Carbon credit challenges & opportunities for African farmers Richard Fowler Conservation Agriculture Capacitator South Africa FAO/CTIC Conservation Agriculture

Carbon creditchallenges & opportunities

forAfrican farmers

Richard FowlerConservation Agriculture Capacitator

South Africa

FAO/CTICConservation Agriculture Carbon Offset Consultation

October 2008West Lafayette, USA

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Carbon credit challenges & opportunities for African farmers FAO/CTIC, Purdue USA. October 2008

Presentation

• Who / why & what!• The African farmer

• Past

• Present

• Future

• CA & C-related• Challenges

• Opportunities

• A way forward


Who is Richard Fowler?

Swaziland 1964 - 1984South Africa

ARC – GCI 1984 - 2006No till research 1984 - 1990CT for SSF 1988 - 2006ACT 1998 -TCP & national CA consultant 2002 - 5

CA capacitator 2006-CAT (UFH & ECDA) 2007-Misc SE Africa consultancies


Why this presentation?

Our Continent is bleeding …….Our Continent is bleeding …….

bleedingbleeding

literallyliterally

to death!to death!


Why this presentation (2)?

The vast majority of farmers in Africa are small scale landowners trying desperately to survive

Inter alia by deliberately but often inadvertently exploiting or degrading natural resources (including Carbon & OM) at the expense of their fellow citizens and future generations.

Conservation Agriculture is the way to go, but needs promotion by independent Conservation-driven groupings.

Groups owing predominant allegiance to (and therefore being funded in the main by) only the farmers and future they serve.


What do we hope to achieve in this presentation?

Develop & present for discussion

ways in which Carbon offsets or credits could generate funding for the promotion of the accelerated adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Africa.

Carbon credit challenges & opportunities for African farmersCarbon credit challenges & opportunities for African farmers FAO/CTIC, Purdue USA. October 2008 FAO/CTIC, Purdue USA. October 2008

The African farmerThe African farmer -- pastpast

• Hunter / gathererHunter / gatherer• Slash & burnSlash & burn• Wooden ploughWooden plough• Steel plough (mouldboard)Steel plough (mouldboard)• Colonial Colonial

• ProviderProvider• CompetitorCompetitor• DisplaceeDisplacee• LabourerLabourer

• AidAid• RecipientRecipient• ExploiterExploiter• DependantDependant


The African farmerThe African farmer -- presentpresent

• Urban migrantUrban migrant

• LandholderLandholder

• AidAid• RecipientRecipient• ExploiterExploiter• DependantDependant


The African farmerThe African farmer --presentpresent

CAT RRA:CAT RRA:

““whatever you do, NO handouts. Handouts whatever you do, NO handouts. Handouts have turned our people into beggars”have turned our people into beggars”


LabourLabour LittleLittle SomeSome PlentyPlenty

FinanceFinance

LittleLittle lf Lf Lf

SomeSome lF LF LF

PlentyPlenty lF LF LF



• Sub-subsistenceSub-subsistence

• SubsistenceSubsistence

• EmergingEmerging

• CommercialCommercial



• Sub-subsistenceSub-subsistence

• live (or have the right to occupy) land in the rural areaslive (or have the right to occupy) land in the rural areas

• depend on outside sources (employment, remittances, aid)depend on outside sources (employment, remittances, aid)

• do nothing with the land or just scratch around to show they existdo nothing with the land or just scratch around to show they exist

• frequently will not allow others even to hire their land for fear they will frequently will not allow others even to hire their land for fear they will be disowned by authoritiesbe disowned by authorities



• SubsistenceSubsistence

• produce primarily food sufficient for family needsproduce primarily food sufficient for family needs

• no room for expansionno room for expansion

• holdings decrease and fragment with successionholdings decrease and fragment with succession

• too small to become viable economic units, esp for successorstoo small to become viable economic units, esp for successors

• farmers often old women trapped in rural areasfarmers often old women trapped in rural areas



• EmergingEmerging

• rural entrepreneursrural entrepreneurs• often induced by aid (many of whom with no real desire to farm)often induced by aid (many of whom with no real desire to farm)• true entrepreneurs frequently frustrated by lack of capital and/or true entrepreneurs frequently frustrated by lack of capital and/or

problems associated with accessing and/or servicing loan financeproblems associated with accessing and/or servicing loan finance• younger men & women, often with little or no agricultural background, younger men & women, often with little or no agricultural background,

esp in commercial agricultureesp in commercial agriculture

Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers initiativeZimbabwe Tobacco Growers initiative

University of Fort Hare Agri-Trust Dairy farmUniversity of Fort Hare Agri-Trust Dairy farm



• CommercialCommercial

• inheritedinherited• large scalelarge scale• viableviable• community and government discriminationcommunity and government discrimination



We too often forget the % in our own We too often forget the % in our own

* countries* countries

* communities* communities

who are in any way involved in farming!who are in any way involved in farming!

