Advancing climate-resilient livestock systems: Next-generation emission mitigation strategies and integrated technological innovations

TL;DR

This paper reviews advanced strategies to reduce emissions in livestock systems using technology, policy, and sustainable practices.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of next-generation technologies and policies for climate-resilient livestock systems.

Findings

Precision livestock farming and IoT tools can optimize feeding and emission monitoring.

Renewable energy integration can turn farms into net energy producers.

Manure management technologies significantly reduce methane emissions.

Abstract

•Advances in manure management boost nutrient recovery and methane reduction.•Precision livestock farming lowers emissions and improves animal welfare.•Renewable energy integration transforms farms into net energy producers.•IoT, AI, and drones optimize feeding, grazing, and emission monitoring.•Policy insights reveal pathways to scalable, sustainable livestock systems.

Advances in manure management boost nutrient recovery and methane reduction.

Precision livestock farming lowers emissions and improves animal welfare.

Renewable energy integration transforms farms into net energy producers.

IoT, AI, and drones optimize feeding, grazing, and emission monitoring.

Policy insights reveal pathways to scalable, sustainable livestock systems.

Livestock production significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂), posing challenges to climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability. This review explores advanced, system-wide approaches to reduce emissions from livestock systems while enhancing productivity, resilience, and resource efficiency. It covers short-term mitigation strategies such as dietary interventions—including methane inhibitors, microbial modulators, and natural compounds—that target enteric fermentation. Long-term solutions involve genetic and breeding innovations, such as microbiome-genome interaction analyses, CRISPR-based editing, and low-methane phenotyping, supported by genomic selection and precision phenotyping tools. The review also assesses advanced manure management technologies like anaerobic digesters and nutrient recovery systems, and examines precision livestock farming tools, including real-time sensors, machine learning models, UAVs, and IoT-based monitoring systems. Emerging digital tools, blockchain, augmented reality, and AI-assisted diagnostics are highlighted for enhancing traceability and decision-making. The potential of integrated energy systems, such as microbial fuel cells, hydrogen electrolysis, algae-based bioenergy, and thermal gasification, is discussed alongside traditional renewables, enabling livestock farms to become clean energy hubs. Circularity is emphasized through silvopasture, algal bioremediation, insect bioconversion, and integrated crop-livestock systems. Environmental assessment tools and the socio-political dimensions of technology adoption, including policy, education, and farmer behavior, are also considered. Future research directions, such as atmospheric methane oxidation, 4D-printed feed additives, and quantum modeling, are proposed. Overall, the review calls for a transdisciplinary, integrated approach to transform livestock systems into climate-smart, low-emission food production networks.

Image, graphical abstract

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