Empirical evidence for the feasibility of low emissions development practices for different agricultural production systems and impacts on emissions, food production, livelihood resilience, and equity is lacking. CCAFS is filling these evidence gaps by providing decision-makers with ex-ante analysis and tools to identify targets, low emissions development (LED) options, and the suitability of options for different production systems. CCAFS is also testing the feasibility of different options for ensuring food security and reducing their trade-offs using farmer field trials. CCAFS synthesizes findings across diverse technical options and agro-ecological zones.
Key research questions are: What are plausible global and developing country targets for reducing agricultural emissions and how can countries meet them? What are global and country-level best-bet, scalable technical and policy options for LED? What are technical options’ feasibility and potential impacts in priority agro-ecological zones, production systems and target countries?
The research involves participatory evaluation and comparison of different technologies using trials with smallholders in regions with expected high potential for mitigation and planning tools at national levels.
As a learning platform, CCAFS facilitates information exchange, joint research and syntheses on low emissions options and UNFCCC processes, including nationally determined contributions, emissions targets, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, and climate finance. The learning platform engages CGIAR Research Programs and Research Centers, country representatives and leading partners in agriculture and development.
Key outputs are:
- Global and country mitigation targets and potentials, and NDC analysis to improve countries' capacities to meet UNFCCC, sustainable development goals (SDGs) and other commitments. Includes policy impacts on mitigation potentials and ex-ante assessment of LED pathways to meet targets.
- Identification of viable LED technical practices, and evaluation and comparison of their impacts and trade-offs for livelihoods, gender equity, food security and mitigation. Includes analysis of multi-year field trials, spatial analyses of the suitability of different LED practices, tools and synthesis of evidence for existing and emerging LED options.