Mitigation of greenhouse gases from agriculture: Role of models

Models are widely used to simulate the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). They help to identify knowledge gaps, estimate total emissions for inventories, develop mitigation options and policies, raise awareness and encourage adoption. These models vary in scale, scope and methodological approach. The scale increases from field, manure storage or rumen via herd or farm to country or continent. The scope may be restricted to a single GHG or include all gases. Multidisciplinary models may include nutrients, other substances or socio-economic parameters. Mechanistic process-based models have been developed from the knowledge of how GHG are produced in soils, animals and manures. These types of models often operate at the lower end of the scale, but they are also incorporated in farm and regional models. This paper discusses how the different types of models, as well as tools for farmers, are used to develop and evaluate mitigation strategies.