Modelling Beneficial Management Practices in Agriculture in Western Canada to Observe Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Sustainability

• Author / Creator

  Ducholke, Chloe J

• Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other detrimental environmental effects
  of agriculture is a goal paramount to societal stability and prosperity. Understanding the
  advantages and constraints of beneficial management practices (BMPs) to the fullest extent in
  varying conditions is imperative for effectively selecting the right interventions tailored to
  specific farming scenarios. Modelling agricultural management practices and scenarios enables
  comprehensive testing of simulation experiments to be conducted efficiently, conveniently and at
  low cost while yielding accurate, representative results. The objectives of this research include:
  1) Identify and review existing BMPs for mitigation of GHG emissions within farming systems
  relevant to the Canadian Prairies, 2) to implement the Holos model software to run simulations
  of selected farming scenarios and management practices, and 3) to inform future research
  recommendations in agricultural sustainability and identify existing knowledge gaps. The
  scenarios modelled focused on the Canadian Prairies, and hence the modelled replicates were
  evenly distributed across locations within Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. A set of
  beneficial management practices was modelled using the Holos model software. The greatest
  reduction in farm GHG emissions occurred when nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer inputs were
  reduced. The average reduction in emissions from a regime of high inputs to conservative inputs
  was 26% Kg CO2e. Across a variety of soil types and fertilizer regimes, the average reduction by
  switching to no-till or reduced tillage from intensive tillage was 24.9% Kg CO2e and 17.6% Kg
  CO2e respectively. This great reduction was attributed to increased soil carbon sequestration and
  reduced fossil fuel emissions from farm equipment operations. Livestock dietary changes also
  resulted in emissions reductions. A high protein diet for beef cattle caused a reduction of 33%
  Kg CO2e when compared with a low protein diet. High protein diets can increase efficiency of
  feed utilization (EFU). Fat supplementation and use of ionophores were also found to reduce
  emissions. Earlier studies have shown that both fat and ionophore supplements directly reduce
  methane emissions from digestion for beef cattle. The GHG emissions estimates from the Holos
  model suggest that implementation of beneficial management practices can play a large and
  important role in reducing emissions in agriculture. These results contribute to a comprehensive,
  valuable synthesis of the current knowledge base in BMPs for agricultural sustainability and
  provide deployable insights to guide BMPs implementation

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Agriculture GHG Emissions
  • Beneficial Management Practices
  • soil GHG emissions
  • livestock GHG emissions
  • Land management GHG emissions
  • precision agriculture

• Graduation date

  Spring 2023

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-q6ap-5x29

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.