Carbon farming is a combination of agricultural practices aimed at storing carbon in the soil, roots, wood, and leaves of plants. The precise word for this is carbon sequestration. The overall purpose of carbon farming is to cause a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere.
From 2015 to 2021, Nigeria accounted for 2% of global agricultural carbon emissions. This has contributed to the changing climatic system in the country. Due to climate change, Northern Nigeria is experiencing constant and longer heatwaves with more irregular rainfall resulting in new challenges such as floods, deforestation, pollution, and food shortages. Â
Carbon farming presents a promising avenue for Nigeria to address this climate change, enhance agricultural productivity, and create sustainable livelihoods. However, various challenges hinder its widespread adoption. Let’s consider these opportunities and challenges.
Understanding Carbon Farming
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions come from agricultural management systems. To reduce this high amount of CO2 and achieve net-zero global carbon emissions, sustainable agricultural practices have become a focus for both governments and farmers alike. This is where carbon farming comes in.
Carbon farming is a set of agricultural practices and land management techniques that aim to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in the soil and plants. In simpler terms, carbon farming involves using agricultural practices to pull carbon from the atmosphere and trap it in the soil.
Carbon farming practices
Carbon farming practices are management practices that are known to sequester carbon and/or reduce GHG emissions. Some popular carbon farming practices in Nigeria include:
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1. Cover/Catch cropping
Cover crops are often described as crops grown for the soil. While catch crops are crops grown to capture excess resources and reduce the loss of nutrients.
Instead of leaving the ground bare, growing cover or catch crops protect and nourish the soil. They prevent soil erosion, regulate moisture, suppress soil diseases, pests, and weed growth, and attract pollinators. Additionally, they serve as mulch and a source of organic matter and can be used for grazing or as fodder for livestock. According to a recent study, cover crops can absorb up to 0.17 tons of CO2 per hectare per year, while catch crops can absorb up to 14.8 tons of CO2 per hectare per year.
2. No-till farming
No-till farming reduces soil disturbance, which helps to maintain organic carbon in the soil while also reducing soil erosion and compaction. Tilling fractures the soil, which puts carbon closer to the surface, where it is more easily released into the atmosphere. Low- to no-till farming is already common in countries such as Australia and the United States, where it is regarded as a low-resource, low-energy input agricultural practice with the potential to increase yields.
3. Agroforestry
Agroforestry refers to the intentional combination of trees and agriculture. This practice can reduce emissions by storing carbon in soils and trees. Agroforestry delivers both above-ground and below-ground benefits. It accomplishes this while simultaneously increasing farm production, protecting soil, improving air and water quality, giving wildlife habitat, and bringing new revenue streams.Â
4. Rotational grazing
Managed rotational grazing allows grasslands to rest and recuperate, while the animals’ grazing patterns and natural manure distribution in farmland serve to restore soil carbon. The organic matter that the herds trample into the ground also contributes to the soil’s carbon content.Â
Benefits of carbon farming
There are several benefits of carbon farming to the soil. They include:
- Carbon sequestration: Carbon farming practices help plants absorb atmospheric CO2 and store it in soil organic matter. This process reduces the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and helps mitigate climate change.
- Increased levels of soil organic matter: Carbon farming increases the capacity of soil to hold nutrients, reducing nutrient runoff from farmlands into water sources
- Soil Resilience: Improved soil structure enhances the soil’s ability to withstand weather variability. This increases resilience to drought and flooding, as healthy soils absorb and retain water better.
Aside from these benefits to the soil, the adoption of carbon farming also has benefits for farmers.
Benefits to farmers
- Offset generation: Carbon farming systems can generate carbon offsets by quantifying the quantity of CO2 stored or reduced emissions. These offsets can be turned into carbon credits, which have a monetary value when exchanged on carbon markets.
- Multiple Income: Farmers can diversify their income sources by taking part in carbon farming and selling carbon credits. This provides an economic incentive to use sustainable land management strategies and regenerative farming systems.
