Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?

In this letter, we investigate the effects of crop yield and livestock feed efficiency scenarios on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and land use change in developing countries. We analyze mitigation associated with different productivity pathways using the global partial equilibrium...

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Main Authors: Valin, Hugo, Havlík, Petr, Mosnier, Aline, Herrero, Mario, Schmid, Erwin, Obersteiner, Michael
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: IOP Publishing 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/33423
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author Valin, Hugo
Havlík, Petr
Mosnier, Aline
Herrero, Mario
Schmid, Erwin
Obersteiner, Michael
author_browse Havlík, Petr
Herrero, Mario
Mosnier, Aline
Obersteiner, Michael
Schmid, Erwin
Valin, Hugo
author_facet Valin, Hugo
Havlík, Petr
Mosnier, Aline
Herrero, Mario
Schmid, Erwin
Obersteiner, Michael
author_sort Valin, Hugo
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In this letter, we investigate the effects of crop yield and livestock feed efficiency scenarios on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and land use change in developing countries. We analyze mitigation associated with different productivity pathways using the global partial equilibrium model GLOBIOM. Our results confirm that yield increase could mitigate some agriculture-related emissions growth over the next decades. Closing yield gaps by 50% for crops and 25% for livestock by 2050 would decrease agriculture and land use change emissions by 8% overall, and by 12% per calorie produced. However, the outcome is sensitive to the technological path and which factor benefits from productivity gains: sustainable land intensification would increase GHG savings by one-third when compared with a fertilizer intensive pathway. Reaching higher yield through total factor productivity gains would be more efficient on the food supply side but halve emissions savings due to a strong rebound effect on the demand side. Improvement in the crop or livestock sector would have different implications: crop yield increase would bring the largest food provision benefits, whereas livestock productivity gains would allow the greatest reductions in GHG emission. Combining productivity increases in the two sectors appears to be the most efficient way to exploit mitigation and food security co-benefits.
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publishDate 2013
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spelling CGSpace334232025-06-13T04:20:17Z Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security? Valin, Hugo Havlík, Petr Mosnier, Aline Herrero, Mario Schmid, Erwin Obersteiner, Michael food security agriculture In this letter, we investigate the effects of crop yield and livestock feed efficiency scenarios on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and land use change in developing countries. We analyze mitigation associated with different productivity pathways using the global partial equilibrium model GLOBIOM. Our results confirm that yield increase could mitigate some agriculture-related emissions growth over the next decades. Closing yield gaps by 50% for crops and 25% for livestock by 2050 would decrease agriculture and land use change emissions by 8% overall, and by 12% per calorie produced. However, the outcome is sensitive to the technological path and which factor benefits from productivity gains: sustainable land intensification would increase GHG savings by one-third when compared with a fertilizer intensive pathway. Reaching higher yield through total factor productivity gains would be more efficient on the food supply side but halve emissions savings due to a strong rebound effect on the demand side. Improvement in the crop or livestock sector would have different implications: crop yield increase would bring the largest food provision benefits, whereas livestock productivity gains would allow the greatest reductions in GHG emission. Combining productivity increases in the two sectors appears to be the most efficient way to exploit mitigation and food security co-benefits. 2013-09-01 2013-07-31T16:42:27Z 2013-07-31T16:42:27Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/33423 en Open Access IOP Publishing Valin, H., Havlík, P., Mosnier, A., Herrero, M., Schmid, E. and Obersteiner, M. 2013. Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security? Environmental Research Letters 8(3).
spellingShingle food security
agriculture
Valin, Hugo
Havlík, Petr
Mosnier, Aline
Herrero, Mario
Schmid, Erwin
Obersteiner, Michael
Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?
title Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?
title_full Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?
title_fullStr Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?
title_full_unstemmed Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?
title_short Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: Trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?
title_sort agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions trade offs or synergies between mitigation and food security
topic food security
agriculture
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/33423
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