Production strategies for controlling greenhouse gas emissions in grass-fed beef production systems

Looking at pasture-based beef cattle production systems, there needs to be more pasture management and low zootechnical indexes, which culminate in low productivity and environmental impact. In this sense, cattle farming has been labeled as harmful to the environment due to the emission of gases that can contribute to the excessive increase in the greenhouse effect. These gases are methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide, which come from ruminal fermentation, manure fermentation, and biomass management. The objective was to simulate eight scenarios: the first occurred in areas of degradation and desertification of pastures induced by livestock farming, the second occurred with the recovery of degraded pasture areas, the third occurred with the improvement of pasture management, the fourth occurred with the implementation of integrated production systems, the fifth occurred with the improvement in diet quality, the sixth occurred with the association of supplementation strategies for grazing cattle with fattening in confinement, the seventh occurred with the reduction in the feeding cycle production of beef cattle and the eighth occurred with the intensification of land use. It is concluded that the adoption of more intensive production systems proves to be more efficient, both productively and environmentally, by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and improving zootechnical indices, guaranteeing the supply of animal protein in the face of growing demand globally.