Developing low-cost strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions in Uruguay Subscribe Share SHARE Facebook share Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email Breadcrumb Home Project Portfolio Developing Low-cost Strategies To Reduce Enteric Methane Emissions In Uruguay Year 2016 2020 Funding CCAC Funded Implementing partners Uruguay, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) Uruguay is a small country with a population of 3.5 million, but the meat it produces feeds approximately 30 million people. Agriculture is a key part of Uruguay’s economy, representing 70% of all its exports. However, the agriculture sector is responsible for 80% of Uruguay’s greenhouse gas emissions, half of which comes from enteric fermentation. The country has turned this challenge into a key opportunity for climate action with a strategy to reduce emissions intensity by improving the efficiency and productivity of beef cattle. Since 65% Uruguay is covered by natural grass and pastureland, this strategy also aims to complement livestock emission reductions by sequestering carbon in soils and biomass. Uruguay is working with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to reduce methane from enteric fermentation and improve food security and livelihoods. This work has provided Uruguay with tools to increase national capacity in order to improve productivity by 30% to 35% while reducing emissions and achieving sustainable production. ObjectivesOur Agriculture Initiative is working to transform ruminant livestock production systems to improve productivity and reduce enteric methane emissions per unit of animal product. This project seeks to provide guidance to policy makers, and recommend incentives and institutional frameworks to encourage the adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies and practices. Why we're doing this workEnteric methane emissions from ruminant animals raised for meat and milk account for as much as 30% of global anthropogenic methane emissions. Factors such as feed quality, animal size, and environmental temperature can increase the amount of methane an animal produces. What we're doingSince 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC), has helped Uruguay: Identify and prioritize low cost strategies to reduce enteric methane emission intensity from ruminant systems using the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM). The tool helped evaluate a broad perspective of opportunities and potential productivity gains and emissions intensity reductions for the beef sector. Improve its emissions inventory by better defining emissions intensity reduction targets, and increase understanding of measures to improve productivity, production system efficiency and reproduction systems. Increase on-farm monitoring of improved practices as part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and FAO project Climate-smart Livestock Production and Land Restoration in the Uruguayan Rangelands, to generate improved methane emission factors for Uruguay´s national monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV). More about this work: Tabaré Aguerre, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries explains why Uruguay is tackling enteric methane Article: How Uruguay Can Have Environmental Sustainability – And Eat Its Beef Too Related documents Reports, Case Studies & Assessments 2017 Low emissions development of the beef cattle sector in Uruguay Download Download 2017_beef-cattle-uruguay_FAO-CCAC.pdf en Added on: 13 July, 2017 Guidelines & Tools 2020 Producción ganadera climáticamente inteligente y restauración de suelo en pastizales uruguayos protocolo de monitoreo del metano Download Download Protocolo para MRV de emisiones de metano MGAP-6.pdf es Added on: 30 August, 2020 Project updates Project update Agriculture 2023 Uruguay Reduces Livestock Emissions While Increasing Productivity In A CCAC-Supported Pilot Project Project update Agriculture 2019 How Uruguay Can Have Environmental Sustainability – And Eat Its Beef Too Project update Agriculture 2017 Uruguay's Minister of Agriculture on tackling enteric methane Related projects Uruguay - National Planning on short-lived climate pollutants Low-emission development for Bangladesh’s dairy sector Low-emission development for Ethiopia’s dairy sector Related events Uruguay después del Pacto de Glasgow (COP26) 22 March, 2022 - 23 March, 2022 Online Event
Year 2016 2020 Funding CCAC Funded Implementing partners Uruguay, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC)
Reports, Case Studies & Assessments 2017 Low emissions development of the beef cattle sector in Uruguay Download Download 2017_beef-cattle-uruguay_FAO-CCAC.pdf en Added on: 13 July, 2017
Guidelines & Tools 2020 Producción ganadera climáticamente inteligente y restauración de suelo en pastizales uruguayos protocolo de monitoreo del metano Download Download Protocolo para MRV de emisiones de metano MGAP-6.pdf es Added on: 30 August, 2020
Project update Agriculture 2023 Uruguay Reduces Livestock Emissions While Increasing Productivity In A CCAC-Supported Pilot Project
Project update Agriculture 2019 How Uruguay Can Have Environmental Sustainability – And Eat Its Beef Too