Methane emissions from dairy farms: case study from a coastal district in South India

India has the largest dairy industry in the world and accounts for a significant share of the global emission of livestock methane ( $$\hbox {CH}_{{4}}$$ CH 4 ), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG). While previous works have examined the large-scale livestock $$\hbox {CH}_{{4}}$$ CH 4 emissions in India, bottom-up studies are essential to account for the diverse farm conditions and practices across the subcontinent. We developed a Methane Calculator for Indian livestock sector using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 methodology for estimating methane emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management. Using this calculator, we undertook a study of emissions from four dairy farms in the tropical coastal district of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in June 2019. Livestock population and milk production data were collected from the four farms, to compute a mean $$\hbox {CH}_{{4}}$$ CH 4 emission of 0.7183 kg $$\hbox {CO}_{{2}}$$ CO 2 equivalents/kg of fat and protein corrected milk (kg $$\hbox {CO}_{{2}}$$ CO 2 e/kg FPCM), with a notable farm-to-farm variability (63.3%). Having implemented the latest available guidelines outlined by the IPCC, our results are a valuable new addition to the existing body of knowledge in the measurement of dairy farm GHG emissions. We present this as a pilot study, demonstrating a simple method to perform bottom-up investigations of dairy GHG emissions and further formulate policy interventions and mitigation strategies at the farm level.