Agriculture Matters in the INDCs: Data and Maps

June 21, 2016
Joyce-Lynn Njinga
Blog Post
Of 162 pledges for climate action (INDCs), 119 (in red) intend to make emissions reductions in agriculture, and 127 (in blue) list agriculture as a priority for adaptation.
Of 162 pledges for climate action (INDCs), 119 (in red) intend to make emissions reductions in agriculture, and 127 (in blue) list agriculture as a priority for adaptation.
CCAFS

As of April 28, 2016, 162 pledges for climate action - known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs - were submitted following the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris in 2015 (COP 21).
 
These INDCs will form the basis for implementing the Paris Agreement, with revision every two years and expectation of increasingly ambitious climate change mitigation targets.
 
In May the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) reviewed the INDCs to see what they mean for agriculture:
  • What countries included agriculture in their mitigation and adaptation plans?
  • What practices they prioritized for implementing those plans?
  • How much financial support may be necessary for implementation?
With support from USAID, CCAFS published data and maps of their findings with the hope that they can inform national planning of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Read on for a summary of findings and additional resources. Complete findings and methodology can be found here and the full dataset and maps here.


Summary of Findings Across 162 INDCs:

Agriculture in INDC mitigation targets

In their INDCs, countries were asked to state their targets for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. 119 countries out of 189 included agriculture as one of the sectors in which they intended to make emissions reductions towards their targets; 78 of these were developing countries.

Agriculture in INDC adaptation priorities

Parties to the UNFCCC had the option of including priorities and plans for adaptation to climate change in their INDCs. 134 countries, most of which were developing countries, did so and 126 of those countries listed agriculture as a priority for adaptation.

Agriculture subsector target

Some INDCs provided information on particular agricultural subsectors or activities that countries plan on prioritizing for mitigation or adaptation. While some INDCs mentioned specific agricultural practices, few focused on the enabling services that can facilitate uptake or manage risk (e.g. climate information services, insurance, and credit). 
 
Livestock systems in the INDC
 
61 countries mentioned livestock, 46 countries mentioned manure, and 50 countries mentioned grasslands as priorities for mitigation. 61 countries mentioned the livestock sector as an adaptation priority. Countries that mentioned livestock-related mitigation and adaptation are in purple. A thorough review of livestock mitigation and adaptation is available from Tackling Climate Change through Livestock, Herrero et al. 2015 and Herrero et al. 2013. 
 
Cropping systems in the INDCs

A combination of the following categories was mentioned as mitigation priorities in INDCs: croplands (53 countries), fertilizer management (43 countries), agricultural residues (40 countries), rice paddies (48 countries). 57 countries mentioned crop management or seed systems as priorities for adaptation. Countries that mentioned crop-related mitigation and adaptation are in purple. Examples of cropland mitigation and adaptation strategies include nitrogen efficiency, alternate wetting and drying in paddy rice, carbon sequestration, and conservation agriculture.
 
Agroforestry in the INDCs

23 countries mentioned agroforestry as a mitigation priority and 29 countries mentioned agroforestry as an adaptation priority. Countries that mentioned agroforestry in the context of both mitigation and adaptation are in purple. See this special issue on mitigation and adaptation in agroforestry.

Gender in the INDCs

65 countries mentioned gender in their INDCs, 35 countries mentioned gender in relation to adaptation, and 18 mentioned gender in relation to mitigation. 15 countries included gender in the context of agricultural mitigation or adaptation. Learn more about gender in climate-smart agriculture here.

Cost of mitigation measures in agriculture in INDCs

16 countries provided costs associated with agricultural and land use mitigation measures. The range in cost estimations – $2.5 million to $1.8 billion – and planning strategies illustrate the lack of data available for countries to estimate mitigation costs. Developing countries will require significant financing to implement climate actions required to meet their INDC mitigation targets. Filling the cost data gap is important for countries implementing their INDCs and building a business case to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation. Learn more about mitigation in agriculture costs here.


Additional resources:


The research and findings in this blog are adapted from the original post on the CCAFS website.

 
 
Joyce-Lynn Njinga headshot

Joyce-Lynn is the Site and Community Manager for Climatelinks. She has a background in and passion for addressing challenges at the nexus of climate change and international development. Joyce-Lynn contributes her capacity building, technical content development, and community engagement experience to Climatelinks. She supports and grows the communities encompassed in Climatelinks, connects practitioners with valuable experiences to share, identifies themes for focused engagement and knowledge-sharing activities, and connects practitioners to germane resources. Joyce-Lynn has an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University College London and a B.A. in International Studies from American University.