Affiliation:
1. Zhejiang University
2. Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Development in Agriculture,Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences
3. Carnegie Institution for Science;Zhejiang University
4. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology;University of Edinburgh
Abstract
Abstract
The size of livestock production in farming is an important factor influencing management strategies, and ultimately affects nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and nitrogen emissions. Here, by using data from 390,000 farms covering four major livestock animal types across China in 2017, we investigate the relationship between the NUE, nitrogen losses and livestock farm size. Our results show that NUE increases with farm size for all livestock types, while nitrogen losses and manure recycling ratios vary between different livestock types, highlighting the need for tailored management strategies. By optimizing farm size through consolidation or splitting of farms for the specific livestock species at the county scale, while maintaining a constant level of feed supply, China would increase manure recycling to croplands by 6%, increase livestock production by 3% and reduce nitrogen losses by 259,000 tonnes (14%), which could bring notable benefits to environmental protection and food security.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC
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