Developing an attitude scale and sustainable manure management strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by dairy farms: a case study from the Küçük Menderes Basin in Türkiye
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2026
Yazarlar: Esin DERİ, Halil Baki ÜNAL
Ciência Rural, Uluslararası, Wos, 2026, cilt 56
DOI: 10.1590/0103-8478cr20250200
Özet
ABSTRACT: This study investigated the attitudes and practices of dairy farmers toward manure management (MM) in the Küçük Menderes Basin of Türkiye to develop sustainable manure management (SMM) strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. After designing an attitude scale, it was validated through factor analysis, and its reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s α. The scale was administered to 143 dairy farms. The farms were categorized into three groups: environmentalists, innovators, and resistors to innovation and environmental concerns. The family-type farms within the resistors to innovation and environmental concerns group were identified as the primary target group due to their low adoption of modern MM systems and high GHG emission potential. Based on environmental, economic, and social sustainability criteria, tailored SMM strategies were proposed. The recommendations included increasing the frequency of manure collection, building sealed storage facilities, applying modern utilization techniques (e.g., composting and biogas), and providing technical and financial support for the improvement of MM infrastructure. The study highlighted the importance of farmers’ attitudes in adopting GHG mitigation practices and emphasizes the need for integrated policies. The developed strategies contributed to national environmental goals and align with the European Union’s Green Deal, offering practical insights for sustainable livestock management and rural development policy design.