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Environmental Impacts of Beef as Corrected for the Provision of Ecosystem Services

Author

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  • Andrea Bragaglio

    (Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, sp Casamassima, km 3, 70010 Valenzano (BA), Italy)

  • Ada Braghieri

    (Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy)

  • Corrado Pacelli

    (Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy)

  • Fabio Napolitano

    (Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy)

Abstract

We aimed to assess whether the environmental impacts in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), and land occupation (LO) of beef can be decreased when ecosystem and cultural/provisioning services are included in the evaluation. We used four Italian production systems: Fat, with beef imported calves kept in confinement; CoCaI, with beef cows and calves kept in confinement; SpEx, with beef cows and calves kept on pasture and finishing conducted in confinement; and Pod, with Podolian cows and calves kept on pasture and finishing conducted in confinement. After the economic allocation, the GWP of system Pod decreased considerably and showed values lower than those computed for systems CoCaI and SpEx ( P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). System Pod showed the lowest AP and EP as compared with all the other systems ( P < 0.01). Systems Fat and CoCaI showed the smallest LO, with values lower than systems Pod ( P < 0.05) and SpEx ( P < 0.001). We conclude that the environmental impacts of extensive and local beef production systems in terms of GWP, AP, and EP was markedly reduced when the provision of accessory services was included in the calculation. Conversely, LO did not markedly change due to the high absolute values needed to allow pasture-based feeding. The estimation of additional positive aspects linked to the use of natural pastures, such as removal of carbon dioxide, increased biodiversity, and exploitation of feeds nonedible by humans, may allow a further reduction of LO.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Bragaglio & Ada Braghieri & Corrado Pacelli & Fabio Napolitano, 2020. "Environmental Impacts of Beef as Corrected for the Provision of Ecosystem Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:9:p:3828-:d:355313
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Castanheira, É.G. & Dias, A.C. & Arroja, L. & Amaro, R., 2010. "The environmental performance of milk production on a typical Portuguese dairy farm," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(7), pages 498-507, September.
    2. Sabia, Emilio & Napolitano, Fabio & Claps, Salvatore & De Rosa, Giuseppe & Barile, Vittoria Lucia & Braghieri, Ada & Pacelli, Corrado, 2018. "Environmental impact of dairy buffalo heifers kept on pasture or in confinement," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 42-49.
    3. de Groot, Rudolf S. & Wilson, Matthew A. & Boumans, Roelof M. J., 2002. "A typology for the classification, description and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 393-408, June.
    4. Pelletier, Nathan & Pirog, Rich & Rasmussen, Rebecca, 2010. "Comparative life cycle environmental impacts of three beef production strategies in the Upper Midwestern United States," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(6), pages 380-389, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea Bragaglio & Aristide Maggiolino & Elio Romano & Pasquale De Palo, 2022. "Role of Corn Silage in the Sustainability of Dairy Buffalo Systems and New Perspective of Allocation Criterion," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-24, June.
    2. Michele Cerrato & Allegra Iasi & Federica Di Bennardo & Maria Pergola, 2023. "Evaluation of the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Livestock Farms in Inland Areas," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Elio Romano & Pasquale De Palo & Flavio Tidona & Aristide Maggiolino & Andrea Bragaglio, 2021. "Dairy Buffalo Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Affected by a Management Choice: The Production of Wheat Crop," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Mondière, Aymeric & Corson, Michael S. & Auberger, Julie & Durant, Daphné & Foray, Sylvain & Glinec, Jean-Francois & Green, Penny & Novak, Sandra & Signoret, Frédéric & van der Werf, Hayo M.G., 2024. "Trade-offs between higher productivity and lower environmental impacts for biodiversity-friendly and conventional cattle-oriented systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    5. Elio Romano & Rocco Roma & Flavio Tidona & Giorgio Giraffa & Andrea Bragaglio, 2021. "Dairy Farms and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): The Allocation Criterion Useful to Estimate Undesirable Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-24, April.

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