The document provides recommendations for philanthropic organizations to fund projects that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture globally. It identifies 12 strategies and 41 interventions across four overarching recommendations: 1) Shift consumption patterns away from beef and reduce food waste to lower demand, 2) Reduce direct agricultural emissions through practices like improved livestock diets and fertilizer management, 3) Pursue cross-cutting measures like influencing subsidies and increasing supply chain transparency, and 4) Increase carbon sequestration through agricultural soils but not at the expense of other mitigation opportunities. The recommendations target regions like China, Brazil, India, and the US that have significant mitigation potential in the agricultural sector.
3. GoalandApproachoftheProject
Goal
• Give strategic advice to the Climate and Land Use
Alliance (CLUA) on grant making to catalyze work
on GHG emission reductions from the agricultural
sector globally.
• Climate Focus and California Environment
Associates (CEA) have produced an analysis of the
international opportunities for agricultural GHG
mitigation and the potential role for philanthropy
within the context of existing or planned activities.
3
4. Consultedpeoplefortheproject
4
TECHNICAL AND STRATEGIC ADVISORY
PANEL
Barbara Bramble, National Wildlife
Federation
Bruce Campbell, CCAFS
Tony Cavalieri, Gates Foundation
Achim Dobermann, International Rice
Research Institute Mario Herrero, CSIRO
Jon Hillier, University of Aberdeen
Leslie Lipper, FAO
Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, ICSDT
David McLaughlin, WWF
Michael Obersteiner, IIASA
Marc Sadler, The World Bank
Philip Thornton, CCAFS
Jan Kees Vis, Unilever
Paul West, University of Minnesota
Lini Wollenberg, CCAFS
PEER REVIEWERS OF INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS,
RECOMMENDATIONS, AND ANALYSES
David Blandford, Pennsylvania State University
Robert Boddey, EMBRAPA
Leonardo Fleck, Moore Foundation
Manget Garg, National Dairy Development Board, India
Pierre Gerber, FAO
Dana Gunders, NRDC
Karin Kaechele, The World Bank
Promode Kant, Institute of Green Economy
Ermias Kebreab, University of California, Davis
Odin Knudsen, Real Options International
Brian Lipinski, WRI
Peggy Neu, Meatless Mondays
Marina Piatto, Imaflora
Debbie Reed, Coalition on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
Peter Riggs, Pivot Point
Bjoern Ole Sander, IRRI
Tim Searchinger, WRI
Timm Tennigkeit, UNIQUE Forestry and Land use
Nathalie Walker, National Wildlife Federation
Reiner Wassmann, IRRI
Andreas Wilkes, Values for Development UK
7. Sourcesofdirectemissionsfromagriculture
7Source: FAOStat data from 2010 (accessed 2013)
This report focused almost exclusively on direct agricultural emissions. Bioenergy,
reduced deforestation, restoration of degraded lands, and restoration of peatlands
were all out of scope.
9. Beefcattleandotherruminantsdominateagriculturalemissions
9
Source: FAOStat data 2008; Gerber et al. 2013; Paul West, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota
Beef, dairy, and other ruminant meat account for roughly two-thirds of direct
agricultural emissions. Beef, palm, and soy are the largest agricultural-commodity
drivers of land use emissions.
11. Technicalagriculturalmitigationpotentialin2030
11
Source: CEA analysis. See Annex 3 in the full report for methodology.
Note: This waterfall implies that all segments are additive. In fact, they are not and this analysis
did not model mitigation potential, but rather looked at discrete opportunities statically.
15. Developmentofrecommendations
• Select top mitigation opportunities based on technical potential
• Assess co-benefits and trade-offs
• Identify priority regions and countries for engagement
• Determine objectives
• Develop interventions
15
16. 12Strategiesand41Interventions
166
Supply-Side
Measures
Sustainable intensification
Improving nitrogen fertilizer management and production
Reducing Emissions from Enteric Fermentation
Sequestering carbon in agricultural systems
Reducing methane emissions from rice cultivation
Managing manure
Demand-Side
Measures
Reducing food wastage
Shifting dietary trends
Cross-Cutting
Measures
Subsidies and trade
Finance and investments
Corporate supply chains
Tracking emissions in agriculture
17. 1) Shift consumption patterns
• Diets
• Food waste
• (Biofuels)
~ 3 Gt CO2e per year
Fouroverarchingrecommendations
17
4) Support carbon sequestration, but
not in lieu of other mitigation
opportunities
• Explore synergies in SSA and Brazil
• Invest in better data
• Make long-term investments (biochar)
~0.7 – 1.6 Gt CO2e per year
3) Pursue catalytic, cross-cutting
interventions
• Financing standards
• Corporate supply chain transparency
• Agriculture trade issues
(WTO, UNFCCC)
• Reform of major subsidy programs
No CO2e estimate
2) Reduce direct emissions
• Cattle/grazing lands in Brazil
• Dairy cattle/feed efficiency in India
• Fertilizer on croplands in China
• Rice in Southeast Asia
• Managing manure
~2 Gt CO2e per year
19. OverarchingRec1:ShiftingDiets
While numerous researchers and institutions around the world are focused on reducing
the carbon footprint of livestock production (supply), little has been done about the
viability of curbing growth trajectories of meat consumption (demand).
