Climate change: Carbon farming offers fresh sustainability vista

May 9, 2024

In Europe and other parts of the world hit by climate change in the agriculture sector, carbon farming, which refers to agricultural practices focused on sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the soil, has gained significant traction as part of efforts to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable agriculture. Although carbon farming is a growing industry in Nigeria where the agricultural sector is vulnerable to climate change, experts and operators say that the time has come for the country to embrace more of its opportunities. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

In March, this year, Valencia, Spain hosted the European Carbon Farming Summit. It was in response to calls for environmentally sound farming as the world’s environmental problems, particularly climate change, evidently became severe.

  The event provided a platform for a range of stakeholders, including farmers, policymakers, environmentalists, and technology experts, to share innovative approaches and discuss the need for sustainable soil management.

The summit, organised by SAE Innova, EIT Climate-KIC, and Project CREDIBLE, was indeed, a critical turning point in the development of sustainable agriculture and the fight against climate change. The European Commission’s introduction of the European Union (EU) framework on carbon removal certification was one of the summit’s main highlights. This framework offers a structured way to track and reward carbon sequestration, and it has the ability to standardise and certify carbon farming operations throughout Europe.

At the centre of discussion at the forum was carbon farming, which refers to agricultural practices aimed at sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the soil to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable agriculture. Accordingly, the event showcased a wide array of techniques, from regenerative farming approaches to state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, emphasising the importance of holistic solutions that not only sequester carbon but also enhance soil health and promote biodiversity.

Nearer home in Nigeria where carbon farming and other environmentally sound farming practices are yet to gain significant traction, echoes of the summit appear to have resonated with experts and operators in the agriculture sector, with many of them insisting that carbon farming is the way to go if Nigeria must address the myriad and complex challenges in her vast agricultural sector such as soil degradation, water scarcity, and the urgency to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Chief Executive, SMEFUNDS, Femi Oye, has been quite vociferous in this regard.  He said the imperative for sustainable agricultural practices in Nigeria has never been this compelling and urgent. While emphasising that environmental issues are interrelated and sustainable practices essential, particularly in industries such as agriculture, Oye said the time for a positive shift toward practices that are environmentally friendly and economically viable has never been this auspicious.

Oye is not new in the campaign to leverage carbon farming to combat climate change and turnaround the fortunes of the agric sector. He has been on the crusade to promote carbon farming which supports the growth of vegetation, contributing to biodiversity and the growth of the ecosystem. His perspective has never changed, i.e. Nigeria is confronted with several issues in agriculture such as climate change and environmental sustainability; that turning to sustainable agriculture practices and carbon farming is the tonic to turn the situation around.

Read Also: ‘Cybersecurity levy to tackle crimes, terrorism’

Incidentally, the credibility of Oye’s position is not in doubt. In Ghana, for instance, the cocoa industry has received $4.8 million for lowering one million tonnes of carbon emissions brought on by deforestation and forest degradation. In addition, farmers in Ghana have increased yields and reduced climate change by implementing climate-smart cocoa methods. And by year end, analysts project it to soar to $45 million, with  Oye insisting that Nigeria can also earn substantial carbon credits if the government supports agriculture and other sectors in its efforts to meet climate targets and obtain access to global carbon markets.

Oye sees carbon farming as a way to preserve and restore soil health through the increase of organic matter thus contributing to enhanced food production, resilience and security.

He believes that carbon farming is a promising approach both in terms of the positive impact it can have on the environment and farmers’ livelihoods. For him, compensating farmers through carbon credits is an excellent incentive, as it will encourage them to adopt environmentally friendly practices while also providing additional income streams.

Moreover, the potential for improved yields, reduced input costs, and higher crop prices for organic produce, according to Oye, further incentivises farmers to embrace these practices. He, therefore, wants to connect farmers facing various challenges with partners experienced in carbon farming practices. He sees this as an opportunity to help them benefit financially through earning carbon credits and to mitigate the negative impact on crops and animal health.

With Oye’s approach, Nigerian farmers who are ready to adopt climate-friendly practices can generate one credit per acre yearly, which is equivalent to removing one tonne of carbon dioxide from the environment.The credits will be sold in dollars in the global voluntary carbon market. His organisation’s verified carbon standard programme ensures credibility and transparency in the process, which is crucial for buyers in the carbon market. Once the process is complete, the verified credits can be put up for sale.

