Measuring, recording and verifying greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation
There are many example projects in the searchable project database; a majority of projects involve methane recovery from manure management systems or less frequent food processing facilities.
UNFCCC-CDM, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Bonn, Germany
This website contains six case study publications on low emissions development in Ethiopian dairy, Argentinian beef cattle, Bangladeshi dairy, Kenyan dairy, Uruguayan beef cattle, and Sri Lankan dairy. These studies are resources for a project aimed at reducing enteric methane for improving food security and livelihoods. There is also a brochure containing general information on methane emissions mitigation in livestock agriculture. It describes the FAO-led project to which these materials correspond.
FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
This website features several case studies of different countries and sectors successfully reducing emissions intensity in livestock production. These case studies highlight diverse approaches that are being employed across different livestock systems (beef, dairy, sheep) and farm scales around the world.
Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
This document presents detailed technical guidelines on using respiration chambers to measure N2O emissions, e.g. from pasture manure deposition. Each chapter covers one of the key aspects – including design, deployment, air sample collection, storage and sample analysis, data analysis and data reporting – with additional chapters on automated systems and health and safety. Each chapter outlines: i) agreed minimum standards, ii) site or system specific requirements, and iii) evolving standards.
De Klein C, Harvey M. [eds.]
2015 – Version 1.1
Ministry for Primary Industries; Wellington, New Zealand
This manual provides detailed technical guidelines on using respiration chambers to measure enteric methane emissions. The chambers presented in this guide are from seven different institutions that conduct research measuring methane emissions. This comprehensive technical manual covers design, performance and operation of existing chambers without attempting to evaluate them against any predetermined performance criteria.
Pinares C, Waghorn G. (eds.)
2014
New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry: Wellington, New Zealand.
This report presents detailed technical guidelines on using the SF6 tracer method for measuring enteric methane emissions. The report covers the pre-experimental planning requirements, permeation tubes, sampling systems, special considerations for ruminally-cannulated animals, sampling background air, sample analysis, animal measurement, methane emissions rates, data quality and data control, and SF6 reporting.
Berndt A, Boland TM, Deighton MH, Gere JI, Grainger C, et al.
2014
New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre: New Zealand
Lambert MG, [ed.]
This open-access paper describes different (established and emerging) methods for measuring and estimating methane emissions from ruminants. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each method (Established: chambers/respiration chambers, SF6 technique, in vitro gas production technique, and newer CO2 methods. Emerging: micrometerological technique, combined feeder and CH4 analyzer, and proxy methods) used to quantify enteric methane emissions. Model-based techniques were used to calculate national budget and single cow enteric emissions from intake and diet composition.
Part of a special, open-access issue on climate change and livestock management.
Storm IMLD, Hellwing ALF, Nielsen NI, Madsen J
2012
Animals
This paper compares two methods of direct measurement (spot sampling) of methane emissions (sniffer and flux methods) from dairy cattle. It concludes with presenting the flux method as a more reliable method to estimate methane emissions from cattle in farm conditions.
Huhtanen P, Cabezas-Garcia EH, Utsumi S, and Zimmerman S
2015
Journal of Dairy Science
Global GHG database on feed-crops provided by the Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP). Downloadable information on GHG emissions and emission intensities for the 5 main crops (maize, wheat, barley, soybean and cassava) disaggregated by production system, agro-ecological zone, country and region. A user guide and methodological details are also provided.
FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
The SAMPLES database hosts emission factors and associated metadata from GHG measurements in agricultural systems. The database contains site-specific emission factors and associated agroecological data from studies published in peer-reviewed journals.
CCAFS, CGIAR Research program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security: Wageningen, The Netherlands