Cornell, EDF aim to reduce methane output for India’s dairies

Cornell will assist the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Dairy Development Board of India – the world’s largest dairy producing country – in a project to help its smallholder farmers reduce methane output and produce milk efficiently. “Enteric methane production from the digestive systems of cows and buffaloes is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions,” said Joseph McFadden, associate professor of dairy cattle biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We need to reduce enteric methane emissions from livestock – particularly ruminants – because they produce the bulk of methane, a climate pollutant.” India is home to 300 million cattle and milk-producing buffaloes, and 85 million smallholder dairy farmers. In 2020, India produced 195 million metric tons of milk, which is 22% of all global production, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. India’s population is 1.4 billion; the UN forecasts that it will increase by ...