Resource information
This country note briefly summarizes
information relevant to both climate change and agriculture
in Uruguay, with focus on policy developments (including
action plans and programs) and institutional make-up.
Uruguay is one of the four developing countries in the World
to have submitted two national communications to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
indicating strong commitment by the government for
addressing climate change across sectors. Agriculture
(including land use change and forestry) is the largest
contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country
and it is also one of the most important sectors in the
economy, representing 65 percent of the county's export
sources. Significant steps have been made in reforestation
and carbon sequestration in the country, reducing the net
effect of the sector on total GHG emissions. Given that the
emissions reduction potential of the sector is large, carbon
trading opportunities have not yet been explored in the
country. Reducing vulnerability to climate change and, in
particular, to seasonal variability and variations in
precipitation is of increasing importance in the
agricultural sector (and, particular, for water management),
coupled with more sustainable land management practices and
production decisions.
