Country-Specific Data on Buffalo Manure Management Practices Improves Estimates of Manure Methane Emissions
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This study addressed data gaps in manure management systems (MMS) for buffalo in the Philippines to improve the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory of methane (CH4) emissions. A total of 772 buffalo farmers were surveyed through face-to-face interviews to document their socio-economic and farm profiles as well as fraction of manure managed in each MMS. These data are essential inputs for developing country-specific CH4 emission factors (EF) following the Tier 2 method of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Findings revealed notable differences in the socio-economic and farm profiles of dairy versus draft buffalo farmers. The fraction of manure managed in each MMS also varied by farm scale. Smallholder farms primarily left manure to decompose in the grazing area (58.30%), applied manure to crops (30.45%) or managed it in solid storage (6.31%). Semi-commercial farms employed more diverse systems, including crop application (47.51%), solid storage (11.65%) and composting (3.24%), in addition to leaving manure in the grazing area (32.46%). Comparison with the Tier 1 MMS assumptions showed that Tier 1 default values failed to fully capture the range of MMS observed in the field. The Tier 2 EF estimated in this study was 8-10% higher than the Tier 1 EF for smallholder systems, and substantially higher by 39-92% for semi-commercial and commercial farms, exceeding the IPCC Tier 1 default EF uncertainty margins. This study highlights the critical role of country-specific data in enhancing the accuracy of GHG emission estimates, thereby supporting the development of more effective and informed mitigation strategies. Key recommendations include institutionalizing the Tier 2 method in national inventory compilation systems, and promoting improved manure management on smallholder farms through targeted training and extension programs.
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