Invited paper Productivity to mitigate the growth rate of methane emissions in Latin-American livestock

Abstract

Almost a quarter of global ruminant livestock´s methane emissions are produced in Latin America and, according to FAO (2025) their emissions intensity is 66% higher than the global average (121 vs 73 kg CO2eq per kg of animal protein). However, the demand for protein in the world will continue to grow, by at least 21%, in the next two decades (FAO, 2023). In order to reduce the emissions ‘growth rate in the coming decades, this growth in protein production needs to be driven by increases in animal productivity, lowering the methane emissions per kilo of product.  Achieving this in a sustainable way is only possible through actions that lead to improved economic performance of livestock producers in the region who are predominantly medium and small. Although mixed systems predominate in Latin America, it is the region with the highest consumption of pasture in the world (Herrero et al, 2013). Outdoor grazing is one of their pillars for producing at a low cost and minimizing negative environmental externalities. However, significant increases in the productivity of pastoral or mixed livestock systems imply changes in systems design and management, particularly based on process-intensive technologies. For these changes to occur, new models of intervention and scaling will be necessary, including a) engaging producers in the design of solutions (co-innovation); b) on-farm implementation of solutions in leader/innovative farms, forstering peer learning; c) new financial mechanisms to scale-up in time and space the changes generated. If the additional tons of protein from the region are produced in more productive, efficient and cost-effective systems, the growth rate in methane emissions can be reduced.