Opportunities for a low-emission transformation of Colombia’s food system
Key messages
- The food system in Colombia contributes a significant proportion (62%) of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is twice the global average (31%).
- The three primary sources of emissions in Colombia’s food system, ranked in decreasing order of importance, are: (i) net forest conversion, accounting for 45% of total food system emissions; (ii) livestock management, including enteric fermentation and manure management (35% of emissions); and (iii) food system waste disposal (6% of emissions). Mitigation strategies in Colombia’s food system should prioritize reducing emissions from these sources, and continue and expand actions to increase forest-related carbon sinks.</li
- Beyond-farmgate emissions, which represent a significant (13%) and growing share of total food system emissions, can be effectively reduced through improved energy efficiency and minimized food waste across food value chains, minimizing food waste in consumer households, and enhancing value chain integration, such as biomass management.</li
- Effective climate action planning should not only consider the size of sectoral emissions but also consider the cost and feasibility (referred to as the ‘political economy’) of implementing transformative measures. More data collection is needed to support this approach.
- A comprehensive and integrated approach to reducing GHG emissions, encompassing the entire food supply chain from production to disposal, can be integrated across sectors to ensure the efficient and effective implementation of Colombia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
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This works is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors
Martius, C.,Pingault, N.,Guérin, L.,Mwambo, F.
Publication year
2023
