Methane Mitigation in Agriculture: A Call for Sustainable Action at COP29 and Beyond

The document analyzes the global distribution of agricultural methane emissions, highlighting that while low- and middle-income countries produce the most, high-income countries have higher per capita emissions due to consumption patterns. It proposes a transition toward climate-smart agriculture through technology, policy reform, and targeted finance, particularly for smallholder farmers in Africa, to meet global reduction targets by 2030.

• Agriculture is responsible for 40% of all human-made methane emissions, with the primary sources being livestock (enteric methane at 73% and manure methane at 7%) and rice production (20%).
• There is a significant disparity between where methane is produced and where it is driven by consumption; 84% of agricultural methane originates in low- and middle-income countries, but high- and middle-income countries exhibit the highest emissions per capita.
• The African continent contributes 13% of global agricultural methane emissions despite housing 19% of the world's population.
• While 46 of 53 African countries include agriculture in their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, only six (Benin, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, and Togo) have set specific methane reduction targets and implementation plans.
• A critical financing gap exists in sub-Saharan Africa, where 83% of the estimated USD 90 billion annual financing need for small and medium agri-enterprises remains unmet, hindering the adoption of methane-reducing technologies.
• Global agriculture must reduce emissions by 30 to 38 million tonnes per year by 2030 to address the climate crisis.

APA

Ferreira, F. (2024). Methane Mitigation in Agriculture: A Call for Sustainable Action at COP29 and Beyond. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-in-agriculture-a-call-for-sustainable-action-at-cop29-and-beyond

Chicago

Ferreira, Fernanda. Methane Mitigation in Agriculture: A Call for Sustainable Action at COP29 and Beyond. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-in-agriculture-a-call-for-sustainable-action-at-cop29-and-beyond.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ferreira |first1=Fernanda |title=Methane Mitigation in Agriculture: A Call for Sustainable Action at COP29 and Beyond |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=11 November 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-in-agriculture-a-call-for-sustainable-action-at-cop29-and-beyond |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ferreira2024methane, author = {Ferreira, Fernanda}, title = {{Methane Mitigation in Agriculture: A Call for Sustainable Action at COP29 and Beyond}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-in-agriculture-a-call-for-sustainable-action-at-cop29-and-beyond}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }