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Environmental and economic performance of beef farming systems with different feeding strategies in southern Brazil

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  • Pashaei Kamali, Farahnaz
  • van der Linden, Aart
  • Meuwissen, Miranda P.M.
  • Malafaia, Guilherme Cunha
  • Oude Lansink, Alfons G.J.M.
  • de Boer, Imke J.M.

Abstract

Beef production is one of the contributors to emission of pollutants to the environment, and increasingly competes for natural resources. Beef producers can improve their environmental performance by adopting alternative feeding strategies. Adoption of alternative feeding strategies, however, might negatively impact farm profitability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of four beef farming systems with different feeding strategies in southern Brazil: grazing on natural pasture (NP); grazing on improved pasture (IP); grazing on natural pasture and crop residues (CR); and grazing on natural pasture and feedlot fattening (FL). Environmental indicators used to compare these farming systems were global warming potential (GWP), fossil energy use, and land occupation per kilogram live weight (LW). Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to quantify environmental indicators from cradle-to-farm gate. The indicator for economic performance was operating profit per farm. The IP system had lower GWP (18.7kgCO2-eq.·kg−1LW) and land occupation (37m2·kg−1LW) than other systems, whereas its fossil energy use (19.3MJ·kg−1LW) was higher. CR had the highest operating profit (1,567,800R$·farm−1) of the four systems, followed by the IP system (616,400R$·farm−1). Operating profit in the CR system was mainly from crop production (88%). The GWP of the CR system (26.8kgCO2-eq.·kg−1LW) was similar to the GWP of the NP system (27.3kgCO2-eq.·kg−1LW). Operating profit of the FL system (148,100R$·farm−1) was lower than in the NP system (184,400R$·farm−1). The outcomes of this research suggest that IP is a promising system to improve GWP, land occupation, and operating profit, whereas CR has the potential to improve economic performance of whole farms in southern Brazil.

Suggested Citation

  • Pashaei Kamali, Farahnaz & van der Linden, Aart & Meuwissen, Miranda P.M. & Malafaia, Guilherme Cunha & Oude Lansink, Alfons G.J.M. & de Boer, Imke J.M., 2016. "Environmental and economic performance of beef farming systems with different feeding strategies in southern Brazil," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 70-79.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:146:y:2016:i:c:p:70-79
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2016.04.003
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    3. Pereira, Carolina H. & Patino, Harold O. & Hoshide, Aaron K. & Abreu, Daniel C. & Alan Rotz, C. & Nabinger, Carlos, 2018. "Grazing supplementation and crop diversification benefits for southern Brazil beef: A case study," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1-9.
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    5. Elizabeth J. Jacobo & Ulises J. Martínez Ortiz & Santiago M. Cotroneo & Adriana M. Rodríguez, 2024. "Adaptive Grazing of Native Grasslands Provides Ecosystem Services and Reduces Economic Instability for Livestock Systems in the Flooding Pampa, Argentina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Patrice Dumas & Stefan Wirsenius & Tim Searchinger & Nadine Andrieu & Adrien Vogt-Schilb, 2022. "Options to achieve net - zero emissions from agriculture and land use changes in Latin America and the Caribbean," Post-Print halshs-03760573, HAL.
    7. Devi Maulida Rahmah & Agusta Samodra Putra & Riaru Ishizaki & Ryozo Noguchi & Tofael Ahamed, 2022. "A Life Cycle Assessment of Organic and Chemical Fertilizers for Coffee Production to Evaluate Sustainability toward the Energy–Environment–Economic Nexus in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-28, March.
    8. Vogel, Everton & Martinelli, Gabrielli & Artuzo, Felipe Dalzotto, 2021. "Environmental and economic performance of paddy field-based crop-livestock systems in Southern Brazil," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).

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