Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program

This article analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact potential of improved management practices and technologies for smallholder agriculture promoted under a global food security development program. Under 'business-as-usual' development, global studies on the future of agriculture to 2050 project...

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Main Authors: Grewer, Uwe, Nash, Julie, Gurwick, Noel, Bockel, Louis, Galford, Gillian L., Richards, Meryl B., Costa, Ciniro, White, Julianna M., Pirolli, Gillian, Wollenberg, Eva Karoline
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: IOP Publishing 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/96532
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author Grewer, Uwe
Nash, Julie
Gurwick, Noel
Bockel, Louis
Galford, Gillian L.
Richards, Meryl B.
Costa, Ciniro
White, Julianna M.
Pirolli, Gillian
Wollenberg, Eva Karoline
author_browse Bockel, Louis
Costa, Ciniro
Galford, Gillian L.
Grewer, Uwe
Gurwick, Noel
Nash, Julie
Pirolli, Gillian
Richards, Meryl B.
White, Julianna M.
Wollenberg, Eva Karoline
author_facet Grewer, Uwe
Nash, Julie
Gurwick, Noel
Bockel, Louis
Galford, Gillian L.
Richards, Meryl B.
Costa, Ciniro
White, Julianna M.
Pirolli, Gillian
Wollenberg, Eva Karoline
author_sort Grewer, Uwe
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This article analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact potential of improved management practices and technologies for smallholder agriculture promoted under a global food security development program. Under 'business-as-usual' development, global studies on the future of agriculture to 2050 project considerable increases in total food production and cultivated area. Conventional cropland intensification and conversion of natural vegetation typically result in increased GHG emissions and loss of carbon stocks. There is a strong need to understand the potential greenhouse gas impacts of agricultural development programs intended to achieve large-scale change, and to identify pathways of smallholder agricultural development that can achieve food security and agricultural production growth without drastic increases in GHG emissions. In an analysis of 134 crop and livestock production systems in 15 countries with reported impacts on 4.8 million ha, improved management practices and technologies by smallholder farmers significantly reduce GHG emission intensity of agricultural production, increase yields and reduce post-harvest losses, while either decreasing or only moderately increasing net GHG emissions per area. Investments in both production and post-harvest stages meaningfully reduced GHG emission intensity, contributing to low emission development. We present average impacts on net GHG emissions per hectare and GHG emission intensity, while not providing detailed statistics of GHG impacts at scale that are associated to additional uncertainties. While reported improvements in smallholder systems effectively reduce future GHG emissions compared to business-as-usual development, these contributions are insufficient to significantly reduce net GHG emission in agriculture beyond current levels, particularly if future agricultural production grows at projected rates.
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spelling CGSpace965322024-09-02T08:48:07Z Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program Grewer, Uwe Nash, Julie Gurwick, Noel Bockel, Louis Galford, Gillian L. Richards, Meryl B. Costa, Ciniro White, Julianna M. Pirolli, Gillian Wollenberg, Eva Karoline agriculture climate change food security greenhouse gases smallholders This article analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact potential of improved management practices and technologies for smallholder agriculture promoted under a global food security development program. Under 'business-as-usual' development, global studies on the future of agriculture to 2050 project considerable increases in total food production and cultivated area. Conventional cropland intensification and conversion of natural vegetation typically result in increased GHG emissions and loss of carbon stocks. There is a strong need to understand the potential greenhouse gas impacts of agricultural development programs intended to achieve large-scale change, and to identify pathways of smallholder agricultural development that can achieve food security and agricultural production growth without drastic increases in GHG emissions. In an analysis of 134 crop and livestock production systems in 15 countries with reported impacts on 4.8 million ha, improved management practices and technologies by smallholder farmers significantly reduce GHG emission intensity of agricultural production, increase yields and reduce post-harvest losses, while either decreasing or only moderately increasing net GHG emissions per area. Investments in both production and post-harvest stages meaningfully reduced GHG emission intensity, contributing to low emission development. We present average impacts on net GHG emissions per hectare and GHG emission intensity, while not providing detailed statistics of GHG impacts at scale that are associated to additional uncertainties. While reported improvements in smallholder systems effectively reduce future GHG emissions compared to business-as-usual development, these contributions are insufficient to significantly reduce net GHG emission in agriculture beyond current levels, particularly if future agricultural production grows at projected rates. 2018-04-01 2018-08-10T20:53:17Z 2018-08-10T20:53:17Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/96532 en Open Access IOP Publishing Grewer U, Nash J, Gurwick N, Bockel L, Galford G, Richards M, Costa C, White J, Pirolli G, Wollenberg E. 2018. Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program. Environmental Research Letters 13(4):12-13
spellingShingle agriculture
climate change
food security
greenhouse gases
smallholders
Grewer, Uwe
Nash, Julie
Gurwick, Noel
Bockel, Louis
Galford, Gillian L.
Richards, Meryl B.
Costa, Ciniro
White, Julianna M.
Pirolli, Gillian
Wollenberg, Eva Karoline
Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
title Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
title_full Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
title_fullStr Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
title_short Analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
title_sort analyzing the greenhouse gas impact potential of smallholder development actions across a global food security program
topic agriculture
climate change
food security
greenhouse gases
smallholders
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/96532
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