Improving quantification and optimization of methane emissions in the livestock sector of Costa Rica

Background

Livestock production is the main economic source from the agricultural sector of Costa Rica.  According to FAO Stats, Costa Rica's national cattle herd counted over 1 306 500  animals in 2021, and generates employment and income for many producers and stakeholders throughout the country. However, livestock farming is associated with the risk of extreme weather events and the generation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

According to Costa Rica National Inventory of Greenhouse Gases and Carbon Absorption, in 2017 Costa Rica's agricultural sector accounted for 20.5 percent of GHG emissions at the national level, and over 62 percent come from the enteric fermentation of ruminants. Hence, the need to better mitigate and adapt to climate change.

In 2014, Costa Rica developed the Livestock Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA Livestock), a mechanism for the implementation of the National Low Carbon Livestock Strategy (ENGBC) and the Sustainable Livestock Policy. The country also adhered to the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative launched during COP 26 to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent between 2020 and 2030.

NAMA Livestock

NAMA Livestock is crucial to support Costa Rica's climate goals. The mechanism is included in the Costa Rica’s nationally determined contributions (NDC) as part of the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. The initiative seeks to reduce GHG emissions in cattle farming and to increase carbon sequestration on farms to help producers improve livestock productivity, while adapting to climate change.

NAMA Livestock is currently implemented in nearly 2 400 farms in Costa Rica. The Ministry of Livestock of Costa Rica (MAG) leads the initiative with the support of FAO and other non-governmental organizations, farmers, universities and research centers associated with the Program for Research and Transfer in Agricultural Technology in Livestock (PITTA Livestock). A Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system constantly monitors and evaluates NAMA Livestock activities and technologies.

About the workshop

Following three regional consultations with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica, FAO organizes a national workshop to help Costa Rica better quantify and optimize methane emissions from the livestock sector and to develop climate-smart livestock practices in the country. The workshop brings together participants from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of Environment, representatives of academia, farmer and producer associations, and the private sector.

The event will take place in San José, Costa Rica from 11 to 12 May 2023 within the context of the FAO project on "Reducing enteric methane for improving food security and livelihoods" funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and. The project is implemented by FAO in collaboration with the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC).

Latin America and Caribbean priorities

The workshop will build on the outcomes of three regional consultations between Latin America and Caribbean countries organized by FAO between July and August 2021. On those occasions, countries identified technical and political priorities to strengthen climate ambitions in the livestock sector within the region. Technical priorities included research on methane mitigation options, the implementation of data management systems, the identification of technologies and mitigation strategies, as well as technical coordination. Access to climate finance and design of incentive policies are among the political priorities identified in 2021.