EMAG - National model for evaluating environmental impacts of cattle production systems in Uruguay

Agrociencia Uruguay 2020 | Volume 24 | Number 2 | Article 48 DOI: 10.31285/AGRO.24.48 ISSN 2301-1548 EMAG - National model for evaluating environmental impacts of cattle production systems in Uruguay Editor Gabriel Ciappesoni Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Montevideo, Uruguay. EMAG - Modelo nacional para evaluar impactos ambientales de sistemas de producción ganadera en Uruguay Correspondence Gonzalo Becoña, Received 09 May 2019 Accepted 17 Jul 2020 Published 17 Aug 2020 Citation Becoña G, Ledgard S, Astigarraga L, Lizarralde C, Dieguez F, Morales H. EMAG- National model to evaluate environmental impacts of cattle production systems in Uruguay. Agrociencia Uruguay [Internet]. 2020 [cited dd mmm yyyy];24(2):48. Available from: http://agrocienciauruguay. uy/ojs/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/48 EMAG - Modelo nacional de evaluação de impactos ambientais dos sistemas de produção pecuária no Uruguai Becoña, G. 1; Ledgard, S. 2; Astigarraga, L. 3; Lizarralde, C. 4; Dieguez, F. 3 5; Morales, H. 1 1Instituto Plan Agropecuario, Montevideo, Uruguay. 2AgResearch, Hamilton, New Zealand. 3Universidad de la República, Facultad de Agronomía, Montevideo, Uruguay. 4Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Montevideo, Uruguay. 5Universidad de la República, Facultad de Veterinaria, Montevideo, Uruguay. EMAG- Environmental model for cattle systems in Uruguay Abstract Cattle and sheep systems in Uruguay and worldwide are challenged to reduce their environmental footprint while increasing efficiency and production. To achieve this challenge, user-friendly tools are needed that can translate research findings into practical information that could improve decision making by farmers and advise different stakeholders. Despite this, there are a limited number of applied environmental models in other countries and they are typically based on productive, high-quality pasture/crop-feed systems with relatively high inputs. In contrast, cattle and sheep production in Uruguay is largely associated with extensive grazing systems on unique natural grassland systems of relatively poor feed quality and often with no nutrient inputs in fertilizers. Thus, there is a need for a model that can take account for these types of systems and bring together relevant countryspecific data to provide information of relevance for Uruguay. The EMAG (Evaluación Medio Ambiental Ganadera) model accounts for multiple environmental and resource use indicators of nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) balances and losses, greenhouse gas emissions and use of fossil energy. Results are provided on a per-hectare and per-kg product basis. This decision support tool for cattle and sheep farmers systems is based on life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology from “cradle-to-farm gate” for all resources use indicators. It uses national parameters and in case of lack of information is supplied from international research in pastoral systems. The model use for environmental methodology tier 2 animal energy model to account for key animal productivity and management practices. EMAG is a user-friendly model that requires basic information for a farm system divided into land use (forage types used uniquely for natural grassland in Uruguay), animal management (beef cattle and sheep), farm inputs (fertilizers, supplementary feeds, seeds and agrochemicals) and fossil energy (fuel and electricity) used in the system. EMAG can help to identify hot-spots of emissions and resource use, as well as to evaluate changes over time. In addition, it can be used to test cattle or sheep management practices or evaluate mitigation options within the system. By providing multiple indicators, EMAG can be used to provide information to avoid “trade-offs” between environmental impacts when assessing future options. As an example of usability, the paper reports a case study which showed potential benefits of improving environmental efficiency and note interesting result around negative P balance when increase productivity in a system. In summary, EMAG is a decision-support tool developed with the objective of evaluating the environmental performance of cattle and sheep systems, that would help farmers in decision making and different stakeholders according to their interest. Keywords: environment, grazing systems, cattle, model Resumen Los sistemas ganaderos en Uruguay y en todo el mundo tienen el desafío de reducir su huella ambiental al tiempo que aumentan la eficiencia y la producción. Para lograr este desafío, se necesitan herramientas fáciles de usar que puedan traducir los hallazgos de la investigación en información práctica que pueda mejorar la toma de decisiones de los productores y asesorar a diferentes actores interesados. A pesar de que existe un número limitado de modelos ambientales utilizados en otros países, por lo general, se basan en sistemas productivos donde existen forrajes de alta calidad/cultivos y con alto uso de insumos. En contraste, la producción ganadera en Uruguay está asociada en gran medida con sistemas de pastoreo extensivos, basados en el uso de forrajes únicos en el mundo donde la calidad del alimento es relativamente pobre y prácticamente sin agregado de fertilizantes. Por lo tanto, en este escenario existe la necesidad de un modelo que pueda tener en cuenta este tipo de sistemas y que reúna datos relevantes específicos nacionales con el objetivo de proporcionar información relevante para Uruguay. El modelo EMAG (Evaluación Medio Ambiental Ganadera) cuenta con múltiples indicadores ambientales y de uso de recursos de balances como: pérdidas de nutrientes (nitrógeno y fósforo), emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero y uso de energía fósil. Los resultados se proporcionan por hectárea y por kg de producto. Esta herramienta de apoyo a la toma de decisión para sistemas ganaderos (vacuno y ovinos) se basa en la metodología de evaluación de análisis de ciclo de vida (ACV) desde la «cuna a 2 Agrociencia Uruguay 2020;24(2) EMAG- Environmental model for cattle systems in Uruguay produtividade em um sistema. Em resumo, o EMAG é uma ferramenta de apoio à definição de ações desenvolvida com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho ambiental dos sistemas pecuários para auxílio dos agricultores na tomada de decisões e nas diferentes partes interessadas, de acordo com seus interesses. Palavras-chave: meio ambiente, sistemas de pastoreio, pecuária, modelo 1. Introduction The environmental impacts of livestock systems have become an important issue of public and scientific debate worldwide, for more than a decade(1). Global challenges from SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals(2)) lead to the need to produce more food from less resources with less environmental impacts. In this sense, livestock production has a very important role to provide sustainable food to humanity, considering the projected increase in world population. However, currently the subject that arouses greater interest and (...truncated)