Agriculture & Greenhouse Gasses

In the United States, modern agriculture is responsible for putting 10% of all of the greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere, which is equal to the greenhouse gas emissions from residences and commercial emissions combined.  Greenhouse gas and carbon management is critically important for the survival of the human race.

Agricultural activities, including the cultivation of crops and livestock for food, contribute to emissions in a variety of ways:

1.  Various management practices for agricultural soils can lead to production and emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), which is a greenhouse gas.  Nitrous oxide emissions are mostly related to fertilizers.  

2.  Livestock, especially cattle, produce methane (CH4) as part of their digestion. This process is called enteric fermentation and it represents almost one third of the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

3.  Manure from livestock also contributes to CH4 and N2O emissions.

4.  Smaller sources of emissions include rice cultivation, which produces CH4 and burning crop residues, which produce CH4 and N2O.

5.  Management of agricultural soils can also lead to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).  

For More Information:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/agriculture.html