Assessment of total factor productivity and methane efficiency of beef cattle producers worldwide

CONTEXT

To align with SDG 12, emphasizing responsible consumption and production, it has become imperative for the global beef cattle industry to engage in sustainable production. One of the substantial challenges for future beef production is the increasing competition for resources between animal feed and human food. Moreover, there is a pressing need to address the impact of climate change, given that beef cattle production is a major contributor to methane gas emissions.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate beef cattle production across 20 major-beef producing countries from 2011 to 2020 by 1) Assessing total factor productivity. 2) Estimating both technical efficiency and methane efficiency. 3) Estimating potential reduction of resource uses and methane emission. 4) Investigating the relationship between total factor productivity and methane efficiency.

METHODS

The assessment utilizes the Malmquist productivity index and data envelopment analysis with an undesirable output. This study considers cattle population, permanent pasture, and labor productivity as inputs, with beef production and methane emissions as desirable and undesirable outputs, respectively.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the annual productivity growth for these 20 countries is 1.3 %, primarily attributed to technological advancements. The technical and methane efficiency scores stand at 0.645 and 0.476, respectively. Overall, the potential reduction in beef cattle, pasture area, and methane emissions are 283,257,995 heads, 933,802,815 ha, and 13,414,544 tons, respectively. There is a positive relationship between total factor productivity and methane efficiency. Moreover, the findings reveal that the US and India demonstrated relatively higher productivity growth and full methane efficiency in their beef cattle production. Accordingly, the US could serve as valuable references for other countries implementing pasture-based systems, while India's approach can be particularly insightful for countries employing smallholder farmer-based systems.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study addresses a pressing environmental concern of methane emissions from beef cattle production. Given that beef cattle production is a major contributor to methane gas emissions, estimating methane efficiency of beef cattle production while considering the undesirable output of methane is critical. This study is expected to enrich the existing literature on improving sustainability in beef production and raise collective awareness about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane. Ultimately, it will foster collaboration and synergy among stakeholders to achieve sustainable beef production.