The total number of livestock worldwide

is estimated at 17 billion. Around two thirds

- 5 billion hectares - of the world’s

total agricultural area is used to feed these

animals, including 3.4 billion hectares of

grazing land. Much of this land has been

severely degraded by overgrazing and

unsustainable production.

...According to the 2016 Climate Risk Index, Myanmar is the second-most-vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change. Joern Kristensen, director of the Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID), has experienced firsthand how new weather patterns are putting farmers under stress. His organisation runs a climate adaptation project in the highland areas of Nyaungshwe and Kalaw in Shan State. “What we can see there is, while precipitation has been more or less the same for the past 20 years, the rainy season has become shorter.

The agricultural development project Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands – Accelerated Growth (REGAL-AG) has promoted improved livestock management that resulted in a decrease in net emissions of 10%. Since emissions from livestock account for the majority of Kenya’s agricultural emissions (95%), reduction of emissions in the livestock sector has high potential impact.

This report is aimed at readers who seek to build economic evidence in support of the inclusion of actions on agriculture in climate change plans and programmes, particularly at the national level under the umbrella of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the December 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to restrict a rise in global temperatures and manage risks.

? The Rwanda Dairy Competitiveness Program II

(RDCP) was estimated to have resulted in a

strong decrease in the GHG emissions intensity

of milk production, defined as the GHG

emissions per unit (liter) of milk produced.

Extensive cattle production systems reduced

their GHG emission intensity by an estimated -

4.11 tCO2e per 1000 l of milk (-60%), while

intensive production systems reduced their

intensity by an estimated -1.7 tCO2e/1000 l (-

47%). The decrease in GHG emission intensity

The agricultural development project ACCESO

reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and

led to net carbon sequestration due to perennial

crop expansion.

? Increased fertilizer use was a moderate source

of emissions that was more than offset by

reduced emissions from other ACCESOsupported

practices, including improvements in

soil, water, and fertilizer management, and in

feed and grassland use by dairy cows.

? Compared to conventional practices, ACCESOsupported

activities reduced emission intensity

Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement

through Market Expansion (PRIME) showed a

notable decrease in emission intensity (GHG

emissions per unit of meat or milk). PRIME

enabled farmers to increase production

significantly, between 24% and 96%, which led

to a decrease in emission intensity ranging from

-4% to -42%.

? Due to improvements in feed quantity, PRIME

projected an increase in average animal weight

for all livestock (8.3 million head), which resulted

in an increase in GHG emissions by an

The study’s findings offer the most compelling quantitative evidence to date of the unparalleled role that forest peoples have to play in climate change mitigation, reinforcing the critical importance of collective tenure security for the sustainable use and protection of the world’s tropical forests and the carbon they sequester.

Marrakech, 11 November 2016 – A new report launched today by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) reveals the crucial role the world’s drylands play in buffering the negative impacts of climate change, land degradation and drought. 

This publication is the result of the workshop on “Responding to Climate Change and Tenure Insecurity in Small Island Developing States – The Role of Land Professionals” held in Christchurch, New Zealand 30 April – 1 May 2016 in connection with the FIG Working Week 2016. It includes a report of the seminar and a FIG Christchurch Declaration as the main outcome of the workshop.

Source: Médiaterre