And the percentage of those who are farmers!!And the percentage of those who are farmers!!

And the percentage of those who are GOOD farmers!!! And the percentage of those who are GOOD farmers!!!


The African farmer - future

It has been forecast that the area least effected by climate change on the Continent will be East Africa, where millions of hectares of

rangeland will be ploughed to take advantage of better cropping potentials!!

Millions of hectares?Millions of tonnes of C!!!



The HIGH road

ConservationConservation AgricultureAgriculture• increasing yields• re-establishing & benefiting from natural systems• reducing dependence on external inputs• increasing prosperity• increasing national, community & family sufficiency, well-being &

unity• decreasing C emissions



The low roadConventional AgricultureConventional Agriculture

• increasing C emissions• decreasing yields• increasing food dependence on external sources• increasing urban drift• increasing

> Unemployment> Poverty

> Conflict> Crime


TheTime to choose!

TheTime to act!!

is

NOW !!!NOW !!!


CA-related challenges

CA adoption- paradigm shift, shattering compaction

- tertiary teaching & ‘teacher tell’

- insufficient & poorly prepared EO’s

- politicians’ handouts

- international donors’ top-down

- aid ‘rescue’ packages

- mulch establishment & maintenance‘wild fires’ etc


C-related challenges

‘back-sliding’

wild fires

measurement

monitoring


CA-related opportunities

- starting from where farmers are

- multi-cropping > security

> cash generation

> increasing utilisation & regeneration of natural resources

- ‘blocking’ under management units> better management

> more opportunity for, and increasing pest management by, natural systems such as engendered by crop rotation

- increased opportunities for community members to exploit their skills & abilities

- more stable, self-reliant, contented rural communities, areas & nations


C-related opportunities- ICRAF/Earth Institute/Michigan

State measurement initiative- ‘block farming’- including revenue from ‘wildfire’

reduction- researching & introducing

alternative C-sequestering strategies e.g. high lignin; underground biomass


C-related opportunities (2)Although larger commercial CA farmers could benefit from direct dealings with

professional C-traders, they could benefit even more by the

- establishment of CA Associations

* farmer-owned* function inter alia

> identifying

> measuring

> monitoring

> selling & disbursing proceeds from C-offsets

> retaining and utilising a service fee (viz. that portion which would normally be retained by a

professional agent) & using it i.a. to

* promote the adoption of CA

* establish & maintain a CA-advisory service.


A way forward

CACA is technically sound

environmentally friendly

cost-effective.

It’s rapid immediate adoption is essential for the survival of the peoples and Continent of Africa.


A way forward (cont)

CA’s principlesCA’s principles are in many instances in direct conflict with

vested interests, esp. of politicians, academics, bureaucrats, etc.

as well asmulti-nationals & other commercial interests

etc.



An alternative promotional An alternative promotional system whose sole interest is system whose sole interest is the sustained adoption of CA is the sustained adoption of CA is therefore urgently requiredtherefore urgently required.



Such a system would preferably Such a system would preferably be organised & ownedbe organised & owned

or at least controlled or at least controlled

by farmersby farmers



By setting up & maintaining a C-By setting up & maintaining a C-credit marketing scheme,credit marketing scheme,

and utilising ‘profits’ generated to and utilising ‘profits’ generated to stimulate the adoption of CA, a win-win stimulate the adoption of CA, a win-win situation could result, with situation could result, with i.a. i.a. initiator’s ‘service’ charges decreasing initiator’s ‘service’ charges decreasing as adoption increased.as adoption increased.



Such a system couldSuch a system could

provide a feasible method by provide a feasible method by which SSF could benefit from which SSF could benefit from C-sequestration.C-sequestration.



HoweverHowever

1.1. Income generated by such a C-marketing scheme could be Income generated by such a C-marketing scheme could be insignificant to farmers with very small holdings;insignificant to farmers with very small holdings;

2.2. The establishment of such a scheme might require the The establishment of such a scheme might require the assistance and advice of a professional group already assistance and advice of a professional group already involved in C-trading;involved in C-trading;

3.3. Initiation and possibly ongoing operations and/or income Initiation and possibly ongoing operations and/or income distributed might benefit from ‘Triple Bottom Line’ distributed might benefit from ‘Triple Bottom Line’ assistance from a commercial company or companies.assistance from a commercial company or companies.


Thank you!Thank you!

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Carbon credit challenges & opportunities for African farmers Richard Fowler Conservation Agriculture Capacitator South Africa FAO/CTIC Conservation Agriculture