Intensification of coffee systems can increase the effectiveness of REDD mechanisms

Martin R.A Noponen,Jeremy P Haggar,Gareth Edwards-Jones,John R Healey

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2013.03.006

Martin R.A Noponen, Jeremy P Haggar + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2013.03.006

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Abstract

In agricultural production systems with shade trees, such as coffee, the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from production intensification can be compensated for, or even outweighed, by the increase in carbon sequestration into above-ground and below-ground tree biomass. We use data from a long-term coffee agroforestry experiment in Costa Rica to evaluate the trade-offs between intensification, profitability and net greenhouse gas emissions through two scenarios. First, by assessing the GHG emissions associated with conversion from shaded to more profitable full-sun (un-shaded) systems, we calculate the break-even carbon price which would need to be paid to offset the opportunity cost of not converting. The price per tCO2e of emissions reduction required to compensate for the coffee production revenue foregone varies widely from 9.3 to 196.3 US$ amongst different shaded systems. Second, as an alternative to intensification, production area can be extended onto currently forested land. We estimate this land-use change required to compensate for the shortfall in profitability from retaining lower intensity coffee production systems. For four of the five shade types tested, this land-use change causes additional GHG emissions >5tCO2eha−1yr−1 resulting in net emissions >8tCO2eha−1yr−1 for the whole system. We conclude that instead, by intensifying production, mechanisms similar to REDD that are based on reducing emissions through avoided land-use change (REAL) could play a major role in increasing the climate change mitigation success of agroforestry systems at the same time as aiding REDD through reducing pressure for further forest conversion to agriculture.

Highlights

Agricultural production and land-use change (LUC) together can account for almost one-third of global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) (IPCC, 2007)
There is a strong positive correlation between net GHG emissions (CF per ha) and net present values (NPVs) indicating a strong trade-off between GHG emissions’ reduction and profitability (Fig. 1). This effect is seen in the comparison of conventional and organic systems and within conventional systems comparing moderate and intensive management inputs: the highest GHG emissions were found in the high-input intensive conventional treatment and the lowest in the moderate-input organic treatment (Fig. 1)
Carbon sequestration in above- and below-ground biomass for all shaded systems far outweighed the GHG emissions resulting from the farming of the coffee crop for all management intensities, and in some cases intensification even had a positive effect on the net C balance during these first 9 years of shade-tree growth through increased biomass accumulation (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Agricultural production and land-use change (LUC) together can account for almost one-third of global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) (IPCC, 2007). Food supply and demand have tracked each other (Kendall and Pimentel, 1994) but this is no longer the case with global crop yields increasing at a slower rate than global population growth (Trostle, 2008).

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