- Climate finance opportunities: Carbon credits derived from carbon farming can attract climate finance investments such as private sector funding, government incentives, and global climate funds. These financial incentives can help scale up carbon farming efforts and encourage widespread adoption.
Carbon Farming in Nigeria: Opportunities
Carbon farming offers Nigeria a great opportunity to boost its economy while addressing environmental concerns. Nigeria has the potential to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, develop sustainable agricultural practices, and access the global carbon credit market. Furthermore, carbon farming is in line with global initiatives such as the Paris Agreement, providing potential financial incentives and partnerships for the country.
Nigeria’s extensive agricultural land provides a crucial opportunity for carbon sequestration through land use changes. By adopting carbon farming practices such as reforestation, soil management, and agroforestry, large areas of land can absorb more carbon dioxide, benefiting both climate change and agricultural productivity.
With Nigeria’s diverse agroecological zones, the country can implement specific carbon farming practices tailored to each area. From the savannas to the rainforests, each zone can adopt strategies like cover cropping, managed grazing, and agroforestry to maximise carbon capture.
Furthermore, carbon farming has the potential to create jobs and drive economic development in rural areas by offering new income opportunities for farmers. Practices such as reforestation and sustainable farming can generate employment, reduce rural poverty, and enhance local economies.
Challenges Of Carbon Farming in Nigeria
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses the importance of achieving net-zero carbon emissions worldwide by 2050 and natural climate solutions. Carbon farming in particular plays a significant role in this goal. However, many farmers in Nigeria are yet to fully adopt these practices. Some of the challenges causing this delay in adoption include:
1. Complex Scheme Design and Implementation
Carbon farming initiatives often involve intricate processes and frameworks that are difficult for farmers to understand and implement. In Nigeria, where many farmers operate on small scales and with limited access to resources, the complexity of carbon farming schemes can discourage participation. The lack of clear guidelines and implementation support further aggravates this challenge, making it hard for farmers to engage with carbon farming practices effectively.
2. Inadequate Information and Awareness
Many Nigerian farmers lack sufficient information about carbon farming and its potential benefits. There is a significant gap in awareness and understanding, with many farmers unsure of what carbon farming entails or how it could impact their livelihoods. This lack of information hinders the adoption of carbon farming practices, as farmers are reluctant to engage in activities they do not fully understand or trust.
3. High Input Costs
The initial costs associated with adopting carbon farming practices can be prohibitively high for many Nigerian farmers, particularly those operating at a subsistence level. These costs include investments in new technologies, seeds, or practices that align with carbon farming principles. Without financial assistance or subsidies, the high input costs create a significant barrier to entry for farmers interested in participating in carbon farming initiatives.
4. Uncertainty in Carbon Market Price
The volatility of carbon market prices poses a considerable risk for Nigerian farmers considering carbon farming. Fluctuations in the price of carbon credits can make it difficult for farmers to predict the financial returns from their participation in carbon farming schemes. This uncertainty discourages farmers from investing in carbon farming, as the potential rewards may not justify the risks involved.
5. Political Instability
Political instability in Nigeria has constantly disrupted the implementation of carbon farming initiatives. Changes in government policies, lack of continuity in agricultural programs, and general instability have over the years, undermined efforts to promote and sustain carbon farming. Farmers are hesitant to adopt new practices as they believe that political instability could jeopardise their investments or the long-term viability of carbon farming projects.
Overcoming Challenges And Moving Ahead
Carbon farming offers Nigeria significant opportunities to address climate change, boost agricultural productivity, and improve rural livelihoods. However, challenges such as complex scheme designs and political instability hinder widespread adoption. To overcome these challenges, Nigeria’s National Action Plan emphasises emission abatement strategies in agriculture, including reducing the open burning of agricultural waste.
Some other effective solutions for promoting carbon farming initiatives include providing financial incentives to farmers, implementing reforms to land tenure systems, facilitating the transfer of sustainable farming technologies, and fostering strong partnerships between the public and private sectors. When these strategies are successfully put into action, we can expect to see significant progress and success in carbon farming initiatives throughout the country.
