Forest Trends and the Katoomba Group have developed a tool, REDD Opportunities Scoping Exercise (ROSE), in order to assess how and where to carry out REDD activities in a particular country. These reports present a summary of key findings by experts in the field and an analysis of the legal and policy framework for tree and forest carbon in Ghana. A group of 20 experts came together to decide on a set of criteria for prioritizing REDD projects, and they discussed legal, institutional, and policy gaps and barriers to action. The second report shows how the current legal and regulatory structure for forestry and lands in Ghana provides indications and precedents for how carbon rights and benefits might be managed and distributed, while highlighting significant hurdles and challenges that will need to be addressed. As one of the main drivers of deforestation in Ghana, cocoa farming (and increasing productivity and income for farmers in order to avoid further deforestation) was identified as a priority target.

ROSE Expert Workshop Report

Implications of the Legal and Policy Framework for Tree and Forest Carbon in Ghana

While Cargill has already implemented several projects in its own processing facilities to decrease or capture greenhouse gas emissions, the agribusiness recently formed a partnership with the Japanese trading firm, Marubeni, to further its reduction projects. Cargill plans to increase its collaboration in greenhouse emissions reduction projects (such as REDD and renewable energy projects) and generate emissions reduction credits. For more information, click here.

COMESA plans to devote US$50 million in funding for carbon emissions trading projects in Africa this year, and increase funding over the next three years. Grant funding will specifically target farmers and private companies looking towards forestry and related land-use projects. The initiative will also provide assistance to poor and indigenous farmers who would otherwise be financially precluded from entering the carbon market. For more information, click here.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed Chesapeake Bay on their List of Impaired Waters, requiring action on the part of Bay States, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, to restore the health of the watershed. Currently under consideration, the "Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act of 2009" would supply resources and mitigation options towards this end. An interstate nutrient trading program is included in the proposed bill and could increase the profits of farmers who invest in cover crops, riparian buffers, and other measures to reduce nutrient loads and runoff. In theory, after meeting a baseline level, farmers could sell credits from further reductions to other polluters, such as wastewater treatment plants. World Resources Institute(WRI) conducted an analysis that determined farmers could see a potential $11,000 increase in their profits, if nitrogen were priced at $20 per pound. 

WRI recently received additional funding from an EPA/United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant to continue this research into a nutrient trading scheme for Chesapeake Bay states. For more information, click here.

The Australian government proposed allotting A$3.1 billion to buy back water rights from farmers in the Murray-Darling basin. Another A$5.8 billion would be spent to improve water-use efficiency in the basin. While many parties, including the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and environmental groups, see the necessity in such an action, farmers are concerned with the reductions in irrigation water. This could lead many to leave farming for other employment, decreasing the region’s production of food and fibre. For more information, click here. 

With considerable attention paid to agro-biodiversity conservation, this London-based investment firm specializes in the conversion of conventional agricultural lands to organic and ecological management methods. They account for ecosystem services and climate change mitigation potential in their assessment, as well as how to tap into markets for carbon, goods, and services rendered.

Researchers looked at the effectiveness of “green” market pressures on realizing on-the-ground environmental improvements in an Environment for Development (EFD) analysis of the environmental performance of organically grown coffee in Costa Rica. They found that organic certification reduced coffee growers’ chemical input and increased inclusion of environmentally-sound management practices.

The Institute for Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora) has undertaken an initiative to promote sustainable cocoa, carrying out a pilot project in Southern Bahia, Brazil. This pilot will help determine an appropriate methodology for paying for ecosystem services and develop demand for cocoa. Payment for services will benefit local farmers, and reliable certification will garner support from chocolate manufacturers trying to reach the ethical cocoa market. Read more here.

This policy brief from the Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins (ASB) presents a case for reconsidering what land areas are considered for REDD payments. It argues that REDD overlooks important carbon reserves or may actually prompt a shift to emissions from a different land cover and use. Carbon stocks beyond traditional forests, such as in agro-ecosystems, are overlooked but harbor large reserves and are at considerable risk of depletion. An approach for Reducing Emissions from All Land Uses (REALU) is promoted.

