A preliminary assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production in Morocco

Dairy production plays a central role in Moroccan agriculture allowing for regular incomes and directly contributing to food sovereignty, yet farm-level data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remain limited. This study aimed to (1) estimate farm-gate GHG emissions and milk emission intensity in 40 farms representing the diversity of Moroccan dairy systems, (2) quantify the contribution of major emission sources, and (3) assess the influence of production system characteristics on emission intensity. A farm-gate perspective was applied using the Cool Farm Tool, with 1 kg of - fat and protein corrected milk - (FPCM) as the functional unit. Farms were grouped into four profiles according to marketing channel and feed sourcing strategy, ranging from specialized, high-productivity systems with partial feed autonomy to small-scale, input-dependent farms operating under drought and limited irrigation. Average emission intensity reached 2.4 kg CO₂e kg FPCM^-1, varying from 1.6 to 3.3 kg CO₂e kg FPCM^-1, respectively in the most and the least efficient systems. Enteric methane was the main source of emissions (40%), followed by feed production (33%), manure management (11%), transport (10%), and on-farm energy use (6%). Farms supplying the dairy industry directly had lower emission intensity and higher annual milk yields per cow, and these yields were negatively associated with emission intensity. Each 1,000-liter increase in annual yield per cow was associated with 0.21 kg CO₂e kg FPCM^-1 reduction. This study provides the first farm-level reference values for dairy GHG emissions in Morocco and highlights their heterogeneity among production systems, as well as it suggests mitigation measures adapted to each farm type.