Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management

Key messages: - Analysis of agricultural activities in the Better Life Alliance (BLA) project in Zambia showed potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), mostly (85%) due to avoided savanna degradation and conversion. The GHG impact due to BLA's interventions is estimated at –902,531 tC...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Nash, Julie, Grewer, Uwe, Bockel, Louis, Galford, Gillian L., Pirolli, Gillian, White, Julianna M.
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77621
Descripción
Sumario:Key messages: - Analysis of agricultural activities in the Better Life Alliance (BLA) project in Zambia showed potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), mostly (85%) due to avoided savanna degradation and conversion. The GHG impact due to BLA's interventions is estimated at –902,531 tCO2e/yr, equivalent to saving 2,089,550 barrels of oil. - BLA's business model linked prevention of degradation and conversion of shrubland to market-based incentives for agricultural crops, thereby providing farmers with economic incentives for conservation and climate change mitigation. - BLA promoted a comprehensive approach to soil fertility management. It promoted agro-ecological approaches such as recycling farm organic resources, planting nitrogen-fixing trees, minimal tillage, and cover crops. - BLA reduced postharvest loss (PHL) through improved product processing, storage, and packaging. Changes in PHL were estimated for groundnuts (–100%), maize (–40%), rice (–80%), and soybeans (–67%), which contributed to decreases in emission intensity (GHG emissions per unit of production) for each of these products.