Policy Inventory for Mitigation Actions in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use Sectors

Policy makers recognise that the AFOLU sector presents many opportunities to support climate change mitigation efforts by both reducing GHG emissions and sequestering carbon dioxide. The sector’s capacity to support climate change mitigation efforts is recognised by the international community and highlighted in many agreements, including the 2023 COP28 UAE Declaration on Food Systems “COP28 Sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action”, and the COP29 “Declaration on Water for Climate Action”. To achieve these climate goals, policy makers employ diverse policy levers. 

Unlike other sectors, the AFOLU sectors have the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including CO₂ and the more potent methane CH₄ and nitrous oxide N₂O, and to sequester carbon. For example, policies can reduce methane emissions directly through supporting feed additives for livestock. Similarly, policies restricting excess fertiliser application to soils can support N₂O emissions reductions. Measures which support CO₂ mitigation include afforestation and ecosystem restoration. Many land-based practices can simultaneously reduce emissions of multiple greenhouse gases; for example, improved livestock grazing management practices may mitigate emissions like CH₄ and N₂O associated with manure, while also reducing emissions from soil degradation

The inventory contains a broad range of about 1 500 AFOLU policies which support climate change mitigation efforts in 53 countries. Policy makers use a wide range of instruments to support these diverse policy objectives including economic instruments (e.g. subsidies), regulatory instruments (e.g. maximum pollution limits), and other types of policies (e.g. research and development (R&D) programmes). Subsidies are the most widely used instrument, and are most used in the agricultural sector; PIMA-AFOLU identifies approximately 770 subsidies (about two-thirds of reported instruments in PIMA-AFOLU) which potentially support climate mitigation.

AFOLU mitigation policies may be designed to directly reduce GHG emissions, for example through carbon offset schemes. Alternatively, policies may indirectly support mitigation through co-benefits. This is the case of policy measures against soil erosion or policies to prevent land use change. Both direct and indirect mitigation policies can support broad environmental goals such as biodiversity conservation, improved water quality, prevented soil erosion, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.