An Assessment of the Carbon footprint of Milk Production under Small Scale Farming Conditions

Abstract

The Carbon footprint (CFP) is "the total set of Green House Gas (GHG) - mainly C02, CH„, N20 - emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or a product". The main objective of this study was to calculate the CFP values of raw milk at farm level under small scale farm conditions in Matara and Galle districts. The Tier-1 approach of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology under the Inter-governmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines was employed. Data were collected from 8 small scale dairy farms. It was found that the CFP values of the studied farms are in the range of 3.75 to 16.66 kg of C02 equivalent per kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM). The mean CFP value was 8.5 C02 equivalents per kg of FPCM. Only three farms had lower CFP value compared to that of South Asian average. Main determinants of high level of GHG emission were enteric fermentation (50-70% ), manure handling (10-20% ) and feed (5-10% ). Therefore, it can be concluded that CFP of milk production of small scale farms can be reduced by proper feed and waste management practices.