Key facts
China has made tremendous strides in improving food security for its population, but in certain areas, this has come at the expense of the environment. Faced with the absence of a cost-effective carbon accounting methodology, FAO together with the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Science, the World Agroforestry Center and the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, developed a new "Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) methodology" to give Chinese farmers the tools to manage their animals and grasslands more sustainably in the years to come. The VCS methodology quantifies emission reductions from a range of activities including, improving the rotation of grazing animals between summer and winter pastures, limiting the timing and number of grazing animals on degraded pastures, and restoration of severely degraded grasslands. The methodology is currently applied to the Three Rivers Sustainable Grazing Project, to restore degraded grasslands in Qinghai province, in northern China. The average annual mitigation potential in the first 10 years of implementation are an estimated 63 000 tonnes of CO2 eqv. per year.
Until now, carbon sequestration projects in grasslands have been hampered by high measurement and monitoring costs. By focusing on the monitoring of practices, the VCS methodology overcomes this major hurdle, allowing farmers to access new sources of finance to restore grasslands, produce more, raise household incomes and contribute to food security.
Considering the varied drivers of grassland degradation, this new methodology quantifies emission reductions from a range of activities including, improving the rotation of grazing animals between summer and winter pastures, limiting the timing and number of grazing animals on degraded pastures, and restoration of severely degraded grasslands. It also includes a comprehensive module for quantifying any displacement of emissions from livestock leaving the project area.
The VCS methodology at work
An overabundance of livestock can lead to overgrazing, which in turn can lead to land degradation. This is the dilemma currently being faced by herders in the Qinghai region in which, at present, 38% of grasslands have been degraded.
The goal of Three Rivers Project, with the new VCS methodology at its core, is to restore degraded grazing lands and sequester soil carbon, while simultaneously increasing productivity, building resilience, and improving livelihoods in smallholder herder communities. Under the proposed pilot, yak- and sheep-herding households have selected a combination of management options related to grazing intensity, grass cultivation and animal husbandry, chosen to fit their specific land use. In addition, they also have access to a package of complementary measures, such as the introduction of improved feeding, winter housing, post-farm processing and marketing activities.
Helping herders through the adjustment phase
This endeavor requires those involved to think in the long term. Overall, in the first ten years, herders will have fewer but more productive livestock. However, given that the land is currently about 48% overstocked, considerable reductions in income are expected in the early stages, with incomes expected to grow in the following years. In the beginning, herders will be reimbursed for their losses, with compensation being decreased progressively until year 10.
After the first 10 years, households will be able to increase their herds beyond the preliminary levels without the risk of overgrazing. In this way, the increased availability of forage will enable higher incomes and higher productivity, and provide the incentive for long-term sustainable management.
Building resilience to climate change pays for itself
By improving soil moisture and nutrient retention in soils, grassland restoration plays an important role in building resilience to climate change. The Three Rivers project is estimated to reduce the amount of Equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2e) in the area by 63 000 tonnes per year. This is how the project will pay for itself: investment costs, including herders’ compensation, grass planting, fencing, and animal housing, will be financed through the voluntary carbon market.
The methodology can be applied worldwide, especially in grassland-rich countries, to sustainably feed a growing population while lowering their carbon footprint.
