Reducing uncertainty in nitrogen budgets for African livestock systems
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15550931 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mariana C Rufino (0000-0003-4293-3290, International Livestock Research Institute, corresponding author), Patric Brandt (0000-0003-4167-5437, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Mario Herrero (0000-0002-7741-5090, International Livestock Research Institute), K Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus Butterbach‐Bahl (0000-0001-9499-6598, International Livestock Research Institute) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 105008-105008 |
| Publication date | 2014-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/9/10/105008 |
| OpenAlex | W2098855225 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 88 |
Livestock is poorly represented in N budgets for the African continent although some studies have examined livestock-related N flows at different levels. Livestock plays an important role in N cycling and therefore on N budgets including livestock-related flows. This study reviews the literature on N budgets for Africa to identify factors contributing to uncertainties. Livestock densities are usually modelled because of the lack of observational spatial data. Even though feed availability and quality varies across seasons, most studies use constant livestock excretion rates, and excreta are usually assumed to be uniformly distributed onto the land. Major uncertainties originate in the fraction of manure managed, and emission factors which may not reflect the situation of Africa. N budgets use coarse assumptions on production, availability, and use of crop residues as livestock feed. No flows between croplands-livestock and rangelands reflect the lack of data. Joint efforts are needed for spatial data collection of livestock data, crowdsourcing appears to be a promising option. The focus of the assessment of N budgets must go beyond croplands to include livestock and crop-livestock flows. We propose a nested systems definition of livestock systems to link local, regional level, and continental level and to increase the usefulness of point measurements of N losses. Scientists working at all levels should generate data to calibrate process-based models. Measurements in the field should not only concentrate on greenhouse gas emissions, but need to include crop and livestock production measurements, soil stock changes and other N loss pathways such as leaching, run-off and volatilization to assess management practices and trade-offs. Compared to the research done in other continents on N flows in livestock systems, there are few data for Africa, and therefore concerted effort will be needed to generate sufficient data for modelling
Agroforestry · Agronomy · Geography · Greenhouse gas · Livestock · Manure · Rangeland · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Environmental Science · Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics · Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics · Ecology · Forestry
Biomass use, production, feed efficiencies, and greenhouse gas emissions from global livestock systems
Mapping the Global Distribution of Livestock
Soil Fertility and Hunger in Africa
The roles of livestock in developing countries
Current and future nitrous oxide emissions from African agriculture
The use of nutrient audits to determine nutrient balances in Africa
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2024 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |