Brazil – Reducing methane emissions intensity from the livestock sector

Rationale

The Reducing Methane Emissions Intensity in the Livestock Sector project, also known as @Mais Eficiente, is funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Requested and led by the Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA), the project is developed and implemented by the Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola (Imaflora) and the Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV), in partnership with Campo Soluções Agropecuárias (Campo S/A) and Trust Consultoria.

Livestock production accounts for 97.7% of methane emissions from Brazil’s agricultural sector, with beef and dairy cattle representing the main sources. Agricultural activities account for the remaining 2.3% of methane emissions from the sector.

Methane emissions from livestock production are primarily generated by enteric fermentation, a digestive process through which cattle release gases through eructation. Additional emissions are associated with the management and treatment of animal manure.

Methane (CH₄) is a short-lived greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period than longer-lived gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, methane has a significantly higher global warming potential, approximately 28 times that of CO₂ over a 100-year period. Because of its strong warming effect and shorter atmospheric lifetime, reducing methane emissions can deliver relatively rapid climate benefits.

Aligned with the commitments of Brazil’s Sectoral Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change and Low-Carbon Emissions in Agriculture and Livestock for Sustainable Development (ABC+ Plan), the project supports MAPA’s strategy to reduce methane emissions intensity in the beef cattle sector, based on solutions promoted by the ABC+ Plan: intensive finishing (IF), recovery of degraded pastures (RDP), and integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems (ICLF).

The project also aims to train approximately 3,000 livestock producers in the state of Mato Grosso, promoting the adoption and improvement of agricultural and livestock practices that can reduce methane emissions while increasing productivity, efficiency and resilience.

Objectives

The project focuses on two main areas of action in Brazil:

• Supporting the Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA) in the development and implementation of methane mitigation strategies and a measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) framework for the livestock sector. The initiative focuses on practices including livestock intensification, based on intensive finishing (IF), recovery of degraded pastures (RDP), and integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems (ICLF).
• Training approximately 3,000 livestock producers in Mato Grosso, strengthening good practices already implemented in the field while introducing new approaches to increase productivity in an efficient and sustainable manner. Key practices include pasture recovery, feed additives, animal welfare, genetic selection, and integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems (ICLF).

By increasing productivity and farmers’ income, these practices can also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of livestock production, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable livestock sector and supporting efforts to address climate change.

Activities

To achieve these objectives, the project will:

• Organise consultation meetings with stakeholders such as researchers from Embrapa, farmers and policymakers.
• Support subnational ABC+ Management Groups.
• Enable implementation of subnational action plans at state level.
• Incorporate the MRV strategy for reducing methane emissions intensity from livestock production in the BC Plan Information System (SINABC).
• Develop and release MRV data on reducing methane emissions the intensity from livestock production.
• Conduct feasibility studies.
• Develop a sustainability impact assessment.
• Map financing sources.

Implementation partnerships

Activities with livestock producers are carried out in partnership with Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV) and the companies Campo Soluções Agropecuárias (Campo S/A) and Trust Consultoria.
 

Project Reference: [BR-23-003] Brazil – Reducing methane emissions intensity from the livestock sector