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Ridha Ibidhi, PhD in animal sciences currently works at Seoul National University. Ridha does research in Animal Sciences, Animal Nutrition, Farming Systems and Sustainability.
Dairy cattle farming contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through methane (CH4) from enteric fermentation. To complement global efforts to mitigate climate change, there is a need for accurate estimations of GHG emissions using country-specific emission factors (EFs). The objective of this study was to develop national EFs for the estimation of CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation in South Korean dairy cattle. Information on dairy cattle herd characteristics, diet, and management practices specific to South Korean dairy cattle farming was obtained. Enteric CH4 EFs were estimated according to the 2019 refinement of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) using the Tier 2 approach. Three animal subcategories were considered according to age: milking cows >2 years, 650 kg body weight (BW); heifers 1–2 years, 473 kg BW; and growing animals <1 year, 167 kg BW. The estimated enteric CH4 EFs for milking cows, heifers, and growing animals, were 139, 83 and 33 kg/head/year, respectively. Currently, the Republic of Korea adopts the Tier 1 default enteric CH4 EFs from the North America region for GHG inventory reporting. Compared with the generic Tier 1 default EF of 138 (kg CH4/head/year) proposed by the 2019 refinement to the 2006 IPCC guidelines for high-milking cows, our suggested value for milking cows was very similar (139 kg CH4 /head/year) and different to heifers and growing animals EFs. In addition, enteric CH4 EFs were strongly correlated with the feed digestibility, level of milk production, and CH4 conversion rate. The adoption of the newly developed EFs for dairy cattle in the next national GHG inventory would lead to a potential total GHG reduction from the South Korean dairy sector of 97,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year (8%). The outcome of this study underscores the importance of obtaining country-specific EFs to estimate national enteric CH4 emissions, which can further support the assessment of mitigation actions.
Ridha Ibidhi; Tae-Hoon Kim; Rajaraman Bharanidharan; Hyun-June Lee; Yoo-Kyung Lee; Na-Yeon Kim; Kyoung-Hoon Kim. Developing Country-Specific Methane Emission Factors and Carbon Fluxes from Enteric Fermentation in South Korean Dairy Cattle Production. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9133 .
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, Tae-Hoon Kim, Rajaraman Bharanidharan, Hyun-June Lee, Yoo-Kyung Lee, Na-Yeon Kim, Kyoung-Hoon Kim. Developing Country-Specific Methane Emission Factors and Carbon Fluxes from Enteric Fermentation in South Korean Dairy Cattle Production. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):9133.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; Tae-Hoon Kim; Rajaraman Bharanidharan; Hyun-June Lee; Yoo-Kyung Lee; Na-Yeon Kim; Kyoung-Hoon Kim. 2021. "Developing Country-Specific Methane Emission Factors and Carbon Fluxes from Enteric Fermentation in South Korean Dairy Cattle Production." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 9133.
Our previous research revealed the advantages of separate feeding (SF) systems compared to total mixed ration (TMR) in terms of ruminal methane (CH4) production. The purpose of this experiment was to confirm the advantage of SF as a nutritional strategy for CH4 mitigation, and to determine the effects of different feeding systems (TMR and SF) on the rumen microbiome and associated metagenome of two different breeds and on CH4 emissions. We randomly allocated four Holstein (305 ± 29 kg) and four Hanwoo steers (292 ± 24 kg) to two groups; the steers were fed a commercial concentrate with tall fescue (75:25) as TMR or SF, in a crossover design (two successive 22-day periods). Neither feeding systems nor cattle breeds had an effect on the total tract digestibility of nutrients. The TMR feeding system and Hanwoo steers generated significantly more CH4 (P < 0.05) and had a higher yield [g/d and g/kg dry matter intake (DMI)] compared to the SF system and Holstein steers. A larger rumen acetate:propionate ratio was observed for the TMR than the SF diet (P < 0.05), and for Hanwoo than Holstein steers (P < 0.001), clearly reflecting a shift in the ruminal H2 sink toward CH4 production. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) revealed a greater abundance (α < 0.05 and LDA > 2.0) of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to methanogenesis for Hanwoo steers compared to Holstein steers. Kendall’s correlation analysis revealed wide variation of microbial co-occurrence patterns between feeding systems, indicating differential H2 thermodynamics in the rumen. A metagenome analysis of rumen microbes revealed the presence of 430 differentially expressed genes, among which 17 and 27 genes exhibited positive and negative associations with CH4 production, respectively (P < 0.001). A strong interaction between feeding system and breed was observed for microbial and metagenomic abundance. Overall, these results suggest that the TMR feeding system produces more CH4, and that Hanwoo cattle are higher CH4 emitters than SF diet and Holstein cattle, respectively. Interestingly, host-associated microbial interactions differed within each breed depending on the feeding system, which indicated that breed-specific feeding systems should be taken into account for farm management.
