Context: 

The World Bank released a Recipe for a Livable Planet Report stating that annual investments of USD 260 billion are necessary to cut agri-food emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

Background:

Recipe for a Livable Planet is the first comprehensive global roadmap for mitigating the agrifood system’s contributions to climate change. It shows how the agriculture system that produces the world’s food can cut greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to feed the world.

Key Highlights of the Report:

1. “Recipe for a Livable Planet” provides a global strategic framework for reducing the agri-food system’s impact on climate change. It outlines how the world’s food production can significantly
2. lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while continuing to ensure global food security.
3. The global agri-food system can decrease nearly a third of the world’s GHG emissions through feasible and accessible measures. These measures will enhance food security, increase the climate resilience of the food system, and protect vulnerable communities during this transition.
4. Agri-food contributes roughly one-third of global GHG emissions, more than all of the world’s heat and electricity emissions combined.
5. About three-quarters of these emissions originate from developing countries, necessitating targeted mitigation actions as per the specific needs of the region.
6. Addressing emissions from the entire food value chain, including land use changes, is critical as over half of the emissions stem from beyond the farm level.

Opportunities Highlighted by the Report:

1. The agri-food sector offers significant, cost-effective opportunities for climate action, including drawing carbon from the atmosphere through enhanced land management.
2. The financial outlay required to halve agri-food emissions by 2030 would yield substantial returns, greatly outweighing the costs with beneficial impacts on health, the economy, and the environment.
3. High-income countries should reduce their agri-food energy demands, support lower-income countries through funding and technology transfer, and modify consumer diets away from high-emission foods.
4. Middle-income countries can achieve significant emissions reductions through better land use management and agricultural practices.
5. Low-income countries focus on sustainable growth without the burden of high-emission infrastructures, leveraging strategies like agroforestry to boost productivity and resilience.
6. Enhance private sector investment in agri-food mitigation, repurpose subsidies, and implement policies favouring low-emission technologies.
7. Use digital technologies for better emissions data and invest in innovations to transform the agri-food system, ensuring inclusive stakeholder participation for a just transition.

Key Highlights Related to India in the Report:

1. The report identifies India as one of the top 3 countries in terms of total annual agri-food system emissions, along with China, and Brazil.
2. The report notes that in countries like India, around 80% of the technical mitigation potential in agriculture could be achieved by adopting cost-saving measures alone. This represents a major opportunity for India to reduce emissions while also improving agricultural productivity and incomes.
3. Key mitigation options for India include better livestock feeding (Harit Dhara, a nti-methanogenic feed) and breeding, fertiliser management, and better water management in water-intensive crops.
4. A marginal abatement cost curve for India’s agriculture sector shows these are some of the most cost-effective interventions India can pursue to cut agri-food emissions substantially by 2030.
5. India needs to curb methane emissions from agricultural production. Adopting practices like intermittent irrigation and promoting varieties that emit less methane provide mitigation opportunities.
6. India has high rates of food loss and waste. As per the Food Waste Index Report 2021, Indian households generate 50 kg of food waste per capita per year. Reducing food loss and waste can provide another high-impact, cost-effective avenue for India.
7. India will need international financial and technical support to realise its agri-food mitigation potential.