Cattle farming is responsible for about 15% of Colombia's greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). In the department of Cundinamarca, specialized dairy farms located in the high tropics contribute 14% of the national milk production, and 94% of them are small-scale producers. Therefore, mitigation strategies for dairy farms are needed to achieve national GHGE reduction targets. This study aims to quantify the carbon footprint (CF), through a Life cycle Assessment Methodology, of 82 specialized dairy farms at the farm gate in 3 regions of Cundinamarca: Central Savannah, West Savannah and Ubate Valley; and to identify the contribution of Acacia decurrens, Baccharis latifolia, and Sambucus peruviana to milk production increases and GHGE mitigation potential. The comparison of the effect of the tree species on the measured variables was carried out by analysis of variance under a completely random design. GHGE were calculated using the 2019 Refinement to 2006 IPCC guidelines and impact factors from databases. The emission factor for enteric methane from cows was estimated by considering the equation proposed by Niu et al. (Glob Chang Biol 24:3368–3389, 2018). The functional units corresponded to one kg fat and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) and one kg live weight gain in a cradle-to-farm-gate approach. For the 3 regions, enteric fermentation and manure left on pasture were the main on-farm sources of GHGE, and feed manufacturing was the main off-farm source. Milk CFs ranged from 1.5 to 2.2 kg CO₂-eq kg FPCM⁻¹. The inclusion Acacia decurrens, Baccharis latifolia, and Sambucus peruviana in cattle diets reduced the milk CF by 13–26% and increased milk yield by 19–37% in the three regions. Therefore, the inclusion of locally available forages in dairy cattle diets is a potential sustainable GHGE mitigation option that dairy farmers, from the Colombian high tropics, can adopt.

哥伦比亚温室气体排放量 (GHGE) 中约有 15% 是由养牛业造成的。在昆迪纳马卡省，位于高热带地区的专业奶牛场贡献了全国牛奶产量的14%，其中94%是小规模生产者。因此，奶牛场需要制定缓解策略，以实现国家温室气体减排目标。本研究旨在通过生命周期评估方法量化昆迪纳马卡 3 个地区农场门口的 82 个专业奶牛场的碳足迹 (CF)：中部萨凡纳、西萨凡纳和乌巴特谷；并确定Acacia decurrens、Baccharis latifolia和Sambucus peruviana对牛奶产量增加和 GHGE 缓解潜力的贡献。通过完全随机设计下的方差分析来比较树种对测量变量的影响。 GHGE 是使用 2019 年 IPCC 指南（2006 年细化版）和数据库中的影响因子计算的。通过考虑 Niu 等人提出的方程来估计奶牛肠道甲烷的排放因子。 （Glob Chang Biol 24：3368–3389，2018）。功能单位对应于从摇篮到农场大门方法中的 1 千克脂肪和蛋白质校正牛奶 (FPCM) 和 1 千克活体重增加。对于这3个地区来说，肠道发酵和牧场粪便是GHGE的主要农场内来源，而饲料制造是农场外的主要来源。牛奶CF的范围为1.5至2.2 kg CO ₂ -eq kg FPCM ^-1。在牛日粮中添加Acacia decurrens、Baccharis latifolia和Sambucus peruviana后，这三个地区的牛奶 CF 降低了 13-26%，产奶量提高了 19-37%。因此，在奶牛日粮中添加当地可用的牧草是哥伦比亚高热带地区奶农可以采用的一种潜在的可持续温室气体减排方案。