinical Medicine
Person: Academic