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Dr. Ermias Kebreab is Associate Dean for Global Engagement in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Professor and Sesnon Endowed Chair at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on improving the sustainability of livestock systems through nutrition, mathematical modeling, and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His group has conducted extensive research on feed additives that directly reduce enteric methane emissions, including seaweed and other emerging technologies, as well as approaches that improve animal productivity and reduce emissions intensity. Increasingly, his work focuses on translating these scientific advances into practical solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, through improved feed formulation, locally available feed resources, digital tools, and partnerships that enable technologies to be implemented at scale.
Livestock are an important source of food, nutrition, livelihoods, and agricultural income globally, but ruminant production is also a major source of methane emissions. Reducing its climate impact requires approaches that address both absolute greenhouse gas emissions and emissions intensity while maintaining or improving animal productivity. This presentation will discuss two complementary strategies being developed and evaluated at UC Davis. The first focuses on directly reducing enteric methane production through feed additives. Research on compounds including seaweed and other emerging technologies such as engineered microbes demonstrates that substantial reductions in methane emissions are biologically possible. The second strategy focuses on improving feeding and productivity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where poor-quality diets and unbalanced rations can result in relatively high greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk or meat produced. Improving feed quality, balancing diets using locally available ingredients, and increasing animal productivity can substantially reduce emissions intensity while simultaneously improving farmer income and food production. Examples will include efforts to develop feed databases, least-cost ration formulation tools, and locally adapted feeding strategies across Africa and Asia. Together, these approaches illustrate that livestock climate solutions must extend beyond identifying technologies that reduce emissions under experimental conditions. Achieving meaningful impact requires integrating biological efficacy with economics, locally available resources, delivery systems, and pathways for adoption and scaling. The goal is not simply to reduce methane, but to develop livestock production systems that produce more nutritious food with a smaller environmental footprint.