Climate change: Mitigation in agricultural crop

production

Martin Kropff CIMMYT Director General

Options for Mitigation •  Best system for specific environment:

–  Optimization at high input levels: eco-efficiency –  Careful with marginal lands –  Rehabilitation degraded soils (OM and no-till) –  Reduction per unit yield!

•  Reducing methane emission from rice and saving water

•  Carbon fixation in soil

USA:growthcametoanendin1980.China:beginningtoleveloff.India:s9llontherise,growing5%annually.

Global trends in fertilizer use

N fertiliser chain accounts for 2-6% of total GHG emission in China

GHGemissionscutsof160–360TgNannuallypossiblefromchangesthroughtheNfer9lizerchain.Zhangetal(2013)PNAS110(21),8375-8380

Nitrogen fertilizer use = Energy use

Muelleretal.,Nature2012

Source:StrategiesforMi9ga9ngClimateChangeinAgriculture:.CaliforniaEnvironmentAssocs.(2014).

Mitigation opportunities 2030 (Mt CO2e)

Precision nutrient management

•  DecisionsupportsoWware:Precisionfer9lizerrecommenda9onsforsmallholders

•  Op9calsensors:e.g.Greenseeker–reducedNuse,sameyieldinwheat,60kgN/ha

ExamplesoftechnologiesforprecisionNmanagement

Envisioning the future: CA, diversification and PA =

CSISA research platform @ CSSRI, Karnal, India

11%CropYieldIncrease

32%ProfitabilityIncrease

71%IrrigaAonDecrease

46%EnergyDecrease

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0.35

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0.45

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0.55

Initial Removal RW Burning RW Burning R Retention R Retention RW Incorporation R Incorporation RW

Initial

Org

anic

Car

bon,

%

After 4 years

RKSharmaetal,DWR

Residue management & soil organic carbon in rice-wheat rotation

CasestudyinHaryana,India:•  Profitable

-  Paybackperiodoninvestmentcanbe<1year

Laser Land Leveling

Source: Jat et al (2015)

•  Reducedfootprint-  DirectGHGemissions(83,100MTofCO2eq/annum)throughreducedwaterreq.andsofuelforpumpingandreducedcul9va9on9me

-  Reducedwateruse:1Km3/an-  Reducednutrientlossbecauseofimprovedrunoffcontrol

Source:Jatetal(2015)

Laser Land Leveling: Evidence from Haryana, India

Climate-smart villages in India: ‘Growing’ solar power as a remunerative crop

Source:T.Shah,IWMI

Community and individual solar irrigation systems are being tried in Bihar

Impact of solar irrigation systems on maize in Bihar

Solar irrigation in Bihar promotes climate smart agriculture

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0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

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3.5

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4.5

Yield,t/ha Income,Benefit:Costra9o

GHGemissions,CO2eq,t/ha

EmissionIntensity,kgCO2EQ/kgyield

Dieselpump Solarpump

Witnessedrela9on

Mitigation: Rice and methane Higherproduc>on,lessmethane

Totalbiomassofriceyield Methane

emission

Expectedrela9on

Alternate-Wetting- and-Drying (AWD)

•  Intermittent Flooding/ Drainage •  Single or Multiple Flooding/ Drainage

SlidecourtesyofR.Wassmann

Synonyms:

Suitability Class

S_1 S_2 S_3

LS -

SuitabilitymapsinthePhilippinesandVietnamhavesupportedna9onalplanningforscalingupofmi9ga9oninpaddyrice.Collabora9veeffortwiththeCCACinVietnam,BangladeshandColombia.

Planning mitigation in paddy rice

SlidecourtesyofR.Wassmann

Suitability Map- Dry Season

Mobile phone app operation

Provide management

recommendation

Cloud based server Rice Crop Manager • Nutrients • Weeds •  Irrigation • ….

Obtain site-specific information from farmer/ operator

New Modules • GHG emission

calculator • Climate-adjusted

yield targets

Climate-Informed Rice Crop and Low Emission Manager => CIRCLE Manager

•  InvestmentincropR&Dtorealizetriplewin

•  Mi9ga9oninAgriculturepossible:–  Captureincreasedfooddemandbyincreasingyields:

•  SustainableIntensifica9ontosaveforests–  Rightsystemattherightplace–  Noburningresidues–  Precisionmanagementtominimizeuseenergy,fer9lizers,etc.

–  Linktoothertechnologies(solarpanels)

Conclusions

Thank you for your interest!