Mitigating agricultural emissions of methane

Agricultural crop and animal production systems are important sources and sinks for atmospheric methane (CH(4)). The major CH(4) sources from this sector are ruminant animals, flooded rice fields, animal waste and biomass burning which total about one third of ail global emissions. This paper discusses the factors that influence CH(4) production and emission from these sources and the aerobic soil sink for atmospheric CH(4) and assesses the magnitude of each source. Potential methods of mitigating CH(4) emissions from the major sources could lead to improved crop and animal productivity. The global impact of using the mitigation options suggested could potentially decrease agricultural CH(4) emissions by about 30%.