Rajaraman Bharanidharan; Chang Hyun Lee; Krishnaraj Thirugnanasambantham; Ridha Ibidhi; Yang Won Woo; Hong-Gu Lee; Jong Geun Kim; Kyoung Hoon Kim. Feeding Systems and Host Breeds Influence Ruminal Fermentation, Methane Production, Microbial Diversity and Metagenomic Gene Abundance. Frontiers in Microbiology 2021, 12, 1 .
AMA StyleRajaraman Bharanidharan, Chang Hyun Lee, Krishnaraj Thirugnanasambantham, Ridha Ibidhi, Yang Won Woo, Hong-Gu Lee, Jong Geun Kim, Kyoung Hoon Kim. Feeding Systems and Host Breeds Influence Ruminal Fermentation, Methane Production, Microbial Diversity and Metagenomic Gene Abundance. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2021; 12 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRajaraman Bharanidharan; Chang Hyun Lee; Krishnaraj Thirugnanasambantham; Ridha Ibidhi; Yang Won Woo; Hong-Gu Lee; Jong Geun Kim; Kyoung Hoon Kim. 2021. "Feeding Systems and Host Breeds Influence Ruminal Fermentation, Methane Production, Microbial Diversity and Metagenomic Gene Abundance." Frontiers in Microbiology 12, no. : 1.
This study was performed to update and generate prediction equations for converting digestible energy (DE) to metabolizable energy (ME) for Korean Hanwoo beef cattle, taking into consideration the gender (male and female) and body weights (BW above and below 350 kg) of the animals. The data consisted of 141 measurements from respiratory chambers with a wide range of diets and energy intake levels. A simple linear regression of the overall unadjusted data suggested a strong relationship between the DE and ME (Mcal/kg DM): ME = 0.8722 × DE + 0.0016 (coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.946, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.107, p< 0.001 for intercept and slope). Mixed-model regression analyses to adjust for the effects of the experiment from which the data were obtained similarly showed a strong linear relationship between the DE and ME (Mcal/kg of DM): ME = 0.9215 × DE − 0.1434 (R2 = 0.999, RMSE = 0.004, p< 0.001 for the intercept and slope). The DE was strongly related to the ME for both genders: ME = 0.8621 × DE + 0.0808 (R2 = 0.9600, RMSE = 0.083, p< 0.001 for the intercept and slope) and ME = 0.7785 × DE + 0.1546 (R2 = 0.971, RMSE = 0.070, p< 0.001 for the intercept and slope) for male and female Hanwoo cattle, respectively. By BW, the simple linear regression similarly showed a strong relationship between the DE and ME for Hanwoo above and below 350 kg BW: ME = 0.9833 × DE − 0.2760 (R2 = 0.991, RMSE = 0.055, p< 0.001 for the intercept and slope) and ME = 0.72975 × DE + 0.38744 (R2 = 0.913, RMSE = 0.100, p< 0.001 for the intercept and slope), respectively. A multiple regression using the DE and dietary factors as independent variables did not improve the accuracy of the ME prediction (ME = 1.149 × DE − 0.045 × crude protein + 0.011 × neutral detergent fibre − 0.027 × acid detergent fibre + 0.683).
Ridha Ibidhi; Rajaraman Bharanidharan; Jong-Geun Kim; Woo-Hyeong Hong; In-Sik Nam; Youl-Chang Baek; Tae-Hoon Kim; Kyoung-Hoon Kim. Developing Equations for Converting Digestible Energy to Metabolizable Energy for Korean Hanwoo Beef Cattle. Animals 2021, 11, 1696 .
