As per my information about the carbon credits, they are usually given to industries or corporates which are saving it by growing trees or by adopting method which will reduce release of carbon in the environment. Please tell me can these be given to farmers engaged in growing crops which sequester maximum carbon from the environment.
The straight answer would be yes, but than what is the current regulatory framework or policy in place relative to the country of interest? I think farmer who employ sustainable production utilizing credible small or large scale carbon capture and storage mitigation approaches should receive carbon credit for their efforts. But again, this depends on the government.
Jenkins is correct. Farmers who take actions to reduce GHG emissions can generate C credits. However, a regulatory framework to administrate such program is not available in many countries.
I can cite one example for such a program in operation from Alberta, a province of Canada. In Alberta, farmers who have taken actions to reduce their GHG emissions can generate Carbon credits using ‘protocols’ approved by the Alberta government. Some examples for approved quantification protocols are:
Aerobic Composting, Anaerobic Decomposition of Agricultural Materials, Biofuel Production and Usage, Conservation Cropping such as zero tillage, Emissions Reductions from Dairy Cattle, Reducing Days on Feed of Beef Cattle, and Nitrous Oxide Emission Reductions from agricultural soil.
These credits may be sold to large industrial emitters who need to comply with Alberta's greenhouse gas emissions reduction program.
I am not exactly sure about this: but under the ‘Clean Development Mechanism’ (a program of UNFCCC) there are number of protocols applicable to agriculture where farmers in developing nations may be able to participate and generate C credits in a future regulatory framework. Valuable information on this is available at UNFCCC CDM website.
A farmer can get carbon credit based on his/ber GHG emission reduction activities. Of course, he/she needs to be supported by awareness raising and practical training by government/NGOs through a CDM project.
yes ...why not when they are true and larger partners of society to protect our environment...some following refs. can be of your help to view actual carbon credit policies in diff.places....
1:INDIA:....
Jun 16, 2014 - Have carbon credits benefited small and marginal farmers? ... location of Odisha in India, I found how a lot of small and marginal farmers – who
Carbon Credits: Advantage India | Indian brand strategy
www.desibrandstrategy.com/carbon-credits-advantage-india/
Such parties are allowed to pay others to store carbon for them in exchange ... The concept of carbon credits involves buying carbon units mainly in tons from a middle entity that aggregates contracts from suppliers (farmers) who meet the criteria of carbon ... These changes could become a boon for agricultural economies.
2: Australia:
Carbon Farming Initiative | climatechange.gov.au
www.climatechange.gov.au/reducing-carbon/carbon-farming-initiative
by C Change - 2013
The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) allows farmers and land managers to earn carbon credits by storing carbon or reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the ...
Methodologies - Reforestation tools - Recent Developments - SavBAT
The Carbon Farming Initiative | climatechange.gov.au
www.climatechange.gov.au/...carbon/carbon-farming.../carbon-farming...
by C Change - 2013
These credits, known as Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), can be sold to ... Initiative (CFI) credits generated from these activities will become eligible for ...
[PDF]National Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program Questions ...
pierce.uwex.edu/agriculture/.../CarbonCreditsQuestionsandAnswers.pdf
Producers now can earn income in the carbon credit market for storing carbon, thereby .... Will farmers qualify for participation in the carbon credit program.
In developing country as Vietnam, this may be applied. Pls, read:
http://www.jircas.affrc.go.jp/english/publication/highlights/2012/2012_05.html
All farmers can not get carbon credit. It all depends upon the crop and the geo-metereological conditions of a particular place. Of course, if at all carbon credits are given, it usually go to a farmer having large area of land for cultivation. Now coming back to the topic: if the crop doesn't deserve or qualify for credits (which is normally the case in a country like India) as crops are cultivated regardless of any consideration to the environment, then a part of the land has to be reserved for forest trees, which when filled with forest trees (not subabul) then he might qualify for the carbon credits.
In India, it is the need of age to make regulatory framework for the purpose of availing carban credit to farmers too. As per my knowledge grass class crops has more reduction of carbon. In India, farmers are growing such crops more. Indian people should demand for such regulatory framework.
We can keep navigating this issue from so many dimensions and prospectives whether in developed, developing and least developed countries. What matters is that if smallholders are engaged in approaches that reduce their ecological footprints, it makes sense for them to be motivated to engaged even more; given that, smallholders produce most of the food that are consumed in developing countries collectively.
The first step (again whether it is in developed, developing or least developed countries) would be a framework put in place, which seeks to promote and enhance sustainability my employing climate-smart agricultural productivity. Once a well crafted framework is set (whether the focus is for environmental sustainability, protection, sustainable development/agriculture/agro-technology, or green economy, etc) with well crafted plan to provide incentives for farmers who employ carbon reduction approaches in their on-farm operations and processes, than and only than can we start looking into the issue. This also means investment packages for those who would like to start and or scale-up to more sustainable or regenerative productivity approaches. With the framework in place everything else can be linked interactively.
Of course a farmer can get carbon credits depending on the GHG reduction activities. But in countries like Nepal, large scale agriculture is not practiced for the farmer to actually get substantial amount from the carbon credits alone. Nepal has prepared CDM projects for biogas, REDD project for community forestry, but in either case, the actual amount if distributed to the community will be very low. So, development practitioners usually spend the income from carbon credits to strengthen the management in community or for expansion of such projects in other areas.
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