The sale of these credits in the global voluntary carbon market, The Nation learnt, allows for the monetisation of environmental benefits, providing additional income to participating farmers. Kenyan smallholder farmers are said to have benefited from carbon credits produced by better farming practices since 2014. To promote farming that is more productive, sustainable, and climate-friendly, the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project (KACP), is said to have empowered thousands of farmers on several hectares using the Sustainable Agricultural Land Management (SALM) carbon accounting methodology.

KACP is an example of how carbon money may be used to promote agricultural sustainable development that benefits the environment and farmers.

To enhance the amount of organic matter in soils, Kenyan smallholder farmers are said to employ various techniques. Kenya is the continent’s top supplier of carbon credits, and it is one of the nations that stand to gain economically from carbon credits production through protection of biodiversity and jobs creation

Also, last year, Yara East Africa announced plans to partner farmers to implement carbon trading to support the government’s efforts to combat climate change. Partnering local farmers in East Africa demonstrated a commitment to contributing to environmental protection and agricultural development in the region.The fertiliser company is mobilising farmers and farmer organisations, research institutions, government agencies as well as the civil society to implement crop improvement strategies for food security and environmental protection.

The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), an initiative with the goal of improving carbon markets on the African continent, is at the forefront of this. It is implementing an ambitious plan for the continent to reach 300 million credits offered yearly by 2030. This is expected to unlock $6 billion in income and support 30 million jobs. According to ACMI’s projections, Nigeria can produce up to 30 million carbon credits yearly by 2030, which at $20 per credit would earn the country more than $500 million yearly.

Carbon farming is a growing industry in Nigeria. More is being done to encourage farmers to get carbon credits produced by commercial farming. Despite this, Lead Strategist at Ope Farms, Olusola Sowemimo, is one of the leading advocates for the use of climate-friendly farming methods. She has discovered several advantages, such as promoting biodiversity, reducing erosion, and producing wholesome food. She therefore, favours regeneration techniques in various climate scenarios.

Sowemimo thinks that more than ever, maintaining the soil is necessary and that farming and the natural world can coexist in a field. But preserving the soil, according to her, requires innovative and pioneering solutions. For her, the urgent reality of climate change demands immediate and collective action targeted toward improving farming practices to bolster resilience against climate change and biodiversity loss, essentially reimagining agriculture for a sustainable future. 

She has been urging local farmers to adopt organic farming to boost healthy crops and lifestyle. She noted: “I have trained over 2000 people and I’m launching my online course soon.” Her organisation has helped several farmers adopt regenerative agriculture and organic farming. She found that carbon farming offers promising prospects, with long-term advantages being uncovered through collaboration and innovative techniques.

According to Sowemimo, farmers are essential to the success of carbon farming projects because of their expertise, know-how, and practical experience in putting into reality efficient carbon sequestration and emission reduction strategies.

However, experts think that in order for carbon farming to be successfully implemented in Nigeria, extensive public awareness campaigns must be launched through potent educational initiatives. These will involve all relevant parties and holding seminars to instruct and prepare farmers on the various advantages of carbon farming.They also stressed the importance of enhancing agricultural yields, promoting soil health, and mitigating the effects of climate change.

In recent years, Nigeria’s participation in continental commitments on climate change has brought about a significant shift in the approach to agricultural production toward transparency, responsibility, and sustainability. For instance, Clean Technology Hub, which mission is to promote sustainable solutions, is engaged in supporting the initiative to lift the incomes of Nigerian farmers.

Towards promoting sustainable agriculture, carbon sequestration, and climate finance in West Africa, Coöperatieve Rabobank and the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance (WAA) also signed a pact to empower smallholder farmers on climate change mitigation efforts in the region. Recently, ThriveAgric and Acorn Rabo Bank agreed to work together to enable over 30,000 smallholder farmers with carbon credit access.

The initiative is expected to facilitate the removal of 1.3 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions and generate $56 million in revenue for these farmers. Acorn Rabobank, the climate action arm of the 125-year-old Dutch bank Rabobank, tackles climate change through 27 projects across the world, including countries like Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

A farmer with one hectare of land is expected to make as much as $1,700 in revenue from carbon credits in a year. The project plans to empower smallholder farmers across nine states (Kaduna, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Jigawa, Niger, Nassarawa, and Kano) to regenerate their farmlands. This initiative tackles climate change by improving soil health, boosting biodiversity, and enhancing carbon capture.

Farmers will benefit from increased crop productivity, reduced post-harvest losses, and additional income from carbon credits and other climate-smart programmes.

With Nigeria facing unprecedented challenges due to erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events, the President, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama, sees these pressures threatening the entire food chain, as climate change substantially disrupts the traditional weather-based agriculture practices.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required

Intuit Mailchimp