ABSTRACT

India is the world’s largest producer of milk for over 20 years. This production mainly responds to growing domestic demand, and relies almost entirely on millions of small herds (3 female buffaloes or cows) fed with local crop residues. This paper aims to assess the socio-economic and environmental sustainability of this dairy development model by implementing different approaches at various geographical scales. To assess such a model is complex. On the one hand, the recycling of biomass for livestock feed is mainly practiced by the poorest farmers, who have a limited access to land, markets and other resources. It sustains their employment and livelihoods, but also their food security since theyconsume part of their milk production. On the other hand, the intensive use of subsidized mineral fertilizers and energy for irrigation to produce crop grains and residues leads to high fossil energy uses and greenhouse gas emissions per litre of milk, calling into question the model’s environmental sustainability. Our results need to be explored further by (i) investigating more case studies to develop a larger picture of the diversity of the Indian dairy sector, and (ii) integrating the different approaches and levels within a larger framework.

摘要

20 多年来，印度一直是世界上最大的牛奶生产国。这种生产主要响应不断增长的国内需求，并且几乎完全依赖于以当地作物残茬喂养的数百万小牛群（3 头雌性水牛或奶牛）。本文旨在通过在不同地理范围内实施不同的方法来评估这种乳制品发展模式的社会经济和环境可持续性。评估这样一个模型是复杂的。一方面，用于牲畜饲料的生物质回收主要由最贫困的农民进行，他们获得土地、市场和其他资源的机会有限。它维持了他们的就业和生计，也维持了他们的粮食安全，因为他们消耗了部分牛奶生产。另一方面，大量使用有补贴的矿物肥料和灌溉能源来生产作物谷物和残留物，导致每升牛奶使用大量化石能源和温室气体排放，从而质疑该模型的环境可持续性。我们的结果需要通过 (i) 调查更多案例研究以更全面地了解印度乳制品行业的多样性，以及 (ii) 在更大的框架内整合不同的方法和水平来进一步探索我们的结果。