Direct methane and nitrous oxide emissions of monogastric livestock in South Africa

Abstract

There are increasing concerns about the impact of agriculture and livestock production on the environment. In this the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from South African pigs, ostriches, horses, donkeys, mules and poultry were calculated, using 2010 production data on a provincial basis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology adapted to tropical production systems was used to calculate methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The non-ruminant sector is a minor GHG contributor compared with ruminant CH4 and N2O emissions. The pig industry and ostrich industry both contribute approximately 8 Gg (Giga gram) CH4 /year. The poultry industry is the largest direct N2O producer of the non-ruminant livestock industries, contributing 2.3 Gg/year or 92.8% of the total non-ruminant N2O emissions.