19
21. OverarchingRec1:ShiftingDiets
21
Goal Objectives Interventions
Reduce meat
consumption,
primarily of beef, to
healthy levels of
consumption
~2.15 Gt CO2e per
year by 2030
Influence domestic policies in
China and the U.S. to reduce
demand
Leverage existing food security
policies to reduce beef production
and imports, and promote
alternative proteins in China
Promote public health policies that
incentivize healthy diets and healthy
levels of protein intake in the U.S.
Curb future demand of beef in
China and decrease per capita
meat consumption in the U.S.
through media and outreach
campaigns
Expand national campaigns and
promote health links in the U.S.
Build argument and enhance
communications campaigns in China
22. OverarchingRec1:ReducingFoodWastage
Approximately one third of all food intended for human consumption is lost or wasted in
the value chain (production, handling and storage, processing and packaging, distribution
and market, and consumption). The carbon footprint of food wastage is estimated at 3.3
Gt CO2e, making it the third largest source of emissions after the U.S. and China
22
23. OverarchingRec1:ReducingFoodWastage
In the developing world, losses mainly occur postharvest as a result of financial and
technical limitations in production techniques, storage and transport. In contrast, losses in
the developed world are mostly incurred by end consumers.
23
24. OverarchingRec1:ReducingFoodWastage
24
Goal Objectives Interventions
Reduce food wastage
by 60%
> 2 Gt CO2e
Reduce consumer food waste in China
and the U.S.
Revise food date labeling
practices in the U.S.
Support consumer education
through communication
campaigns
Engage the private sector and reform
corporate policies in China and the U.S.
Measure food waste in food
companies along the supply
chain
Reduce food loss in the value chain by
improving handling and storage
practices in South/ Southeast Asia and
Sub-Saharan Africa
Provide technical and financial
support to farmers
26. OverarchingRec2:SustainableIntensification
Intensification is essential for food security and can
contribute to mitigation through improved emissions
efficiency. Mitigation benefits depend on: 1) the
compound emissions efficiency of production inputs,
2) the rebound effect of intensification
26
Goal Objectives Interventions
Reduce GHG
emissions through
sustainable
intensification
Promote realization of high
mitigation intensification
opportunities at scale
Assess mitigation effectiveness
of intensification strategies in
REDD+ finance
Develop assessment tools to
identify mitigation
opportunities with high co-
benefits and low / manageable
tradeoffs
27. OverarchingRec2:EntericFermentation
Enteric fermentation is responsible for over 40 percent of direct
agricultural emissions. Beef and dairy cattle account for roughly
two-thirds of all emissions from enteric fermentation. The emissions
reduction potential in Brazil, India, the U.S. and E.U. alone amounts
to 350Mt CO2e per year.
27
28. OverarchingRec2:EntericFermentation
28
Goal Objectives Interventions
Reduce GHG
emissions from
enteric fermentation
through improved
livestock diets
~940 Mt CO2e per
year
Improve grazing lands
management in beef
production in Brazil
Promote awareness and capacity
of cattle ranchers through outreach
and vertical integration of the
supply chain
Increase effectiveness of the ABC
program to reduce agricultural
emissions
Improve feeding
practices in dairy
production in India
Increase adoption of improved
practices by making a business
case and supporting outreach
campaign s to processors ,
producers and farmers
29. OverarchingRec2:Improvingnitrogenfertilizer
management andproduction
29
Nitrous oxide emissions stem from nitrogen fertilizers on croplands
that have not been absorbed by plants, and leach instead into the
environment. Fertilizer run-off contaminates surface and ground
water quality and creates GHG emissions in the form of nitrogen
oxide. The global technical mitigation potential for reducing nitrous
oxide from soils is roughly 325 Mt CO2e.
