Measurement, Reporting and Verification for Emissions and Mitigation in Livestock and Agroforestry

With member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) compelled to submit national emission inventories, there is an urgent need for guidance on implementation of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of climate change mitigation actions in the agriculture sector. Though basic requirements and methodologies for MRV have been shared through the UNFCCC, countries have considerable flexibility about the methods they use for both international reporting and domestic MRV systems. In many cases, limited experience and institutional arrangements hamper the development of MRV systems that can accurately estimate emissions and emission reductions. 

In response to demand from countries for MRV systems that can guide climate action and document progress toward mitigation goals, USAID, CCAFS and partners are working with technical experts in countries. Through gathering and sharing resources, South-South learning and international capacity building, the team is helping countries develop MRV systems that are evidence-based, feasible to implement, and relevant for climate change mitigation policy goals in the livestock and agroforestry sectors. 

Grazed and non-grazed pastures
Neil Palmer (CIAT)

USAID and CCAFS are also meeting needs for the development of tools and models that are appropriate in different landscapes and systems. In Colombia, for example, they are working with government and scientific partners to ensure the RUMINANT model accurately estimates greenhouse gas emissions and emission reductions for the feed rations and breeds that are most common in that country.

Livestock MRV.

In 2012, agriculture directly contributed 10-12 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 60 percent of which came from livestock, principally through enteric fermentation (digestion in ruminants) and manure. In 2016 communications to the UNFCCC, more than half of developing countries recognized the potential for mitigation of livestock-related GHG emissions, with 55 specifically mentioning manure management and 43 specifically mentioning enteric fermentation emissions, yet only 5 developing countries had MRV methods in place that could measure emission reductions in livestock resulting from changes in agricultural management practices or increases in productivity. 

To address this gap, USAID, CCAFS and partners called together 32 livestock and MRV experts in February 2017 to discuss how livestock MRV could be improved, given developing countries’ concerns and constraints. They contributed to a peer-reviewed report, also available in French and Spanish, that summarized current practices and identifies opportunities for improvement.

USAID and CCAFS, in partnership with the New Zealand government and the Global Research Alliance for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and others, are now working with experts to identify and test evidence-based and practical methods for developing countries to fill data gaps in order to guide climate action decisions and accurately report emissions and emission reductions. At a meeting in July 2018, experts called for a scientific report that would increase national capacities to measure and monitor progress toward national commitments to improve progress on the Paris Agreement goals and help developing countries meet their obligations under the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the UNFCCC.

Agroforestry MRV.

Many developing countries plan to expand agroforestry—the integration of trees on farms— because it can yield both mitigation and adaption benefits. Indeed, 23 countries mention agroforestry as a solution for climate change mitigation and 29 for adaptation in their nationally determined contributions. However, trees on farms have historically been ignored in greenhouse gas budgets despite being a non-trivial carbon pool, in part because of the institutional and technical challenges to effective MRV of agroforestry.

USAID, CCAFS and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) are conducting research that increases understanding of countries’ current agroforestry MRV systems and describes countries’ needs related to MRV of agroforestry. They are piloting improvements in agroforestry MRV in Colombia and Vietnam. 

RUMINANT model supports low-emission livestock management decisions in Colombia. 

Ensuring that estimation methods and models are applicable in a particular landscape is essential to making informed decisions. Validated models are critical to accurately estimating emissions and emission reductions due to changes in management. Livestock, feed, grasslands, reproduction, and manure management changes affect emissions.

In Colombia, where livestock emissions drive 14 percent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, USAID, CCAFS and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) worked with national partners to validate emission estimates from the RUMINANT model. Since RUMINANT was found to be both precise and accurate in a comparison with field measurements, the government is now using the RUMINANT model to more accurately estimate enteric methane emissions and report them in GHG inventory reports and national communications to the UNFCCC. By using the RUMINANT model, the government identified feeding strategies using Colombia’s pastures and cattle breeds that will reduce methane emission intensity by 20 percent, supporting Colombia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitment of reducing GHG emissions by 20 percent by 2030. The RUMINANT model could also be used by other nations. 

Resources
Livestock
Agroforestry
RUMINANT model