CANADIAN AGRICULTURE AND GREENHOUSE GASES

• A glance at Canadian agriculture
• The greenhouse effect
• Commitments to reduce emissions
• Estimates of emission
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous oxide
• Combined effect of the three greenhouse gases
• Uncertainties in current estimates
• Techniques to minimize emission of greenhouse gases
• Reducing carbon dioxide emissions
• Reducing methane emissions
• Reducing nitrous oxide emissions
• Putting it all together
• Other effects of practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions

CANADIAN AGRICULTURE AND GREENHOUSE GASES

Canadian agriculture is diverse, with a variety of crops and livestock in a range of climates and soils. Emissions of greenhouse gases are also highly variable, changing with type of farming operation and even within individual farms. To estimate the emission of greenhouse gases from Canadian farms, therefore, we have to first consider briefly the nature of farming in Canada