New CCAC Report Spotlights Cost-Effective and Scalable Digital Extension Services to Reduce Livestock Methane Emissions

Baku, 19 November 2024 – The UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Technology & Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP), co-led by Ireland and Senegal, and in collaboration with leading experts in agriculture and climate, have released a new report that spotlights Digital Extension Services for Livestock (DSL) as a promising and immediately implementable solution for methane mitigation for farmers in low-and-middle income countries.  

Digital Extension Services for Livestock are tools that help farmers to facilitate knowledge transfer and allow for a better understanding of the impact of animal diets, veterinary care, and breeding on methane emissions. Given that agriculture contributes 40% of anthropogenic methane emissions, the CCAC-TEAP aims to unlock significant reductions in methane emissions, showing how Digital Extension Services for Livestock can support across the sector and help avoid the worst of the climate crisis.  

Launched at a COP29 side event focused on accelerating methane mitigation efforts in livestock through public and private sector collaboration, the report underscores the transformative potential of Digital Extension Services for Livestock in achieving substantial methane reductions while boosting farm productivity.  

Key findings of the report include:

• Digital Extension Services for Livestock can provide tangible climate and efficiency gains. Digital Extension Services for Livestock, through tools such as precision feeding apps and health monitoring devices, can reduce methane emissions intensity, delivering both environmental and economic benefits. Improved animal health, nutrition, and management are critical to achieving these results.
• Digital Extension Services for Livestock works best with locally tailored solutions. Initiatives like the mooON platform in India and GlobalFARP highlight the success of locally tailored tools in cutting emissions and enhancing productivity, and expanding such solutions can meet diverse regional needs.
• Digital Extension Services for Livestockstrengthens human-led extension services, putting people at the center of its approach. Extension agents serve as trusted partners, helping farmers access tools and understand how to use them effectively. They also provide hands-on support, such as offering local equipment, assisting with data entry, and guiding farmers in applying the results to improve their practices.
• To reach Digital Extension Services for Livestock’s full potential, we must bridge investment gaps. The report calls for scaled investments to support the development and implementation of Digital Extension Services for Livestock, particularly in underserved regions. Public investment in internet infrastructure, in-person extension services, and agricultural research can enable private sector innovation in developing Digital Extension Services for Livestock. Simultaneously, by helping to collect important data, Digital Extension Services for Livestock can support in making a stronger business case to invest in livestock emissions reductions, particularly given that livestock receives only 2% of total climate finance in agriculture.  
• Digital Extension Services for Livestock needs to be included in policy making. Governments must incorporate Digital Extension Services for Livestock into national climate action plans, enabling better data collection, emissions monitoring, and methane reduction.
• Accessible and affordable Digital Extension Services for Livestock can empower smallholder farmers. User-friendly and affordable Digital Extension Services for Livestock tools, combined with enhanced infrastructure, can bridge knowledge and data gaps for farmers in low- to middle-income countries.

“Despite the opportunities that these productivity improvements present, the challenge lies in scaling these practices to achieve meaningful impact”, said CCAC Agriculture Expert and Co-Author of the CCAC-TEAP report, Gregory Kohler. “Digital Extension Services for Livestock is key to changing the way we manage livestock and can help incentivize markets to drive sustainable change.”

Speaking on the CCAC-TEAP, Martina Otto, Head of the CCAC Secretariat, underscored the importance of establishing a key business case for super pollutant mitigation measures. “By identifying important mitigation measures across the livestock sector, we hope the CCAC-TEAP will act as a guide for countries and international financial institutions to fund tangible projects in regions that need them the most, while also scaling support to countries to implement cost-effective measures that are known to work.”

The Agriculture TEAP is first full-length TEAP report produced by the Coalition in past year and builds on work that examines existing and scalable solutions available now to drastically reduce super pollutant emissions in the Agriculture and Waste TEAP briefs released last year.  

As demand for livestock products grows, especially in low-income regions, leveraging Digital Extension Services for Livestock will be critical to meeting climate goals without compromising food security.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)  

The UNEP-Convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a partnership of over 182 governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. It works to reduce powerful but short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and tropospheric ozone – that drive both climate change and air pollution. It aims to connect ambitious agenda setting with targeted mitigation action within countries and sectors. Robust science and analysis underpin its efforts and bolstered by its Trust Fund, it has given rise to high level political commitment, in-country support, and a range of tools that help make the case for action and support implementation.

About the CCAC-TEAP  

In 2023, the CCAC established its Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (CCAC-TEAP) to develop and share knowledge with countries about promising, innovative, and underfinanced short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) mitigation measures which can improve both climate and air quality outcomes. The CCAC-TEAP is co-led by Ireland and Senegal and will identify and assess proven and scalable practices and technologies that can be commercialized in the short- to mid-term (1 to 3 years) and the mid- to longer term (4 to 5 years) to achieve SLCP mitigation targets.  

For more information, please contact:

Vincent Hughes, Communications and Media Consultant, Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat at United Nations Environment Programme – Vincent.Hughes [at] un.org

Ava Bahrami, Communications Officer, Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat at United Nations Environment Programme – Ava.Bahrami [at] un.org