Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-187-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-187-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Jan 2017
Research article |
| 12 Jan 2017
Smallholder farms in eastern African tropical highlands have low soil greenhouse gas fluxes
David Pelster
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 30709,
Nairobi, Kenya
Mariana Rufino
Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), P.O. Box
30677-00100, UN Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1
4YQ, UK
Todd Rosenstock
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), P.O. Box 30677-00100, UN Avenue,
Nairobi, Kenya
Joash Mango
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), P.O. Box 30677-00100, UN Avenue,
Nairobi, Kenya
Gustavo Saiz
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Institute of Meteorology and
Climate Research, Institute of Atmospheric Environmental Research (KIT/IMK–IFU),
Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
now at: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot,
Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK
Eugenio Diaz-Pines
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Institute of Meteorology and
Climate Research, Institute of Atmospheric Environmental Research (KIT/IMK–IFU),
Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
German Baldi
Grupo de Estudios Ambientales – IMASL, Universidad Nacional de San
Luis and CONICET, Ejército de los Andes 950, D5700HHW, San Luis,
Argentina
Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 30709,
Nairobi, Kenya
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Institute of Meteorology and
Climate Research, Institute of Atmospheric Environmental Research (KIT/IMK–IFU),
Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
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41 citations as recorded by crossref.
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- Pasture enclosures increase soil carbon dioxide flux rate in Semiarid Rangeland, Kenya C. Oduor et al. 10.1186/s13021-018-0114-4
- Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Smallholders’ Cropping Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa S. Lemarpe et al. 10.1155/2021/4800527
- Temporal and spatial variability in the nutritive value of pasture vegetation and supplement feedstuffs for domestic ruminants in Western Kenya A. Onyango et al. 10.5713/ajas.18.0114
- Improving Assessments of the Three Pillars of Climate Smart Agriculture: Current Achievements and Ideas for the Future M. van Wijk et al. 10.3389/fsufs.2020.558483
- Effects of afforestation on soil nitrous oxide emissions in a subtropical montane agricultural landscape: A 3-year field experiment M. Zhou et al. 10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.01.003
- Assessment of Greenhouse Gases Emission in Smallholder Rice Paddies Converted From Anyiko Wetland, Kenya C. Owino et al. 10.3389/fenvs.2020.00080
- Greenhouse gas emissions in irrigated paddy rice as influenced by crop management practices and nitrogen fertilization rates in eastern Tanzania P. Mboyerwa et al. 10.3389/fsufs.2022.868479
- Livelihood and climate trade-offs in Kenyan peri-urban vegetable production B. Kurgat et al. 10.1016/j.agsy.2017.10.003
- Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Maize Production Under Different Soil Fertility Management Practices in East Africa J. Macharia et al. 10.1029/2019JG005427
- Long-term tillage, residue management and crop rotation impacts on N2O and CH4 emissions from two contrasting soils in sub-humid Zimbabwe A. Shumba et al. 10.1016/j.agee.2022.108207
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- Towards a feasible and representative pan-African research infrastructure network for GHG observations A. López-Ballesteros et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/aad66c
- Smallholder cropping systems contribute limited greenhouse gas fluxes in upper Eastern Kenya S. Lemarpe et al. 10.1016/j.nbsj.2023.100098
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Response to Fertilizer Application and Soil Moisture in Dry Agricultural Uplands of Central Kenya P. Mosongo et al. 10.3390/atmos13030463
- Circular bioeconomy in African food systems: What is the status quo? Insights from Rwanda, DRC, and Ethiopia H. Sekabira et al. 10.1371/journal.pone.0276319
- Soil greenhouse gas fluxes following conventional selective and reduced-impact logging in a Congo Basin rainforest R. Tchiofo Lontsi et al. 10.1007/s10533-020-00718-y
- Soil N2O emission from organic and conventional cotton farming in Northern Tanzania T. Bwana et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147301
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- Utility of wood ash, paper sludge and biochar for the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions from acid boreal soils A. Medaiyese et al. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117202
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- Soil carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from forests and other land use types in an African tropical montane region I. Wanyama et al. 10.1007/s10533-019-00555-8
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- Reorienting emissions research to catalyse African agricultural development T. Rosenstock & A. Wilkes 10.1038/s41558-021-01055-0
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Short summary
In order to quantify greenhouse gas fluxes from typical eastern African smallholder farms, we measured flux rates every week for 1 year at 59 farms in western Kenya. These upland soils tend to be small sinks for CH4 and small sources of N2O. The management intensity of the farm plots had no effect on emissions, likely because the variability was low. Plots with trees had higher CH4 uptake than other plots. This suggests that emissions from small, low-input farms in this region are quite low.
In order to quantify greenhouse gas fluxes from typical eastern African smallholder farms, we...
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