INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF DATA ON STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF TROPICAL PASTURES AND SUPPLEMENTATION FOR THE SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION OF BEEF CATTLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

• Grant number: 25/00912-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Andrade Reis
• Grantee: Igor Machado Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/15974-0 - Strategic grazing management and supplementation towards sustainable intensification at tropical pasture-based beef cattle production systems, AP.TEM

Abstract

The project aims to identify the isolated or combined effects of different pasture grazing management practices and animal supplementation on productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, and the carbon footprint in beef cattle production systems. And to evaluate the impacts of replacing conventional feed ingredients with non-human-edible products on animal protein production. This project proposes an integrated analysis of primary data collected on individual experiments that evaluated various pasture grazing management and supplementation strategies during beef cattle's growing and finishing phases. The data was derived from three thematic projects and three regular grants funded by FAPESP, covering 20 years of research. All experiments (whether completed or ongoing) align with a research line aimed at understanding nutritional strategies that promote the sustainable intensification of beef cattle production systems carried out in the Forage Sector of the Department of Animal Science at the Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences - UNESP, Jaboticabal, SP. The primary data generated in these projects was forage production and quality, animal performance, gain per area, nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, nutrient cycling, methane production (CH¿) from enteric fermentation and manure, N¿O emissions from feces and urine deposited on pastures and in feedlot facilities, and N¿O emissions from nitrogen fertilizer applications on pastures. The project will be executed in three thematic axes: Axis 1: Focus on evaluating productive aspects (individual and per area) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Univariate and multivariate analyses will be employed to identify patterns, trends, and correlations that may not have been evident in individual studies. Axis 2: Aims to conduct a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA). This includes calculations of carbon footprint, land use, and nitrogen cycling across systems under different nutritional strategies during cattle's growing and finishing phases. Axis 3: Focus on the social aspect of sustainability, identifying alternatives for beef production that reduce the use of feed ingredients competing with human food consumption while enhancing food security. This includes calculating the contribution of animal protein production to human nutrition (via "Human-edible protein contribution" metrics) in different cattle production systems. By the end of the project, it will expect to identify beef production practices that help mitigate climate change in tropical environments. Our findings will support governmental and private organizations in developing policies to define nutritional strategies to reduce GHG emissions and enhance the sustainability of Brazil's beef production system. Additionally, the student will work collaboratively with the project's team on the ongoing thematic project funded by FAPESP (Process 22/15974-0) and receive training in greenhouse gas emissions analysis using gas chromatography and forage quality using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) equipment. (AU)