Agroforestry and Carbon Markets: Linking Science and
Policy in a Development Context
Alex O. Awiti, PhD
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)23rd November 2011
Land degradation– Degradation affects 65 %
of of cropland in Africa and 51% in Latin America (GLASOD)
– Deforestation and forest degradation –
– 66% of new cropland comes from deforestation
Hunger and malnutrition
22Kg/ha of N, 2.3 Kg/ha P, 15Kg/ha of K lost in 30 yrs – Equivalent to $4 billion in
fertilizer cost (Sanchez, 2002)
Persistent decline in household food production in 60% of rural households in the tropics and subtropics (Stocking, 2003)
Framing the Development – Human Wellbeing Context
Persistent decline in household food production in 60% of rural households in the tropics and subtropics
Globally, ca. (14%) 980 million people in the world are chronically or acutely malnourished.– In SSA, the prevalence of
hunger is 30%– 50% are smallholder farm
households
Chronic hunger results in annual losses of 6 to 10% in foregone GDP due to losses in labor productivity.– Illness and morbidity– Human development – Intergenerational poverty
traps
Framing the Development – Human Wellbeing Context
Coupling between GDP and anthropogenic GHG emissions
CO2 emissions went up in rapidly expanding economies, led by China and India with increases of 10% and 9% respectively.
Natural resource intensive economic growth models are strongly correlated with tropical deforestation – high deforestation rates:
27% in Asia; 19% in SSA; 14 % in Latin America
Tropical deforestation, accounting for some 20%-25% of global CO2 emissions.
Framing the Development – Human Wellbeing Context
A Veritable Carbon Crisis
The Double Whammy: Rapid Increase in Atmospheric CO2 and Severe Depletion of SOC
Cut Anthropogenic CO2
Reduce land Degradation, Enhancing
Ecosystem Services while Improving
Food and Nutritional Security
Equitable and Sustainable
Development
An Existential Challenge
Sustainable Land Use and Land Management:– Sequestration of Carbon in vegetation and soils– Increasing land productivity
Market-based Emission Control Mechanisms: – Strong targets in industrialized countries and
economies in transition could drive capital flows and incentive bundles to support sequestration in soil and vegetation
Meeting the Challenge
Tools to Meet the Challenge
Cut Anthropogenic CO2
Reduce land Degradation, Enhancing
Ecosystem Services while Improving
Food and Nutritional Security
Sustainable land use: Agroforestry
Emissions Trading: Carbon Markets
Equitable and Sustainable
Development
Land use systems that deliberately integrate trees and woody perennials with agricultural crops, pastures and/or livestock on the same land management unit to harness the ecological and socio-economic interactions and emergent services (Lundgren, 1982; Nair,1993; Young, 1997).
Agroforestry
Biomass production (Mg ha-1) in selected improved fallow trials in western Kenya (see Boye, 2000; Ndufa, 2001; Nybert 2001; Impala, 2001)
Maize grain yield (t ha-1) from 2-year coppicing mixed fallow species treatments at Msekera, Eastern Zambia (Adapted from Mafongoya et al., 2006)
Modified from Lal (2005)Rapidly growing plantations
Planted Fallows
Plantation with shade crop
AF with cover crops
No till with residuemulch
Traditional cropping
Improved land use mgt
Conversion of TFE to cropland
Rel
ativ
e S
OC
Po
ol
His
tori
c lo
ss o
f S
OC
eq
ual
s si
nk
po
ten
tial
100
80
60
20
40
SOC pool under natural forest
0 20 40Time (yrs)