Agricultural carbon markets: Opportunities and challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa

PwC

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Abstract: Emissions from agriculture contribute approximately 14% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are expected to rise by 38% over the period 19902020. In developing countries emissions from agriculture are a significant,sometimes the primary,source of national emissions. For example,in Africa 43% of total CO2 emissions originate from land clearing for agricultural use and a further 316 billion tonnes of CO2eq are stored in top soils at risk from degradation. Failure to tackle emissions from agriculture will not only undermine national efforts to tackle climate change but will hinder global efforts to keep increases in temperature to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Solutions to agricultural emissions are needed. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can help reduce emissions by sequestering carbon in trees and soils,and by reducing emissions from other sources such as land degradation,livestock and inefficient fertiliser use. At the same time CSA can help agriculture adapt to the impacts of climate change and increase productivity (and thus food security,farmer income and agribusiness profit). CSA represents a ‘triple win’: mitigation,adaptation and productivity.