As Australian elections neared, incumbent prime minister Julia Gillard pledged to institute a carbon-trading scheme for Australia. This plan would work towards reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions and keep the country economically competitive in a global economy that favors lower carbon intensity. A carbon credit scheme targeted for farmers made its debut mid-August in New South Wales. ABC News also reported on a Victorian Parliamentary Committee study finding that farmers should own the carbon in their soil, a critical detail that needs clarification before moving forward with a carbon market. However, a month later and after Gillard had been re-elected post, little movement has occurred in regards to implementing carbon trading. For more information, click here.

Australia and New Zealand’s Science Alert recently reported on Australia’s National Carbon Offset Standard that came into effect in July 2010. While not law, this framework sets up Australian businesses, particularly farms, to earn carbon offsets in a voluntary market. Details of measuring and monitoring, setting a baseline, and variations in emission from shifting land uses are still unclear. 

In light of the European Union’s legally binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020, Ireland has instituted a carbon tax as an initial step. Irish agriculture is already one of the more ecologically sound in the industrialized world, but the sector is still struggling with how to meet reduction targets. There is also contention over the level of emissions reductions, considering the lack of conclusive data on what impact different measures will have. Standardizing metrics and calculation methods for carbon counting are also regarded as top priorities. For more information, click here.

The Star Phoenix reported on a new greenhouse gas bill that Saskatchewan has passed. This bill may open the door for farmers to be paid for reducing emissions or sequestering carbon. A similar scheme in Alberta a few years ago benefited farmers who could sell carbon credits for conservation measures taken on the farm. However, skeptics are concerned about whether large emitters will be willing to pay for credits rather than emission-reduction projects, and if the demand for credits will be large enough to meet the supply.

States in the Chesapeake Bay watershed were found to be in violation of the Clean Water Act and are now required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the level of pollutants entering the water to a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL, under review) by 2025. Open for comments until October 30^th, the action plan for realizing these reductions proposes funding mechanisms and activities to improve the health and vitality of the Chesapeake Bay. Included in the current action plan, are financial and technical supports for farmers in high-priority areas to implement conservation measures to curb agricultural runoff. The updated plan will take into account the flaws EPA found in the original drafts and proposed TMDLs. For more information, click here.

USDA Office of Environmental Markets (OEM) released a plan to develop multiple markets for ecosystem services that will help ease economic hardships farmers face and protect the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Army Corps of Engineers would ensure compliance and accountability. USDA’s strategic plan to move forward was released in September 2010. For more information, click here.

New Zealand’s Farmers Weekly publication revealed the opposition of the farming community to the proposed Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS). The legislation enacted in late September 2010 will impose a carbon tax on various sectors, to be phased in over the next five years. Mandatory reporting for the agricultural sector will begin in 2012, with payment for emissions to start during 2015. As of 30^th September, an eight member advisory committee has been formed to help define agriculture’s role in the ETS. Members include representatives from the pastoral sector, research groups, and Maori people.

The national emissions trading scheme in New Zealand has prompted an unintended move from sheepherding to tree-planting. While moving from methane-emitting livestock to reforesting pastureland may earn farmers money, New Zealand’s national farmers’ lobby, the Federated Farmers, argues that farmers haven’t considered the dangers of reforestation spurred on by the carbon credit market. Both articles present potential unanticipated consequences, such as impacts on local communities that rely on the livestock trade for associated jobs, increased fires, and loss of economic supports if the carbon market fails. 

This discussion paper from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) addresses the possible place for agriculture in mitigating climate change. Besides the background information on the role of agriculture in climate change mitigation plans, the paper also clarifies the differing opportunities for agriculture in voluntary versus regulatory carbon markets. Agriculture holds great potential for carbon sequestration with good soil management and land-use practices, however, farmers face considerable barriers to entering a carbon market. Uncertainty in measurement and accounting, high transaction costs, and many other hurdles serve to bar farmers’ access to this potentially lucrative market.

The Carbon Farming Handbook provides background on carbon in agricultural systems, as well as a guide on how to incorporate this knowledge into farming practices. Carbon Farming, as defined here, is essentially good soil management, including incorporating compost, maintaining ground cover, and fostering active soil microbes. The book also documents payment and trading resources, and advises farmers on how to enter a carbon market. The author, Michael Kiely, is a wool farmer in New South Wales and first convened the Carbon Coalition and Soil Carbon Authority. To learn more, click here.

