48 research outputs found
Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands - Accelerated Growth in Kenya: Mitigation co-benefits of herd size and feed quality management
The agricultural development project Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands – Accelerated Growth (REGAL-AG) has promoted improved livestock management that resulted in a decrease in net emissions of 10%. Since emissions from livestock account for the majority of Kenya’s agricultural emissions (95%), reduction of emissions in the livestock sector has high potential impact. REGAL-AG’s interventions have sought to improve links between livestock producers and buyers, to boost producer access to critical inputs, and to increase availability of timely market information, which resulted in a decrease in slaughter age for all livestock types. REGAL- AG anticipated that these dynamics, coupled
with the program outreach activities, could result in a 10% decrease in herd size, which drives the greater share of emission reductions. Increases in productivity (50–67%) and
decreases in absolute emissions (-10%) that resulted from REGAL-AG’s interventions
decreased the emission intensity 33-40% (emissions per unit production) for all livestock
types
Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement Activity II in Ghana: Climate change mitigation co-benefits from sustainable intensification of maize, soybean, and rice
An analysis of the potential climate change
mitigation impact of the project entitled
Agricultural Development and Value Chain
Enhancement Activity II (ADVANCE II) in Ghana
shows that an approximate reduction in
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 100% will
be possible. When project targets are achieved,
ADVANCE II will transform the project area from
a low net source of GHG emissions to roughly
carbon neutrality. *
ADVANCE II is estimated to achieve moderate
GHG mitigation benefits that are driven by soil
management improvements (-9,223 tCO2e/yr),
crop residue burning reductions (-4,249
tCO2e/yr), and alternate wetting and drying
(AWD) of irrigated rice (-858 tCO2e/yr).
The moderate increase in fertilizer and pesticide
use supported by the project leads to small
increases in GHG emissions (1,244 tCO2e/yr
and 2,514 tCO2e/yr respectively).
ADVANCE II provides important benefits for low
emission development (LED) by significantly
reducing the crop GHG emission intensity (GHG
emissions per unit of production). This is
achieved mainly through strong growth in
agricultural productivity and reductions in
postharvest losses
Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement through Market Expansion (PRIME) in Ethiopia: Mitigation co-benefits of livestock productivity
Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement
through Market Expansion (PRIME) showed a
notable decrease in emission intensity (GHG
emissions per unit of meat or milk). PRIME
enabled farmers to increase production
significantly, between 24% and 96%, which led
to a decrease in emission intensity ranging from
-4% to -42%.
Due to improvements in feed quantity, PRIME
projected an increase in average animal weight
for all livestock (8.3 million head), which resulted
in an increase in GHG emissions by an
estimated 1.5 million tCO2e/yr.
PRIME empowered stakeholders collectively to
design and establish plans for effective
management of pastures and water. The project
supported soil and water conservation
measures, enclosing degraded pastures,
selective bush thinning, and clearing the
invasive plant Prosopis. These practices
improved pasture plant quality and reduced bare
soil and overgrazing, which resulted in increased
sequestration of soil carbon. These grassland
improvements were estimated to sequester -0.1
million tCO2e/yr
Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management
Analysis of agricultural activities in the Better
Life Alliance (BLA) project in Zambia showed
potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
(GHG), mostly (85%) due to avoided savanna
degradation and conversion. The GHG impact
due to BLA’s interventions is estimated at
–902,531 tCO2e/yr, equivalent to saving
2,089,550 barrels of oil.
BLA’s business model linked prevention of
degradation and conversion of shrubland to
market-based incentives for agricultural crops,
thereby providing farmers with economic
incentives for conservation and climate change
mitigation.
BLA promoted a comprehensive approach to soil
fertility management. It promoted agroecological
approaches such as recycling farm
organic resources, planting nitrogen-fixing trees,
minimal tillage, and cover crops.
BLA reduced postharvest loss (PHL) through
improved product processing, storage, and
packaging. Changes in PHL were estimated for
groundnuts (–100%), maize (–40%), rice
(–80%), and soybeans (–67%), which
contributed to decreases in emission intensity
(GHG emissions per unit of production) for each
of these products
Peru Cacao Alliance: Carbon sequestration as a co-benefit of cacao expansion
The agricultural development project, Peru
Cacao Alliance (PCA), has contributed to climate
change mitigation. Estimated carbon
sequestration from perennial crop expansion,
which was –211,467 tCO2e metric tonnes of
carbon dioxide equivalent per year, more than
offset increased greenhouse gas emission
(GHG) from fertilizer and pesticide management
(10,286 tCO2e). The net difference, –201,180
tCO2e, is equivalent to the carbon content of
465,774 barrels of oil.
The agroforestry system promoted by PCA
included cacao and shade trees. Since PCA
could not provide definitive data detailing the
presence of existing shade trees compared to
the planting of new shade trees, this analysis did
not include carbon dynamics of shade trees. If
new trees were planted for shade, there would
be greater carbon uptake by the system than
presented in this analysis.
PCA reduced emissions intensity for cacao
(CO2e emitted per kg production) through
improved carbon sequestration and increased
yields. PCA improved cacao postharvest
handling (proper pod selection, storage, drying
and fermentation methods) by building
knowledge and capacity in producer
organizations
ACCESO in Honduras: Mitigation co-benefits of perennial crop expansion, soil management, and livestock improvements
The agricultural development project ACCESO
reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and
led to net carbon sequestration due to perennial
crop expansion.
Increased fertilizer use was a moderate source
of emissions that was more than offset by
reduced emissions from other ACCESOsupported
practices, including improvements in
soil, water, and fertilizer management, and in
feed and grassland use by dairy cows.
Compared to conventional practices, ACCESOsupported
activities reduced emission intensity
(GHG emissions per kilogram of output) for
carrots (-106%), cabbages (-99%), maize
(-99%), and potatoes (-98%) compared to
conventional production methods. Emission
intensity increased due to greater fertilizer use
for plantain (55%) and coffee (247%)