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, Rajaraman Bharanidharan, Jong-Geun Kim, Woo-Hyeong Hong, In-Sik Nam, Youl-Chang Baek, Tae-Hoon Kim, Kyoung-Hoon Kim. Developing Equations for Converting Digestible Energy to Metabolizable Energy for Korean Hanwoo Beef Cattle. Animals. 2021; 11 (6):1696.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; Rajaraman Bharanidharan; Jong-Geun Kim; Woo-Hyeong Hong; In-Sik Nam; Youl-Chang Baek; Tae-Hoon Kim; Kyoung-Hoon Kim. 2021. "Developing Equations for Converting Digestible Energy to Metabolizable Energy for Korean Hanwoo Beef Cattle." Animals 11, no. 6: 1696.
Indiscriminate use of antibiotics can result in antibiotic residues in animal products; thus, plant compounds may be better alternative sources for mitigating methane (CH4) production. An in vitro screening experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential application of 152 dry methanolic or ethanolic extracts from 137 plant species distributed in East Asian countries as anti-methanogenic additives in ruminant feed. The experimental material consisted of 200 mg total mixed ration, 20 mg plant extract, and 30 mL diluted ruminal fluid-buffer mixture in 60 mL serum bottles that were sealed with rubber stoppers and incubated at 39 °C for 24 h. Among the tested extracts, eight extracts decreased CH4 production by >20%, compared to the corresponding controls: stems of Vitex negundo var. incisa, stems of Amelanchier asiatica, fruit of Reynoutria sachalinensis, seeds of Tribulus terrestris, seeds of Pharbitis nil, leaves of Alnus japonica, stem and bark of Carpinus tschonoskii, and stems of Acer truncatum. A confirmation assay of the eight plant extracts at a dosage of 10 mg with four replications repeated on 3 different days revealed that the extracts decreased CH4 concentration in the total gas (7–15%) and total CH4 production (17–37%), compared to the control. This is the first report to identify the anti-methanogenic activities of eight potential plant extracts. All extracts decreased ammonia (NH3-N) concentrations. Negative effects on total gas and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production were also noted for all extracts that were rich in hydrolysable tannins and total saponins or fatty acids. The underlying modes of action differed among plants: extracts from P. nil, V. negundo var. incisa, A. asiatica, and R. sachalinensis resulted in a decrease in total methanogen or the protozoan population (p < 0.05) but extracts from other plants did not. Furthermore, extracts from P. nil decreased the population of total protozoa and increased the proportion of propionate among VFAs (p < 0.05). Identifying bioactive compounds in seeds of P. nil by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed enrichment of linoleic acid (18:2). Overall, seeds of P. nil could be a possible alternative to ionophores or oil seeds to mitigate ruminal CH4 production.
Rajaraman Bharanidharan; Selvaraj Arokiyaraj; Myunggi Baik; Ridha Ibidhi; Shin Lee; Yookyung Lee; In Nam; Kyoung Kim. In Vitro Screening of East Asian Plant Extracts for Potential Use in Reducing Ruminal Methane Production. Animals 2021, 11, 1020 .
AMA StyleRajaraman Bharanidharan, Selvaraj Arokiyaraj, Myunggi Baik, Ridha Ibidhi, Shin Lee, Yookyung Lee, In Nam, Kyoung Kim. In Vitro Screening of East Asian Plant Extracts for Potential Use in Reducing Ruminal Methane Production. Animals. 2021; 11 (4):1020.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRajaraman Bharanidharan; Selvaraj Arokiyaraj; Myunggi Baik; Ridha Ibidhi; Shin Lee; Yookyung Lee; In Nam; Kyoung Kim. 2021. "In Vitro Screening of East Asian Plant Extracts for Potential Use in Reducing Ruminal Methane Production." Animals 11, no. 4: 1020.
Greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint (CF) were estimated in twelve Spanish dairy farms selected from three regions (Mediterranean, MED; Cantabric, CAN; and Central, CEN) using a partial life cycle assessment through the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). The functional unit was 1 kg of energy corrected milk (ECM). Methane emissions accounted for the largest contribution to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The average CF (kg CO2-eq/kg of ECM) was 0.84, being the highest in MED (0.98), intermediate in CEN (0.84), and the lowest in CAN (0.67). Two extreme farms were selected for further simulations: one with the highest non-enteric methane (MED1), and another with the highest enteric methane (CAN2). Changes in management scenarios (increase milk production, change manure collection systems, change manure-type storage method, change bedding type and installation of an anaerobic digester) in MED1 were evaluated with the IFSM model. Changes in feeding strategies (reduce the forage: concentrate ratio, improve forage quality, use of ionophores) in CAN2 were evaluated with the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System model. Results indicate that changes in management (up to 27.5% reduction) were more efficient than changes in dietary practices (up to 3.5% reduction) in reducing the carbon footprint.
Ridha Ibidhi; Sergio Calsamiglia. Carbon Footprint Assessment of Spanish Dairy Cattle Farms: Effectiveness of Dietary and Farm Management Practices as a Mitigation Strategy. Animals 2020, 10, 2083 .
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, Sergio Calsamiglia. Carbon Footprint Assessment of Spanish Dairy Cattle Farms: Effectiveness of Dietary and Farm Management Practices as a Mitigation Strategy. Animals. 2020; 10 (11):2083.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; Sergio Calsamiglia. 2020. "Carbon Footprint Assessment of Spanish Dairy Cattle Farms: Effectiveness of Dietary and Farm Management Practices as a Mitigation Strategy." Animals 10, no. 11: 2083.
Water scarcity prevailing in the drylands is threatening the sustainability of livestock production systems. The water footprint (WF) indicator was proposed as a metric of water use. This study aimed to determine the WF and the economic water productivity (EWP) of 1 kg of fat and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) in eight dairy farms (n = 8; animals = 117 ± 62; area = 198 ± 127; 95% confidence level) in northern Tunisia. Then, to assess the effects of three simulation scenarios targeting the reduction of the WF of milk production (scenario A: using triticale silage to replace, on DM basis, the silage of maize, sorghum or ray-grass; scenario B: reducing by 56% the wastage of water devoted to milking, cooling, cleaning and servicing; scenario C: using concentrate feeds imported from Brazil and Argentina instead of that imported from France). A year-round monitoring of on-farm practices was performed using water-meters and recording equipment installed in key locations in the target dairy farms: (i) water used for feed production, (ii) cow watering, (iii) servicing water, (v) crop and forage production and (iv) economic and production performance were controlled by water source (green and blue). Over the eight farms evaluated, milk production consumed on average 1.36 ± 0.41 m3/kg FPCM, of which 0.93 ± 0.40 m3/kg FPCM was green water and 0.42 ± 0.30 m3/kg FPCM was blue water. However, virtual water of 1 kg FPCM averaged 43% ± 14.3%. Water used for feed production for lactating cows represents approximately 87% ± 6% of the total WF of milk production. However, drinking and servicing water contributed by 3.75% ± 2% and 9% ± 5% to the total WF of milk, respectively. The EWP assessment revealed that the selected dairy farms had a relatively small gross margin per m3 of water averaging US$ 0.05 ± 0.04. The variation in WF of milk was mainly associated with diets' ingredients, which affected milk productivity and water consumption. Scenario analysis indicated that using feed with less water requirements or importing feeds from countries where its water consumption is low could reduce consumptive water use for milk production by up to 16%. The efficient use of servicing water could reduce blue WF of milk by up to 4%. The implementation of these measures would lead to potential total water savings in the Tunisian dairy sector of 646 million m3 per year (30%).
Ridha Ibidhi; H. Ben Salem. Water footprint and economic water productivity assessment of eight dairy cattle farms based on field measurement. Animal 2020, 14, 180 -189.
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, H. Ben Salem. Water footprint and economic water productivity assessment of eight dairy cattle farms based on field measurement. Animal. 2020; 14 (1):180-189.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; H. Ben Salem. 2020. "Water footprint and economic water productivity assessment of eight dairy cattle farms based on field measurement." Animal 14, no. 1: 180-189.
This paper reviews the small but growing literature on the water footprint (WF) of livestock production and provides an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this indicator. We identified 42 papers published in peer-reviewed international journals between 2000 and 2017, which covered the WF of dairy, meat and egg production using life-cycle assessment and WF network methodologies. The WF of livestock products decreases with the level of intensification of the farming system. In addition, the WF of meat is higher than that of either milk or eggs. The WF of beef is much larger than the WFs from sheep, goat, pork and chicken. The WF variation among different animal products is explained by the difference of the feed conversion ratio. Ruminants (cattle, sheep and goat) have a poor feed conversion ratio compared with monogastric animals (poultry and swine). Estimating the WF of livestock production and economic analysis of water use at different stages of production will help farmers and other stakeholders to identify the most demanding activities in term of water use, and implement strategies to improve water-use efficiency. Thus, feed production was identified as the largest contributor of the WF of livestock production. Options to reduce the WF of livestock production include the use of low-WF feeds, more efficient irrigation of crops used for livestock feed, and reduced consumption of animal-sourced protein in human diets through substitution with plant proteins. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis highlighted the importance of combining WF with other environmental-footprint and sustainability indicators to provide more reliable information for decision makers.
R. Ibidhi; H. Ben Salem. Water footprint of livestock products and production systems: a review. Animal Production Science 2020, 60, 1369 .
AMA StyleR. Ibidhi, H. Ben Salem. Water footprint of livestock products and production systems: a review. Animal Production Science. 2020; 60 (11):1369.
Chicago/Turabian StyleR. Ibidhi; H. Ben Salem. 2020. "Water footprint of livestock products and production systems: a review." Animal Production Science 60, no. 11: 1369.
Water scarcity is among the main challenges making vulnerable the livestock farming systems in drylands. The water footprint (WF) indicator was proposed as a metric to measure the impacts of livestock production on freshwater resources. Therefore, this study aimed to assess water use in five different Tunisian sheep production systems using the Water Footprint Network methodology. The primary data were obtained from 1050 sheep farms located in 13 Tunisian provinces. A multivariate analysis was performed to characterize the different farming systems. A validation step of the WF modeled values of sheep meat was conducted in 12 sheep farms belonging to two different farming systems. This was done through year-round monitoring of on-farm practices using water metres and recording equipment’s taking into account the direct and indirect water use. The typology analysis came up with five sheep farming systems that are the mixed sheep-cereal (MSC), the agro-sylvo-pastoral (ASP), the agro-pastoral (AP), the extensive agro-pastoral (EAP) and the mixed sheep-olive tree farming systems. The WF of sheep meat produced under the target farming systems ranged from 8654 to 13 056 l/kg live weight. The evaluation of WF of five different sheep production systems figured out that sheep raised under the EAP farming system had the greatest WF per ton of live animal. However, the ASP farming system exhibited the lowest WF. Water used to grow feedstuffs for sheep production accounts for 98% of the total WF of sheep. The green WF accounts for more than 92% of the total WF in all farming systems. Results of monitoring water use at farm scale show that the modeled values of WF are overestimated by an average of 23.3% and 24.1% for the selected farms assigned to the MSC and AP farming systems, respectively. Water use for sheep production is high in most of the Tunisian farms. Therefore, the general assumption that ‘meat production is a driver of water scarcity’ is supported and should be considered as an important focal point in agricultural and water policies. Particular attention should be given to forage crops with low WFs and high contribution to dry matter to provide ration with low WF. The efficient use of green water along the meat value chain is essential to minimize the depletion of blue water resources and to reduce the economic dependency on virtual water through the import of feedstuffs.
R. Ibidhi; H. Ben Salem. Water footprint assessment of sheep farming systems based on farm survey data. Animal 2019, 13, 407 -416.
AMA StyleR. Ibidhi, H. Ben Salem. Water footprint assessment of sheep farming systems based on farm survey data. Animal. 2019; 13 (2):407-416.
Chicago/Turabian StyleR. Ibidhi; H. Ben Salem. 2019. "Water footprint assessment of sheep farming systems based on farm survey data." Animal 13, no. 2: 407-416.
