This text is part of the special Research section: climate issues
From 1990 to 2019, the carbon footprint of milk produced in Canada decreased by 24% per liter. Dairy farms are complex systems and the collaboration between researchers and producers suggests possible sustainable solutions to further reduce the greenhouse gases produced by this industry. The new Living Laboratory project in Quebec goes in this direction.
Édith Charbonneau is a full professor in dairy production at Laval University. She is particularly interested in research projects related to the sustainability of dairy farms. For her part, Marie-Élise Samson, who is interested in soil protection, has been an agronomist and assistant professor at Laval University since 2021. Both are collaborating on the Living Laboratory project for carbon-neutral milk, participatory research including dairy producers in Quebec and which will take place partly on farms, with the aim of reducing the production of greenhouse gases (GHG). Federal funding for the project was recently announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Towards a liter of carbon-neutral milk?
The race for carbon neutrality is everywhere, even in the kitchen. Describing the idea of obtaining carbon-neutral milk as a “great challenge”, Édith Charbonneau affirms that reducing greenhouse gases on the part of dairy producers is possible. The one who is in the scientific direction of the laboratory run by Quebec Milk Producers, however, adds that it is difficult to envisage zero-carbon food production “especially when we are in animal production”. Will the producers succeed? Difficult to say, she replies. “But we will provide possible solutions and tools to help them. »
Dairy Farmers of Canada is committed to achieving carbon neutrality from Canadian dairy farms by 2050. The sector has also set targets for soil and land, water, biodiversity, waste and energy . The future of the dairy industry therefore suggests many opportunities for advancement, including soil protection: “There is a momentum for soils, which have long been forgotten. However, it is the basic resource. We must remember that the plant grows on the ground, it feeds the animal, and the animal feeds man. It is a non-renewable resource and is in major decline worldwide. Everything that happens there is invisible, but it is the basis of our society, of our food system,” argues Marie-Élise Samson.
Researchers and producers: paid co-creation
The research portion of the projects is structured around close collaboration between university professors and researchers from several universities and researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The approach proposed by the Living Laboratory adds a multidisciplinary dimension by including dairy producers in the work. Note that the principle of the Living Laboratory already exists in other agri-food research projects.
To avoid working in isolation, we must think on the scale of the farm and not just the herd, as illustrated by Édith Charbonneau, advocating a co-creative and collaborative approach where science no longer only speaks to science, but takes take more into account the constraints of the terrain. For example, the current Living Laboratory in which the two researchers participate started with a day of reflection where scientists, social scientists and producers discussed the questions, challenges and interests of the project even before submitting the research questions.
“There are challenges for both producers and researchers to create a link, even if it is a form of research that is increasingly being put forward,” notes Marie-Élise Samson. We have different realities and deliverables, there is a lot of work to do to align [les deux pôles]. This means for us to do research differently, but at the same time, this is where science is going. »
An industry targeted?
The carbon footprint of a liter of milk produced in Canada is less than half the global average, making it one of the lowest on the planet. However, when we talk about GHGs, we often point the finger at animal production, including the dairy industry, among other things because of enteric methane resulting from the fermentation of food during cow digestion.
Ruminants, even if they produce methane, contribute to maintaining a balance in a fragile ecosystem: “They consume perennial forage plants and contribute to healthier rotations in the soil. They produce manure, an organic fertilizer that contributes to soil organic matter. They eat foods that are not edible for humans and transform them into excellent products for humans. A protein of excellent quality for animals can be transformed into an excellent protein for humans,” explains Professor Charbonneau.
So, are we wrongly focusing on dairy cows or even the beef industry when we talk about the production of greenhouse gases? “I have the impression that from a media point of view, we quickly resort to the photo of a cow […] However, there are other sectors which produce more methane, as is the case with energy for example. But the dairy sector is working hard to improve,” assures Édith Charbonneau.
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