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Performance and Potential of Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Performance and Potential of Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa Performance and Potential of Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa Jeffrey C. Milder Terhi Majanen Sara J. Scherr An assessment of WWF and CARE projects in support of the WWF-CARE Alliance’s Rural Futures Initiative Final Report February 2011 Authors Jeffrey C. Milder, Ph.D., EcoAgriculture Partners Terhi Majanen, EcoAgriculture Partners Sara J. Scherr, Ph.D., EcoAgriculture Partners Project Advisors from CARE-WWF Alliance Sarah Davidson, WWF-US Jonathan Haskett, World Agroforestry Centre Kevin T. Kamp, CARE Marcos Athias Neto, CARE Cover images courtesy of EcoPort (http://www.ecoport.org) : D. Lange and H. Smith. Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation page 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Study Background.............................................................................................................................. 9 A Definition of CA for Sub-Saharan Africa .................................................................................... 10 Project Scope and Approach .............................................................................................................. 15 Study Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 15 Study Questions ............................................................................................................................... 17 Literature Review: An Overview of CA in Africa ............................................................................ 18 CA Adoption Worldwide and in Africa ........................................................................................... 18 Evidence on Key Outcomes of CA in Africa ................................................................................... 21 Yield .......................................................................................................................................... 21 Profitability .............................................................................................................................. 23 Labor ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Gender Dimensions .................................................................................................................. 25 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ....................................................................................... 26 Principal Constraints and Opportunities for CA in Africa ............................................................... 27 Agroecological and Climatic Suitability .................................................................................. 28 Knowledge Constraints ............................................................................................................ 28 Input Constraints ...................................................................................................................... 29 Financial Constraints ............................................................................................................... 29 Policy and Structural Constraints ............................................................................................ 30 Results: Assessing Existing CA Practice and Approaches .............................................................. 32 Question 1: CA and Climate Adaptation ......................................................................................... 32 Question 2: CA Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Balances ................................................................... 33 Review of Evidence on CA, GHG Emissions, and Carbon Sequestration ................................ 36 Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification .................................................................................. 38 Question 4: Potential to Generate Marketable, Cost-Effective Carbon Credits ............................... 39 Current Status of Carbon Markets Globally, and in Africa ..................................................... 40 Financial Viability of Smallholder Agricultural Carbon Projects in Africa ............................ 45 Question 5: Synergies and Tradeoffs among Multiple Objectives .................................................. 46 Competition for Crop Residue and Biomass ............................................................................ 46 Yield vs. Adaptation: Tradeoff or Straw Man? ........................................................................ 47 Ecosystem Service Markets and Carbon Finance: Co-Benefits or Co-Harms? ...................... 47 Timing of Synergies and Tradeoffs ........................................................................................... 48 Results: Options for Future Program and Policy Action ................................................................ 49 Question 3: Opportunities to Increase Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Value .......................... 49 Analysis of Existing Projects .................................................................................................... 49 Improving Climate Adaptation in CA Projects ........................................................................ 53 Improving Climate Change Mitigation and Conservation Linkages in CA Projects ............... 56 Program and Portfolio Design ................................................................................................. 58 Question 6: Policy Options and Priorities for Supporting Climate-Friendly CA ............................ 61 Scaling Up CA in Africa: A Perspective from South America ................................................. 62 Policy Initiatives to Move CA from Projects to Programs ....................................................... 64 Strategic Roles for CARE and WWF ........................................................................................ 65 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................... 66 Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation page 2 Appendix 1: Examples of CARE and WWF CA Initiatives ............................................................ 71 Appendix 2: Benefits, Barriers, and Challenges of CA .................................................................... 74 Appendix 3: A Framework for Evaluating Climate Change Adaptation in CA ........................... 78 Appendix 4: Synthesis of GHG Data from Agroecosystem Components ....................................... 85 Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation page 3 List of Tables Table 1. Area under conservation agriculture by continent.................................................................... 18 Table 2. Rates of CA adoption in Africa ................................................................................................ 19 Table 3. Impacts of agricultural management practices on GHG fluxes ................................................ 35 Table 4. Frameworks relevant to carbon market transactions ................................................................ 41 Table 5. GHG mitigation activities in African carbon projects involving farmers ................................ 42 Table 6. Project developer/investor types in African carbon projects .................................................... 44 Table A1-1. Examples of CARE and WWF CA initiatives ................................................................... 71 Table A2-1. Benefits, barriers, and challenges of CA ............................................................................ 74 Table A3-1. Adaptation and resilience framework ................................................................................ 82 Table A4-1. GHG emissions reduction and carbon sequestration for CA in sub-Saharan Africa ......... 85 List of Figures Figure 1. Alternative conceptions of conservation agriculture ............................................................... 12 Figure 2. “Expanding orbits” of practices, activities, and institutions to support CA ............................ 14 Figure 3. Four pathways to CA adoption ............................................................................................... 20 Figure 4. Soil carbon sequestration potential of combinations of agricultural practices ........................ 37 Figure 5. Ranges for carbon sequestration potential of different CA components ................................ 38 Figure 6. Adoption trajectory for no-till farming in Brazil and Argentina ............................................. 63 Figure A3-1. Sustainagility ladder ......................................................................................................... 78 Figure A3-2. Adaptability cube .............................................................................................................. 80 Figure A3-3. CARE’s framework for community-based adaptation ..................................................... 81 List of Boxes Box 1. CA and good agronomic practices go hand-in-hand ..................................................................
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