Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa
In Benin, adaptation to climate change in the livestock sector has led cattle farmers to develop different livestock practices. Most research has focused on evaluating the effects of these practices on livestock productivity. However, information on the effect of these practices on carbon (C) seques...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024047790 |
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| author | Yaya Idrissou Eric Vall Vincent Blanfort Mélanie Blanchard Ibrahim Alkoiret Traoré Philippe Lecomte |
| author_facet | Yaya Idrissou Eric Vall Vincent Blanfort Mélanie Blanchard Ibrahim Alkoiret Traoré Philippe Lecomte |
| author_sort | Yaya Idrissou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Benin, adaptation to climate change in the livestock sector has led cattle farmers to develop different livestock practices. Most research has focused on evaluating the effects of these practices on livestock productivity. However, information on the effect of these practices on carbon (C) sequestration in farmland soils is lacking. Soil C sequestration has been identified as a potential strategy to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the present study aimed at filling this gap. The calculation was one hand based on inventory data obtained from literature sources (excrement production of each cattle category, moisture content of each crop, ratio of crop residue to main product, and C content of the main product and excrement) and on the other hand on activity data (cattle herd size, manure applied, land use area, crop yield, and crop residues management) obtained from surveys carried out among 360 cattle farmers belonging to 3 cattle farming types. The results revealed that whatever the cattle farming type, annual C input from manure was higher (p˂0.05) than C input from crop residues. Annual C sequestration in farmland soil of farms integrating livestock with cereal-legume and forage crops was significantly higher (Type 2: 158.07 ± 1.79 kg C ha−1 year−1) followed by farms integrating livestock with cereal-legume crops (Type 1: 99.51 ± 0.95 kg C ha−1 year−1), which in turn had a higher value than farms practicing pastoral mobility (Type 3: 78.46 ± 0.70 kg C ha−1 year−1). These results highlight the potential for climate change mitigation through these farming practices. This is justified because the quantity of C sequestered in farmland soil of all cattle farming types was significant. Thus, for future research, it is necessary to include soil C sequestration in the calculations of farms' carbon footprint. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:49:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3ab9be93db1444c7b4241ec72e55d68c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:49:22Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-3ab9be93db1444c7b4241ec72e55d68c2024-03-29T05:50:47ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-04-01107e28748Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West AfricaYaya Idrissou0Eric Vall1Vincent Blanfort2Mélanie Blanchard3Ibrahim Alkoiret Traoré4Philippe Lecomte5Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Santé et Production Animales (LESPA), Faculté d’Agronomie (FA), Université de Parakou, 01 BP 123, Parakou, Benin; Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR SELMET, F-34398, Montpellier, France; Corresponding author. Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Santé et Production Animales (LESPA), Faculté d’Agronomie (FA), Université de Parakou, 01 BP 123, Parakou, Benin.Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR SELMET, F-34398, Montpellier, FranceCentre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR SELMET, F-34398, Montpellier, FranceCentre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR SELMET, F-34398, Montpellier, FranceLaboratoire d’Ecologie, Santé et Production Animales (LESPA), Faculté d’Agronomie (FA), Université de Parakou, 01 BP 123, Parakou, BeninCentre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR SELMET, F-34398, Montpellier, FranceIn Benin, adaptation to climate change in the livestock sector has led cattle farmers to develop different livestock practices. Most research has focused on evaluating the effects of these practices on livestock productivity. However, information on the effect of these practices on carbon (C) sequestration in farmland soils is lacking. Soil C sequestration has been identified as a potential strategy to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the present study aimed at filling this gap. The calculation was one hand based on inventory data obtained from literature sources (excrement production of each cattle category, moisture content of each crop, ratio of crop residue to main product, and C content of the main product and excrement) and on the other hand on activity data (cattle herd size, manure applied, land use area, crop yield, and crop residues management) obtained from surveys carried out among 360 cattle farmers belonging to 3 cattle farming types. The results revealed that whatever the cattle farming type, annual C input from manure was higher (p˂0.05) than C input from crop residues. Annual C sequestration in farmland soil of farms integrating livestock with cereal-legume and forage crops was significantly higher (Type 2: 158.07 ± 1.79 kg C ha−1 year−1) followed by farms integrating livestock with cereal-legume crops (Type 1: 99.51 ± 0.95 kg C ha−1 year−1), which in turn had a higher value than farms practicing pastoral mobility (Type 3: 78.46 ± 0.70 kg C ha−1 year−1). These results highlight the potential for climate change mitigation through these farming practices. This is justified because the quantity of C sequestered in farmland soil of all cattle farming types was significant. Thus, for future research, it is necessary to include soil C sequestration in the calculations of farms' carbon footprint.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024047790Climate changesoil carbon sequestrationAgricultural practicesLivestockMitigationBenin |
| spellingShingle | Yaya Idrissou Eric Vall Vincent Blanfort Mélanie Blanchard Ibrahim Alkoiret Traoré Philippe Lecomte Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa Heliyon Climate change soil carbon sequestration Agricultural practices Livestock Mitigation Benin |
| title | Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa |
| title_full | Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa |
| title_short | Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in Benin, West Africa |
| title_sort | integrated crop livestock effects on soil carbon sequestration in benin west africa |
| topic | Climate change soil carbon sequestration Agricultural practices Livestock Mitigation Benin |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024047790 |
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