1. Climate Change Mitigation through Technology Innovations in Agriculture
Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst
and Paul Vlek
Center for Development Research,
University of Bonn

2. Outline 1 Background 2 Technology Development in Agriculture
3 New Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation
4 Adoption Constraints
5 Suggestions for Policies and Instruments

3. Background
Agriculture causes about 25 % global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, 65 % of CH4, and 90 % of N2O emissions.
GWP: CH4, – 21times higher than CO2; N2O – 310 times higher;
Largest source of emissions – transformation of forest to agricultural land
But, agriculture is also affected by climate change
through increased climate variability
(Modest) mitigation options are available that could result in win-win solutions
Productivity increases are necessary to guarantee adoption

4. Technology Development in Agriculture
Research
Scale:
International (16 IARCs - CGIAR)
National (NARS)
Local (NGOs, local knowledge)
Policy directions for research:
Economic policies
Trade : export crops
Social policies
Appropriate technologies, low input technologies
Environmental policies
Reduced GHG emissions, anti soil erosion technologies, water saving technologies

5. Capacity for Manufacturing or Multiplication of Technology
Focus of Research:
still top down
but more focus on participatory approaches
Capacity for Manufacturing or Multiplication of Technology
Examples
Mulching machine (Eastern Amazon Region)
Seed multiplication (Zimbabwe)

6. New Agricultural Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation - Rice-Wheat Systems
24-27 million ha in South and East Asia
Rice – flooded fields; Wheat well-drained soils;
Rice:
Emissions:
methane and nitrous oxide
(carbon dioxide – straw burning)
Mitigation strategies:
proper management of organic inputs
temporary (mid-season) field drainage
direct seeding (-18% CH4)

7. Wheat
Emissions: nitrous oxide (emitted after fertilization, irrigation and heavy rains or during fallow periods)
Mitigation strategies:
Emissions less sensitive to
management practices
Problem:
Antagonism between methane and nitrous oxide emissions, hence targeting one gas alone is inappropriate.

8. New Agricultural Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation - Pastoral Ecosystems of the Tropics
Worldwide grazing land covers ¼ of earth‘s land surface - twice the area under crops
Savannas: greatest storage capacity for belowground carbon
Soil carbon losses through: land conversion (pasture – crop land); grazing management
Methane emission: derive from grazing animals
Nitrous oxide emissions (low in developing countries): fertilizer use, land conversion, manure application

9. Mitigating strategies - Carbon dioxide
Pastoral lands will lose above and belowground C when they become drier due to climate change.
Mitigating strategies - Carbon dioxide
Improved grazing management (0.5 t C ha-1)
Reduction in grazing intensity
and biomass burning
Improvement of degraded land
Reduction of soil erosion
Changes in species mix to deep-root grasses
(Substitution of renewable biological products for fossil fuels – commercial ranches LA)

10. Implementation Requirements
Policies:
Government regulations, taxes, subsidies
Incentives for Carbon market development:
Strengthen institutional linkages between countries selling/buying
Strengthen pastoral networks of communication
Information through extension services
Functioning and accountable community governance structures
Monitoring systems for carbon stocks

11. Alternatives to Slash and Burn
New Agricultural Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation - Other Systems
Alternatives to Slash and Burn
Managed forests
Agroforestry
Wheat, Maize, Soybean, etc.
No-tillage (accumulation of soil Carbon, less fossil fuel use)
Reduced N fertilization

12. Adoption Constraints: Farmers Perspective
Lack of:
Information
Capital
Transportation
Incentives (low potential to increased returns)
Temporary land tenure and water rights
Unreliable supplies
Risk aversion and vulnerability of farmers

13. Suggestions for Policies and Instruments
Rural poverty
reduction
Payments for
environmental services,
provide market
opportunities
Information
and
Education
Media support,
free education
Property
rights
Legal instruments:
contract enforcement
Policy coordination
and linking by sector
(environmental, agricultural)
and level
(national, local)
Participation in
policy design,
subsidiarity,
decentralisation

14. Enabling environment: Generation of data base Enabling environment:
International Level
Policies
Instruments
Research
Targeted
funding
Technology
exchange
Enabling environment:
patents,
technology advice
Information
Generation of data base
and dissemination
of findings
Trade
Enabling environment:
WTO negotiations,
labeling
(climate change
mitigation)

15. On Balance …
Agricultural technologies for modest climate change mitigation exist.
More needs to be known about their effects and interactions (all GHG) under different conditions.
Mechanisms to support technology adoption need to be developed.