Goal Objectives Interventions
Reduce GHG
emissions from
improved fertilizer
management and
production
~485 Mt CO2e per
year
Improve fertilizer use
and management in
China
Evaluate the Soil Testing and
Fertilizer Recommendation program
in China and additional measures to
reduce fertilizer application
Support efforts in knowledge
dissemination to farmers on correct
fertilizer management
Improve fertilizer
production in China
Engage the fertilizer industry
through investment or outreach
31. OverarchingRec3:Steerfinancetowardshigher
sustainabilitypractices
31
Considering the capital and investment needs of the
agricultural sector, it is essential that baseline financial flows
into agriculture be re-directed towards low emitting, carbon
rich and sustainable agricultural models.
Goal Objectives Interventions
Steer international
public funds into low-
emissions agriculture
Reduce GHG impact of
internationally financed
agricultural programs
Steer donor support away from
high emitting agricultural activities,
especially beef production
Include GHG data in investment
appraisal and program evaluation
Channel climate finance
towards agriculture
Incorporate climate-smart
agriculture in design and
implementation of the Green
Climate Fund
32. OverarchingRec3:SubsidiesandTrade
32
Goal Objectives Interventions
Create international
incentives for GHG
reduction and
removal
Incentivize GHG mitigation
through subsidies reform in the
U.S. and the E.U.
Establish financial incentives for soil
management in the U.S. and the E.U.
Protect, strengthen and expand
conservation programs supported through
the U.S. farm bill
Support farmer advisory programs in the
U.S. and the E.U.
Remove barriers and create
incentives for GHG mitigation
under the WTO and UNFCCC
Support a formal or informal process to
examine the trade and clime change
interface in the WTO
33. OverarchingRec3:IncreaseTransparency
33
Measuring and monitoring GHG emissions is fundamental for
managing emissions effectively. A robust understanding of how
much carbon can be sequestered, or how much GHG emissions can
be reduced by different practices, is central to making informed
decisions about the most appropriate mitigation strategies.
Measuring and monitoring emissions is also required to enable
governments to implement policies and incentive frameworks.
Goal Objectives Interventions
Increase traceability
and monitoring of
GHG emissions from
agricultural systems
Measure GHG emissions from
agricultural sources
Develop GHG monitoring frameworks
in developing countries
Develop simple on-farm monitoring
tools
Increase the traceability of
GHG emissions along the
supply chain
Support the development of robust
emissions tracking systems across
supply chains
Facilitate the assessment of the
impact of investments on GHG
emissions
Develop tools that allow investors to
assess the GHG impact of their
investments
35. OverarchingRec4:SequesteringCarbonin
AgriculturalSystems
35
Soils hold an enormous amount of carbon. As much as 1,500 Gt of soil
organic carbon (C) is stored to a depth of one meter, versus roughly 270
Gt C stored in standing forest stocks globally. There are numerous land
and crop management practices that can increase the soil organic
carbon in agricultural soils.
Goal Objectives Interventions
Increase carbon
sequestration in
agricultural
systems
Make the case for
silvopastoral systems in
Brazil
Initiate and support research and dialogue to
establish better practices
Support awareness campaigns targeted at
producers to communicate best practice
Increase below and above-
ground carbon
sequestration in agricultural
systems in Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA)
Facilitate the development of methods and
decision support tools for trade-off assessment
Support scientific network to collect and analyze
long-term data series of SSA soil carbon stocks and
fluxes
Support the development of
biochar
Test and scale-up biochar production and use in
key markets (e.g. China, Brazil).
Enhance credibility and knowledge on biochar by
promoting standards in biochar production
36. Mainconclusions
• The agricultural sector accounts for roughly a fifth of GHG emissions when one
considers the full life cycle of production including agriculture’s role in deforestation.
• A constructive debate on agriculture and climate change is hampered by a false
dichotomy between food security and mitigation. The majority of GHG emissions from
agriculture are life style emissions
• A major part of emission reductions could be achieved by shifting consumption
patterns while supply side and cross cutting measures also need to play an important
role.
36
Themes
• Beef & ruminants
• Intensification and
efficiency
Types of
interventions
• Farmer and
industry outreach
• Consumer outreach
• Influencing public
policy
• Research and tools
Geography
• China
• EU
• Brazil
• India
• USA
• ASEAN countries
• Sub Saharan Africa
Hinweis der Redaktion
Amy: I edited this a bit in an attempt to make it less outliney – not sure I’ve succeeded. We still need some more thinking about how all of the pieces hang together and what an overarching intro/summary/exec sum looks like.