Sustainable poultry farming: mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in poultry farming through nutritional and environmental modulations

Abstract

SUMMARYPoultry production is a vital component of the food production chain, but at the same time contributes to GHG emissions that affect climate change. Some of the major contributors to these emissions are feed production, animal waste, and energy use. To generate heat to warm the structures, for lighting, and for ventilation, the use of fossil fuels emits CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O created from the inefficient handling of manure. Mitigation of these environmental challenges requires innovative, targeted, and sustainable rather than unique and sustainable approaches to combat them. As for feeding strategies, this review assesses a range of interventions, including improved feeding strategies, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymatic supplementation, and proteins and amino acid dietary practices, which have been shown to reduce GHG emissions by up to 15% without compromising poultry productivity. Furthermore, there is an improvement in the policy of manure management, like the digestion process and use of biochar, both of which can decrease methane and nitrous oxide emissions by approximately 20%, mitigating the release of GHG. The incorporation of green energy sources and feed intake control amplifies sustainability due to reduced emissions. In the future, improved technologies like the use of automatic monitoring devices as well as selective breeding for low-polluting birds will play a major role in minimising the effects of poultry farming on the environment. For example, selective breeding has the potential to lower emissions intensity by 10–12%. Future studies should investigate the feasibility of expanding the technologies concerning costs while adhering to the regulatory environment. Both research, policy, and industry contributions from various stakeholders must be employed to facilitate the shift towards low carbon in the poultry business.

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