Agriculture and Forestry:Agriculture and Forestry:Their Potential to Mitigate Climate Change at a Global ScaleTheir Potential to Mitigate Climate Change at a Global Scale

Sara J. Scherr, Ecoagriculture PartnersLand Use Carbon & Poverty Reduction: Challenges & Opportunities

Washington, DC, March 13, 2009

Most terrestrial area is in agricultural, Most terrestrial area is in agricultural, grazing or production forest landscapesgrazing or production forest landscapes

Emissions reduction and sequestration in Emissions reduction and sequestration in working landscapes: Huge potentialworking landscapes: Huge potential

PES for climate change can integratePES for climate change can integrateproduction, ecosystem, livelihood goalsproduction, ecosystem, livelihood goals

Conservation Ecosystem

process & function

Wild biodiversity

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Locally beneficial services

Globally & regionally beneficial services

Sustainable

Agriculture

Livelihood support

PAYMENT FOR

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

So why is the climate change community So why is the climate change community so skeptical? so skeptical?

They are uninformed

They are afraid A-F will distract from action on energy

They don’t trust A-F will be real (permanence, msrmt)

They don’t believe it is feasible to achieve A-F impacts at scale

Challenge 1: Can we mobilize A-F at a Challenge 1: Can we mobilize A-F at a large enough scale to make a difference large enough scale to make a difference for the climate? for the climate?

Perception of agriculture and forestry as lagging sectors with weak institutions

Climate action to date has focused on small projects, thus few models

Smallholders assumed to = small scale

Perception of low economies of scale due to site-specificity/diversity of solutions

Focus on achieving high impacts per hectare, rather than high total impacts

Political reluctance to set climate standards or regulations for agricultural sector

Challenge 2: Community planning --Challenge 2: Community planning --Too hard? too costly? too risky? Too hard? too costly? too risky?

Challenge 3: Will value chains generate Challenge 3: Will value chains generate sufficient incentives for producers?sufficient incentives for producers?

Yes we can: Operate at scale Yes we can: Operate at scale

Large-scale government programs for restoring degraded lands and forests (e.g., India, China)

Large-scale development projects on sustainable land management (e.g., IFAD, Sahel)

National platforms for coordinating action on SLM (e.g., TerrAfrica)

Territorial management initiatives (e.g., in Andes, Mesoamerica)

NGO, farmer, agribusiness networks (e.g., IFAP, EAFF, dairy networks)

Yes we can: Mobilize communities for Yes we can: Mobilize communities for climate planning and investmentclimate planning and investment

Initiate climate action with organized & tenure-secure communities

Build capacity of farmer and local/landscape organizations (numerous landscape initiatives)

Develop small grant facilities for local analysis, planning, technical assistance, mapping (e.g., Google Earth)

Ensure community representatives are ‘at the table’ to set PES rules (e.g., CKS; start with Copenhagen)

Yes we can: Build efficient value chains for Yes we can: Build efficient value chains for climate payments to farmersclimate payments to farmers

Institutionalize intermediary & bundling services, accountable to farmer clients (e.g., build on farmer coop models)

Establish livelihood-focused Carbon Funds (e.g., Food Security Carbon Fund)

Utilize landscape-scale planning and monitoring tools (e.g. www.landscapemeasures.org)

“Bundle” agricultural products with climate regulation services

Incorporate into outgrower schemes (numerous models)

Building support for full inclusion of Building support for full inclusion of agriculture & forestry in climate actionagriculture & forestry in climate action

Building a rigorous case for the potential to scale

• Document existing programs that can be scaled

• Document landscape-wide GHG emissions/storage in diverse landscapes

• Calculate impacts of landscape-wide action

Devise concrete strategies for action at scale

• Pilot country plans where major co-benefits identified for ‘re-carbonizing’ or protecting standing carbon in landscapes

• Integrate climate action in major agricultural investment programs of donors & development banks

• Mobilize voluntary carbon market to pilot and document diverse strategies

Thank you…Thank you…

www.ecoagriculture.org