Servizi ecosistemici legati a sistemi zootecnici resilienti

Livestock farming, crucial for global food systems and ecosystem services, faces challenges from greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane from ruminants and nitrogen losses from manure, with the sector contributing 65% of agricultural emissions in Italy. Despite this, extensive livestock systems, especially agro-silvo-pastoral ones, offer significant carbon sequestration potential in soils and forests. This research explores sustainable and resilient livestock practices, focusing on carbon balance and the Italian beef and dairy value chains. Italy, a major beef producer but not self-sufficient, relies on imports to meet domestic demand. The study uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify emissions and identify hotspots, incorporating modeling techniques for soil organic carbon dynamics and forest carbon storage to address LCA's limitations in accounting for carbon sequestration. The findings emphasize livestock's dual role as an emission source and a mitigation tool through ecosystem services, highlighting innovative practices like precision feeding and agroforestry.