Abstract
| 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 |
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Keywords
- agriculture
- Cool farm tool
- greenhouse gas emissions
- Indian diets
- sustainability
Cite this
Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural food production to supply Indian diets : Implications for climate change mitigation. / Vetter, Sylvia H.; Sapkota, Tek B.; Hillier, Jon; Stirling, Claire M.; Macdiarmid, Jennie I.; Aleksandrowicz, Lukasz ; Green, Rosemary; Joy, Edward J M; Dangour, Alan D. ; Smith, Pete.
In: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 237, 16.01.2017, p. 234-241.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural food production to supply Indian diets
T2 - Implications for climate change mitigation
AU - Vetter, Sylvia H.
AU - Sapkota, Tek B.
AU - Hillier, Jon
AU - Stirling, Claire M.
AU - Macdiarmid, Jennie I.
AU - Aleksandrowicz, Lukasz
AU - Green, Rosemary
AU - Joy, Edward J M
AU - Dangour, Alan D.
AU - Smith, Pete
N1 - Acknowledgements The study is part of the Sustainable and Healthy Diets in India (SAHDI) project funded by the Wellcome Trust under the ‘Our Planet, Our Health’ programme (Grant number 103932) and the India Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Study led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and funded by the Climate Change, Agricultural and Food Security (CCAFS) programme of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The work also contributes to the Belmont Forum/FACCE-JPI-funded DEVIL project (via UK NERC project (NE/M021327/1). We thank Drs Paresh B. Shirsath and Hanuman S. Jat of CIMMYT for their expert opinion and help during data collection.
PY - 2017/1/16
Y1 - 2017/1/16
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - agriculture
KW - Cool farm tool
KW - greenhouse gas emissions
KW - Indian diets
KW - sustainability
U2 - 10.1016/j.agee.2016.12.024
DO - 10.1016/j.agee.2016.12.024
M3 - Article
VL - 237
SP - 234
EP - 241
JO - Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
JF - Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
SN - 0167-8809
ER -