Brazil Launches Transformative Agricultural Methane Project

Brazil joined the CCAC in 2023 with an ambitious agenda to address short-lived climate pollutants in some of its key emitting sectors. At the top of the priority list are emissions from the agriculture sector, especially methane emissions derived from subsectors such as livestock manure management and ruminants.
 
CCAC has launched a project in cooperation with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, and Instituto 17 as an implementing organisation, to establish the data management systems necessary for the reduction of GHG  emissions in Brazil. 
 
The project Integrating Methane Mitigation Into National Agriculture Strategies  – which is guided by the strategy of Brazil's ABC+ Plan for Adaptation and Low Carbon Emissions in Agriculture – aims to develop data coordination and monitoring tools, as well as institutional capacity which will enable action to reduce methane emissions through manure management.  

Over 90% of Brazil’s methane emissions come from the Agriculture (76%) and Waste (15%) sectors. At COP26, Brazil committed to contributing to the global methane emissions mitigation target of 30% by 2030 and the country has also joined the Global Methane Pledge and ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. 

In Brazil, manure management processes vary widely depending on its region and animal production system. Poultry and swine production systems facilitate easier manure collection, which enables agricultural producers to collect and sell manure as fertilisers. Currently, significant proportions of manure from swine production and poultry litter are processed and used as biofertiliser  
 
In 2019, there were 371 bio-digesters in operation across Brazil which treated nearly 15 million cubic meters of manure each year. For cattle, only less than 1% of manure is currently processed by anaerobic digestion. The ABC+ Plan aims to treat a total 27% of animal manure (208 million of cubic meters) by 2030.

To achieve the targets of the ABC+ plan, Brazil must expand the use of sustainable agricultural technology across 72 million hectares by 2030. Manure management is one of eight measures aiming to reduce agricultural methane emissions. To help the adoption of better manure management practices, the ABC+ plan also includes financial incentives for producers. 
 
Every 10 years Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock attempts to collect data on manure management practices across Brazil as a part of its monitoring and planning for greenhouse gas emissions abatement. While each federative unit has its own unique approaches and challenges for implementing the action plans of the ABC+ plan there is room for improvement in standardising data collection and reporting procedures across different states. This hinders Brazil’s ability to act on and track progress against its emissions reduction targets within plans such as the ABC+ plan. Establishing harmonised systems for collecting adequate data on manure management will thus be one core goal of this first CCAC project in Brazil.  
 
The project will also assess how the ABC+ work plan will be incorporated into each state, and what gaps currently exist in achieving effective implementation of the plan. The project will then provide training for specialists at the sub-national level to overcome these gaps. This process will involve increasing awareness of the ABC+ plan goals and obligations across all Brazilian states.