INTEGRATED CROP- RUMINANT LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS AS A STRATEGY TO INCREASE NUTRIENT CIRCULARITY AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE – INTEGRITY

INRAE performed activities in WP1 where it contributed information and know how to describe mixed crop-ruminant systems from Guadeloupe, Auvergne and Brazil. To do this, collected information within activities were used to estimate the impact of proposed interventions on nutrient circularity of agricultural systems with a holistic and integrative approach, and improve current prediction models. In Guadeloupe, data came from experiments conducted at INRAE research facilities with several ruminant production systems reared both indoors and on pasture, as well as from information collected on farms. Data from a case-study farm (breeding, rearing, and finishing) was used and an additional source of data for the finishing phase was collected from a trial conducted at Embrapa. In these systems, the animals are raised on pasture in all phases, and soybean is used as a cash crop. The GHG balance of 4 of these systems, namely, only for the bulls, is in progress currently using the methodology proposed by IPCC 2019 and implemented with bibliographical values when available, specific to the context. The principles of systemic evaluation of defined boundaries were applied to this analysis, considering inputs and outputs as well as land use and land use change, as compared to a reference scenario of degraded pasture before developing the 4 systems. The Ecological Network analysis method has also been used on Brazilian case study to study 1/ the effect of crop-livestock-forestry integration on system performances (efficiency, resiliency, self-sufficiency, …) and 2/ the trade-offs between such local indicators and the global indicators of GHG emissions estimated (Monteiro et al., 2024, in progess). INRAE involved as well in WP 3 where it contributed information on decision-making tools used in France and collaborated in the comparative assessment of the collated tools available in other regions. In the same WP, INRAE leads the compilation of datasets from different mixed crop-ruminant systems both produced in the project and using historical data. Two databases were created, these databases were distinguished by the sources of the data. For the first database, data were collected from deliverable report for task 2.1 and 2.3 respectively. These reports presented the list of identified byproducts in three (3) countries : Argentina, Peru and Spain. The second database employed a meta-analysis of literature review approach using web of science, scopus, PubMed databases and Google scholar to identify published articles between the years 2000 and 2024 where byproducts were included in the diets fed to ruminants. Byproducts identified in each database were categorized into clusters using clustering analysis (k-means). Also, the principal component that account for variability of categorization was done with principal component analysis (PCA). The development of the equations was done following the paper of Bougoin et al. (2019).

In Guadeloupe, the Mixed crop-ruminant livestock farming systems represented 80% of the farms mainly based on small MCLS, with an average size of 4.1 ha. Much of Guadeloupe’s agricultural land cover is sugarcane and banana, two highly subsidized export crops that represent 45% and 8% of local arable farmland, respectively (Fanchone et al., 2020). Pasture and fallow currently account for close to half of the arable land of the island. The representative systems from Brazil are located in Mato Grosso, the state responsible for the largest cattle production in the country. It was observed that Integrated systems increased meat and grain production and offset GHG emissions. Including a forestry component increased C sequestration. Systems without crops stored more C per kg of human-edible protein produced. The GHG balance of the systems (enteric methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide) was assessed by following IPCC guidelines and specific emissions factors found in the literature for Brazilian context. The Global sensitive analysis performed to choose the best enteric CH4 prediction equation for 2 of those systems (Santos et al. 2022). Then this equation was used to assess the CH4 emissions for the 2 other systems. The results are presented in the paper of Monteiro et al., 2023 «Crop-livestock-forestry systems as a strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing the sustainability of forage-based livestock systems in the Amazon biome«. In the WP3, task 3.2, the reseach bibliographic based on metanalysis contained 20 publications and 20 trials including 24 By-Products (BPs) fed to ruminants (n = 61 records) (Dairy cow (n = 46), Growing cattle (n = 5), Sheep (n = 3), and Goats (n = 7)) at different levels of inclusion of By-Products was obtained. Methane was measured using SF6 (n = 10), Greenfeed (n = 10), Respiratory chambers (n = 34), and indirect calorimetric system (n = 7). The BPs were categorized into four clusters namely byproducts with (i) high Starch (27.1% ), mid EE (13.9%), low CP (13.8%), and NDF (17.9%) [n = 1, Rice bran] (ii) high EE (51.6 ± 5.7%), mid CP ( 18.0 ± 1.77%) and NDF (26.0 ± 15.5%), low STA (0.25 ± 0.035%)[ n = 2, Algal meal, Whole cracked rapeseed meal] (iii) high CP (37.8 ± 7.5%), mid STA (6.53 ± 1.42%) and NDF (24.3 ± 10.1%), low EE (7.10% ± 5.5) [n = 9, Soybean meal, Canola meal, etc.] (iv) high NDF (46.5± 15.5%), mid CP (12.5 ± 4.55%) and EE (8.3 ± 5.02%), low STA (2.13 ± 2.63% ) [n = 12, Coconut kernel, soybean hulls, etc.]. Following the paper of Bougoin et al. (2019), equations was constructed and evaluated to predict CH4 production (g/d), yield (g/kg of DMI), and intensity (g/kg of ECM). Results are presented in the short communication.

