Encouraging a Triple Dividend in Agriculture

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explores the 'triple dividend' in agriculture: the simultaneous achievement of increased food security, improved adaptive capacity to climate change, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It argues that an international climate agreement under the UNFCCC should integrate these three goals to support a growing global population while mitigating environmental impact.

• The agricultural sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, directly accounting for 14 per cent of global GHG emissions annually, with an additional 17 per cent resulting from land-use changes such as deforestation for agricultural expansion.
• Climate change is expected to create divergent impacts on agricultural productivity: while temperate zones in North America, Europe, and Asia may see increases due to longer growing seasons, productivity in other regions, particularly developing countries, is expected to decline. For example, rain-fed farming yields in some African countries could drop by up to 50 per cent by 2020.
• The agricultural sector has substantial mitigation potential, with estimates suggesting it could contribute between 5 and 20 per cent of total CO2 emissions reductions by 2030. High-potential strategies include agroforestry, grassland management, integrated conservation agriculture technologies, and reducing emissions from animal production.
• Sustainable intensification—using techniques like drip-feed irrigation, agroforestry, and zero-till agriculture—can simultaneously increase yields and sequester carbon. A study of 286 projects across 57 countries showed an average yield increase of 79 per cent and an average carbon sequestration of 0.35 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year.
• The Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project serves as a practical example of the triple dividend, benefiting 60,000 smallholder farmers across 45,000 hectares. It achieved mitigation through soil sequestration (estimated 1.2 million tonnes of CO2e), adaptation through improved water harvesting, and food security through increased crop yields.
• Soil carbon sequestration is estimated to provide 89 per cent of the mitigation potential in the agricultural sector, but it is complex and volatile. Implementing these systems is knowledge-intensive and requires upfront costs, making measurement and monitoring particularly challenging for small-scale farmers.
• There are significant barriers to scaling up triple-dividend initiatives, including high start-up costs, long payback periods, and a need for improved agricultural extension services. Additionally, there is uncertainty regarding whether carbon markets can provide viable financing for smallholders due to high monitoring costs and issues of permanence.

APA

Murphy, D. (2011). Encouraging a Triple Dividend in Agriculture. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_agriculture_triple_dividend.pdf

Chicago

Murphy, Deborah. Encouraging a Triple Dividend in Agriculture. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_agriculture_triple_dividend.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murphy |first1=Deborah |title=Encouraging a Triple Dividend in Agriculture |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_agriculture_triple_dividend.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murphy2011encouraging, author = {Murphy, Deborah}, title = {{Encouraging a Triple Dividend in Agriculture}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_agriculture_triple_dividend.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }