Breakthrough Study in Colombia Reveals Pasture Management in Tropical Savannas Can Triple Greenhouse Gas Offset

Scientists from the Alliance of Bioversity International, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the University of Stuttgart, and the World Bank have conducted a groundbreaking study at Hacienda San José in Vichada, Colombia. This research, published in the journal Frontiers in Climate, demonstrates that improved pasture management in tropical savannas can significantly enhance soil carbon storage and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

The study reveals that integrating improved Brachiaria or Urochloa humidicola grasses with high genetic merit livestock can result in the accumulation of 2.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare annually. Remarkably, for every tonne of CO2 eq emitted by livestock, three tonnes can be captured in the soil, effectively tripling the offset of greenhouse gas emissions. This method also reduces nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, by tenfold compared to degraded savannas.

Jacobo Arango, a co-author of the report, highlighted the study’s significance in demonstrating for the first time that with improved forages and proper management, livestock production can have a favorable carbon footprint by storing more greenhouse gases than the system emits. The research emphasizes the importance of actively removing carbon from the atmosphere to meet global climate goals, with Urochloa humidicola grass playing a key role in both carbon capture and enhancing livestock feed year-round.