ASB News and Events

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Identification of Agricultural Mitigation Projects in Developing Countries

Under the Agricultural Mitigation Programme at FAO a new five-year project was launched at the beginning of this year on Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture (MICCA: http://www.fao.org/climatechange/micca/en/) with initial funding from the Finnish Government. One of the activities of the project is to test in practice the integration of agricultural techniques which mitigate climate change into the current practices of smallholders in developing countries.

As a first step we want to identify what existing agricultural mitigation projects there are in developing countries (including agroforestry) to clarify which farming systems are already covered, which technologies are applied, how mitigation “efficient” these are and which remuneration systems are used for the farmers.

We will analyse this information in terms of covered/missing farming systems and agro-ecological zones, and in a second step identify a number of existing agricultural projects in these “gap areas” that could incorporate a mitigation component and be used to broaden the range of agricultural mitigation activities being evaluated worldwide.

In a third step we want to then establish, in collaboration with existing initiatives and projects, five agricultural mitigation pilot projects which cover different farming systems, agro-ecological zones and geographic regions. The pilots are planned to have a three-year duration.

Thus, we would like to invite you, if you are involved in or know of any ongoing agricultural mitigation project in a developing country, to send us information on this/these project(s). The information will be compiled into a working paper which will be shared with you. We hope that you will see this as an opportunity to promote smallholder mitigation strategies and prevent experience and knowledge from being lost.

Please send the information to: micca@fao.org

ASB and partners convene REDD workshops in Africa and Asia

Workshops for developing countries working to reduce emissions from deforestation and land use change were held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 1-3 March 2010, and Hue City, Viet Nam, from 8-10 March 2010.

The workshops were hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Alternatives to Slash and Burn Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins (ASB), and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The workshops follow previous meetings in 2009 on “REDD at the Copenhagen Climate Talks and Beyond- Bridging the Gap between Negotiations and Actions.”

Asia workshop: Keynote speakers Mr. Le Duc Ngoan, Vice-Rector, Hue University of Agriculture; Mr. John Drexhage, International Institute for Sustainable Development; Mr. Pham Van Tan, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of Vietnam; Dr. Peter A Minang, ASB Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins

The workshop in Kenya included 70 participants from 15 countries and the workshop in Viet Nam included 55 individuals from seven countries. The workshops analyzed the outcomes of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen with regard to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) and reducing emissions from other land uses. Participants shared perspectives from across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, as well as experiences from readiness and demonstration projects.

Africa Workshop: ASB Global Coordinator Peter A Minang (back) with keynote speakers at the Nairobi workshop: Morten Nordskag (Royal Norwegian Embassy), Dr. Alice Kaudia (Kenya’s Environment Secretary) and Prof. August Temu (ICRAF Partnerships Directorate)

In charting a course for the coming year, negotiators and stakeholders considered some of the issues that will be at play in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Cancun, Mexico in December 2010. One particular message that emerged in both workshops is the importance of demonstration projects in generating lessons that can feed into the negotiations. This kind of  ‘learning by doing’ has not yet been sufficiently developed in Asia and Africa.

The meeting organizers produced a background paper, titled REDD After Copenhagen: The Way Forward, which  analyzes the COP15 outcomes on REDD-plus and agriculture, forests and land use (AFOLU) and assesses key areas for moving ahead with REDD implementation. [Background Paper] [Workshop Website]

REDD-plus & Biodiversity e-Newsletter

In the latest issue of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) “REDD-plus & Biodiversity e-Newsletter” highlights new publications and events relating to biodiversity and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD-plus). Read more…

Legal Frameworks for REDD: Design and Implementation at the National Level

The final version of IUCN Environmental Policy and Law Paper No. 77, “Legal Frameworks for REDD: Design and Implementation at the National Level,” first launched at Copenhagen COP 15/CMP 5 in December 2009, is available for download at the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC) website http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/eplp_77.pdf

An effective mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) could provide a powerful tool for mitigating global carbon dioxide levels as well as greatly enhancing developing country tropical forest conservation and sustainable development. Given that many tropical forest countries likely to host a majority of REDD projects also demonstrate the weakest forest governance records in recent decades, however, the design and implementation of legal and institutional frameworks relevant for REDD governance will require especially careful evaluation.

Responding to this challenge, the IUCN Environmental Law Centre has completed a comprehensive study on national legal frameworks for REDD in conjunction with partner international and national REDD legal experts. The report includes case studies from Brazil, Cameroon, Guyana and Papua New Guinea, which serve as a basis for further analysis and recommendations for the development of laws and regulations for REDD. The report identifies the following four main themes central to ensuring successful REDD legal regimes and elaborates relevant legal and policy considerations with regard to each:

• Ownership of Land, Forest and Carbon
• Participation, Balancing of Rights and Interests, and Prior Informed Consent
• Benefit Sharing
• Additionality and Permanence

FAO analysis of Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change post-Copenhagen

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has posted an information note on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change in the Post-Copenhagen process. The note summarizes progress made during UNFCCC COP15 on inclusion of agriculture in developing countries under a future climate deal. In particular, it details how agriculture has emerged as an important part of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in developing countries. Read more (PDF).