Tunisia is prone to serious depletion of water resources that is threatening the sustainable development especially the livestock sector. The current study aimed to measure water footprint (WF) and economic water productivity (EWP) of sheep meat within twelve smallholder farms in two different agro-ecological zones in Tunisia; humid in northern and semi-arid in central Tunisia. A year-round monitoring of on-farm practices was performed using water meters and recording equipment's installed in key locations in the target sheep farms. The water source green (rainwater) and blue (from irrigation) corresponds to (i) water used for feed production, (ii) sheep watering, (iii) cleaning and servicing water, (v) water used for crop and pasture yield production, and (iv) economic and production performance. Results show that farms in semi-arid region have the highest WF averaging 9.07 ± 0.48 m3/ kg sheep body weight (BW) of which 8.58 ± 0.46 m3/kg BW was green water and 0.49 ± 0.05 m3/kg BW was blue water. The lowest WF values were recorded in farms in humid region averaging 6.98 ± 0.3 m3/kg BW out of 6.79 ± 0.27 m3/kg BW was green water. Around 17.3% of the total WF of sheep meat was attributed to virtual water from off-farm feed production in farms in humid region. However, in farms in the semi-arid region, the proportion of off-farm feed exceeds 65% and they are purchased from international markets or from northern region. Most of the total volume of water (99%) refers to the WF of feed production. Drinking water, service and cleaning water account only for less than 1%. The assessment of the EWP revealed that farms had an average gross margin per m3 of water of 0.49 ± 0.1 and US $0.29 ± 0.04 in humid and semi-arid regions, respectively. The current results confirm that producing sheep meat in humid region is 20% more efficient in term of water use and create 60% more gross margin return per m3 of water than in semi-arid region. In addition, semi-arid region is more prone to the impact of climate change that humid region. Moreover, rangeland degradation, the high density of sheep flocks in the semi-arid region, mean that farms in the humid region would profit more from sheep rearing.
Ridha Ibidhi; Hichem Ben Salem. Water footprint and economic water productivity of sheep meat at farm scale in humid and semi-arid agro-ecological zones. Small Ruminant Research 2018, 166, 101 -108.
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, Hichem Ben Salem. Water footprint and economic water productivity of sheep meat at farm scale in humid and semi-arid agro-ecological zones. Small Ruminant Research. 2018; 166 ():101-108.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; Hichem Ben Salem. 2018. "Water footprint and economic water productivity of sheep meat at farm scale in humid and semi-arid agro-ecological zones." Small Ruminant Research 166, no. : 101-108.
Ridha Ibidhi; Aymen Frija; Mohamed Jaouad; Hichem Ben Salem. Typology analysis of sheep production, feeding systems and farmers strategies for livestock watering in Tunisia. Small Ruminant Research 2018, 160, 44 -53.
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, Aymen Frija, Mohamed Jaouad, Hichem Ben Salem. Typology analysis of sheep production, feeding systems and farmers strategies for livestock watering in Tunisia. Small Ruminant Research. 2018; 160 ():44-53.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; Aymen Frija; Mohamed Jaouad; Hichem Ben Salem. 2018. "Typology analysis of sheep production, feeding systems and farmers strategies for livestock watering in Tunisia." Small Ruminant Research 160, no. : 44-53.
Meat production puts larger demands on water and land and results in larger greenhouse gas emissions than alternative forms of food. This study uses footprint indicators, the water, land and carbon footprint, to assess natural resources use and greenhouse gas emissions for sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia in different farming systems in the period 1996–2005. Tunisia is a water-scarce country with large areas of pasture for sheep production. Poultry production is relatively large and based on imported feed. The farming systems considered are: the industrial system for chicken, and the agro-pastoral system using cereal crop-residues, the agro-pastoral system using barley and the pastoral system using barley for sheep. Chicken meat has a smaller water footprint (6030 litre/kg), land footprint (9 m2/kg) and carbon footprint (3 CO2-eq/kg) than sheep meat (with an average water footprint of 18900 litre/kg, land footprint of 57 m2/kg, and carbon footprint of 28 CO2-eq/kg). For sheep meat, the agro-pastoral system using cereal crop-residues is the production system with smallest water and land footprints, but the highest carbon footprint. The pastoral system using barley has larger water and land footprints than the agro-pastoral system using barley, but comparable carbon footprint
Ridha Ibidhi; Arjen Hoekstra; Winnie Gerbens-Leenes; Hatem Chouchane. Water, land and carbon footprints of sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia under different farming systems. Ecological Indicators 2017, 77, 304 -313.
AMA StyleRidha Ibidhi, Arjen Hoekstra, Winnie Gerbens-Leenes, Hatem Chouchane. Water, land and carbon footprints of sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia under different farming systems. Ecological Indicators. 2017; 77 ():304-313.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRidha Ibidhi; Arjen Hoekstra; Winnie Gerbens-Leenes; Hatem Chouchane. 2017. "Water, land and carbon footprints of sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia under different farming systems." Ecological Indicators 77, no. : 304-313.