The World Agroforestry Centre released a research summary on agroforestry schemes within the REDD framework, describing them as beneficial interventions for African countries. The report provides guidelines and recommendations for pursuing REDD projects. It also stresses the need to garner the political support to set up these projects, provide people with seeds and training, and develop ways to scale up agroforestry projects to have substantial impacts on climate change mitigation.

The Environmental Law Centre at the Internation Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) outlined the key activities from a recent stakeholders’ consultation held by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Over the course of the meeting, participants discussed how payment schemes for ecosystem services can enhance food security and addressed information on legal frameworks. Through this consultation, participants stressed the need for a common language and consistent terminology, as well as a clear definition of payment for environmental services (PES) and its role in achieving food security. The article highlighted additional feedback presented in the consultation, including the role of PES in development, the larger policy framework, and sustainability endeavors.

A new report produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations discusses ways to address climate change adaptation and mitigation in agricultural landscapes. It outlines principles of sustainable production intensification, proper nutrient management, efficient harvesting and processing, and diversification to spread risk and increase resilience. Part of the report touches upon institutions and policies necessary to ensure maintained food security and agro-ecosystem integrity in the face of climate change. Financing mechanisms are a big part of this, with commentary and examples of payment for ecosystem services (sections 2.6.4 and 3.5.2).

This calculator, developed by W.K. Kellogg Biological Station researchers, allows farmers in the USA to determine the amount of greenhouse gases emitted or stored on their farm. The simple web-based application accounts for the types of crops, yields, tillage practices, and nitrogen fertilizer rates. Using localized USDA statistics, the calculator provides data on both carbon and nitrogen based gases. For more information, click here.

Michigan State University has developed a straightforward methodology for calculating nitrous oxide emissions reductions from alterations to farmers’ fertilizer application. The process employs IPCC tier 1 default emission factors, and it varies depending on the state in question. This methodology is a short to medium term solution to reducing N₂O pollution and a precursor to the more complex modeling approaches under development.

The Climate Action Reserve (CAR) has released updated guidelines for the involvement of livestock operations in carbon markets. Version 3.0 of the Livestock Project Protocol recognizes carbon crediting for capture of methane from manure and converting it to energy via biogas digesters. All livestock operations participating require third-party verification to be included in CAR’s registery of credits. A set of scoping meetings this month will focus on project types and gather feedback to inform current and develop new protocols for agricultural projects that sequester greenhouse gases.

Defenders of Wildlife and Potomac Conservancy issued this publication as a resource for landowners on the incentives in place with the 2008 United States Farm Bill. It is a step-through guide on choosing which conservation program makes the most sense for a farmer’s needs and how to proceed with applying for a specific program. Most of the Farm Bill programs center around wildlife and habitat protection, but several target water quality and nutrient management. 

This Reuters article touches upon one of the concerns associated with the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) Framework as it comes up for discussion again at the climate change talks in Cancun this December. Indonesia may propose including palm oil plantations in the classification of forest, whereas others argue supporting palm oil trees with a carbon payment scheme would lead to further deforestation and monoculture plantations. 

This set of workshops aimed to draw connections between agriculture sector, carbon market, research, policy, and investment stakeholders looking to develop carbon markets in which agriculture can play a role. Presentations, preliminary material, and reports on quantifying greenhouse gases in the agricultural sector and integrating the industry into burgeoning carbon markets are available on the workshop website. 

As part of Carbon Farming Week, this conference and exposition serves to familiarize farmers with the potential for carbon credits and management options they can incorporate into their own practices to generate these credits. The two-day conference included speakers on carbon and nitrogen emissions offsetting and market solutions. To visit the conference website, click here. 

Soil Carbon Coalition has introduced a competition to document how fast carbon can be converted into organic matter. Through a longer-term monitoring scheme, the SCC is trying to gather data from land managers across the globe to build a case for the role of soil in sequestering carbon.

This conference hosted by the Quivira Coalition, focuses on carbon sequestration strategies, with particular attention paid to food production systems. EcoAgriculture Partners’ Sara Scherr will be giving a presentation on mitigating climate change through food and land use. There is another presentation by Dr. Bill Chameides of Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, on carbon markets. 

The conference presents a range of information on environmental valuation and accounting, with highlights of ecosystem services projects taking place around the world. While there are no sessions specifically on agriculture, it looks like many of the talks will touch upon that sector. To visit the conference website, click here.