Participation at the 9th International Conference on Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture (GGAA) to take place in Nairobi (Kenya) from October 5 to 9, 2025, organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO).

Monteiro, A., Barreto-Mendes, L., Fanchone, A., Morgavi, D. P., Pedreira, B. C., Magalhães, C. A. S., Abdalla, A. L., & Eugène, M. (2024). Crop-livestock-forestry systems as a strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing the sustainability of forage-based livestock systems in the Amazon biome. Science of the Total Environment, 906, 167396. doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167396
Leite, G. D. F. F., Nuto Nóbrega, G., Baumgärtner, L. C., Barbosa Alecrim, F., da Silveira, J. G., Campello Cordeiro, R., & Aragão Ribeiro Rodrigues, R. De. (2023). Greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration associated with Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry (ICLF) systems. Environmental Reviews, 31(4), 589–604. doi.org/10.1139/er-2022-0095
Santos, A. R. M., Eugène, M., Pedreira, B. C., Abdalla, A. L., & Barreto-Mendes, L. (2022). 27. Global sensitivity analysis of empirical enteric methane emissions models for silvopastoral systems. Animal - Science Proceedings, 13(4), 541–542. doi.org/10.1016/j.anscip.2022.07.418
Akinropo, T. F., Adjassin, J. S., Morgavi, D. P., Eugène M. (2024). Byproducts in Ruminant Feeding : Exploring their Mitigating Effects on Enteric Methane Emissions. (Abstract accepted for EAAP 2024 Conference, Florence, Italy)

INTEGRITY aims to evaluate alternative management of mixed crop-ruminant livestock systems to increase the potential increment of Carbon and Nutrient Circularity in diverse agro-climatic regions. Nine countries from three continents (America, Europe, and Oceania) are involved in this proposal. Different degrees of integration between the crops and livestock components of a system may have advantages or disadvantages, so trade-offs among economic (productivity, efficiency), environmental (nutrient cycling, soil health, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions), and social (work arduousness and organization, household networks) indicators will be identified. Gaps in knowledge regarding impacts of the integration need to be addressed to fully understand the mechanisms that reduce GHG emissions and/or increase soil C sequestration and nutrients (i.e. C, N) use efficiency in mixed production systems; and which would be the impact of proposed interventions with a broader and holistic perspective. These interventions will be specifically designed for each situation and will be evaluated experimentally to quantify their impact, not only through direct and specific effects but also in a broad sense addressing the circularity within the agricultural systems by different modeling tools. Standardized evaluation approaches and procedures across the different partners will allow direct comparison of the relative impact of new management alternatives. Stakeholders’ involvement through the process will certainly help to focus on applicable new practices and facilitate their adoption by farmers. The conformed Low Carbon Livestock - Research Network, a regional platform involving countries from America and Europe created in 2020 and supported by the GRA, will strengthen the capacity-building opportunities for young researchers and enhance the result dissemination platform. Proposed activities within this project will be organized in 5 Work Packages (WP). The WP1 will investigate different management practices at diverse agricultural systems to enhance nutrient circularity, production efficiency, and reduce C footprint; WP2 aims to identify the potential improvement of C footprint by increasing the inclusion of by-products in ruminants feeding programs; WP3 will evaluate the management of carbon circularity and climate change mitigation and adaptation in mixed crop-ruminant livestock systems through system approach assessment and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (i.e. design of digital twins of farms based on combining sensor data and
modeling that can help the decision-making process of stakeholders on the production chain of different mixed production systems). Also, this WP includes agent-based modeling to understand the decision-making process and other emergent properties of mixed crop-livestock production systems; WP4 will involve engagement with stakeholders, training, communication, and dissemination; WP5 project coordination. A particular characteristic of this proposal is the range of diverse production systems with different agro-climatic and socio-cultural characteristics that will allow observing differential responses of enhanced resource use efficiency and optimize nutrient circularity with the integration of the two systems components at different locations. This project involves cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary cooperation, which will be supported by the consortium’s complementary scientific skills, and reinforce and expand a history of mutual cooperative research where new partners will be involved.