Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions along the agrifood chain are produced from the combustion of fossil fuels to run machinery, generate heat and electricity for food storage and processing, and from the use of petroleum fuels for food transport and distribution. Energy is essential for food security and development, but current food production and energy use patterns are unsustainable if climate change targets are to be met.
FAO along with other partners is promoting climate-smart agriculture, forestry and fisheries that can sustainably increases productivity; adapt to climate change; build resilience to shocks and variability; reduce and remove greenhouse gases; and enhance the achievement of national food security and development goals. The ESF Programme is an essential component of climate-smart agriculture as it assesses the energy implications of climate-smart interventions.
Energy-smart practices are also climate-smart
A number of climate-smart agriculture practices, particularly those related to sustainable intensification production, can lead to a reduction in the use of external fossil-fuel derived inputs. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an ecological approach to manage pests through the use of biodiversity and biological processes, not only improves crop production, builds resilience, but also reduces the need for fossil fuel-based pesticides. Likewise the application of low-carbon energy technologies contributes to climate-smart agriculture objectives. For example, the use of solar concentrators or ovens by cooperatives or small farmers associations can create new opportunities for food processing in rural areas and extend the shelf life of perishable products to avoid food losses. Becoming energy efficient increases climate resilience, reduces energy consumption and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
FAO in collaboration with other partners is currently preparing a sourcebook on climate-smart agriculture. The Sourcebook will clearly articulate the concept of climate-smart agriculture and describe how it addresses the objectives of food security and livelihoods, climate change adaptation and mitigation. All of these objectives may not be able to be achieved to the same degree and at the same time, so it will necessary to set priorities and limit trade-offs. The Sourcebook will also help stakeholders to plan climate-smart production systems and landscapes by providing an overview of key principles, areas of interventions and good practices in management and governance. Opportunities for reducing energy dependency while addressing climate change will also be included in the Sourcebook.
Renewable energies contribute to climate-smart objectives
The introduction of renewable energies to substitute for fossil fuels in food production and processing contributes to efforts to mitigate climate change. Renewable low-cost energy technologies suitable for the rural poor have been developed and are beginning to show successes. Examples of these technologies include:
The potential for bioenergy use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the subject of much debate, particularly concerning the use of liquid biofuels and their impacts on food security.
Energy access and smallholder producers
The links between energy access and climate-smart agriculture objectives are twofold. First, biomass-based fuels, such as fuel wood are widely harvested in a non-renewable fashion and are combusted inefficiently in traditional stoves. Supporting the transition to more efficient and cleaner energy sources to address energy insecurity contributes to a clean development path and climate change mitigation. In particular, the promotion of low-carbon technologies, such as solar energy for food drying, to reduce pressure on forested areas, improved or new technology for firewood use and charcoal making and promotion of the use of energy-saving equipment among others. In addition, a decrease in agricultural productivity due to climate factors, such as pest outbreaks and less precipitation, will reduce the amount of biomass available for households to produce energy. There is a need to identify energy options to reduce the vulnerability of these households while ensuring their energy and food security.
Bioenergy and Climate Change
The first of the GBEP sustainability indicators, developed with the contribution of FAO, provides guidance to measure the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from bioenergy production and use, as per the methodology chosen nationally or at community level, and to report these emissions using the GBEP Common Methodological Framework for GHG Lifecycle Analysis of Bioenergy V1, a flexible tool for communicating and comparing methodologies used in GHG LCA of bioenergy systems.
The BEFS Analytical Framework and the associated tools address the greenhouse gas emission reduction potential of different biofuel production pathways.
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