Explainer | 19 November 2024

Methane matters. Here's how we can reduce it

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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From severe heatwaves in the Philippines to catastrophic flooding in the Sahel, extreme weather is becoming increasingly commonplace. The growing climate crisis is to blame, and it's driven by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.

While carbon dioxide emissions are the single most important driver of climate change, the focus is also shifting towards methane. Let's explore why.

What is methane and where does it come from?

Methane is a colourless, highly flammable gas. It’s the main constituent of natural gas, which is widely used for cooking and to generate power.

It is also a powerful greenhouse gas: it is around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period.

The bad news is that agriculture is responsible for 40 per cent of methane emissions, almost a third of which come from livestock. Ruminants emit it through their digestion process and their manure, while methane is also released by decomposing plant matter. For example, flooded rice paddies make up almost a tenth of total emissions.

The good news is that we know how to reduce methane emissions – and, while it is a very powerful greenhouse gas, it is also a short-lived one. It stays in the atmosphere for around 12 years before degrading, whereas carbon dioxide, such as that emitted by burning fossil fuels, can stick around for centuries.

That’s why more than 150 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge and committed to reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030. They recognize that reducing methane emissions isn’t just a big win, it’s a quick one.

Cattle are a major contributor to livestock methane emission worldwide. © IFAD/Enoch Kavindele Jr

How can we reach zero hunger while limiting global temperature rise?

Millions of people around the world depend on agricultural activities that emit methane for their food security and nutrition, not to mention their livelihoods.

Livestock is essential to many rural communities’ traditional ways of life. For Maasai or Samburu pastoralist communities of East Africa, for example, tending to their herds is a key part of their Indigenous identity.

Moreover, many natural landscapes depend on livestock. Grazing animals help maintain the health of grassland ecosystems when sustainably managed.

For livestock farming to nourish people while not harming the planet, it must be made more sustainable. And although small-scale farmers are not major emitters, they can still adopt practices that reduce emissions while increasing their production and income.

How is IFAD supporting farmers to reduce methane emissions?

  • Tending healthier animals. Healthier animals are more productive so farmers can reduce emissions while limiting the number of animals in their herd. In Kyrgyzstan, the GLEAM-i tool showed how an IFAD project could increase milk and meat production by 4 per cent while cutting emissions by 17 per cent.
  • Recycling manure. In Kenya and Rwanda, IFAD-supported farmers use biogas digesters that harness the methane in animal manure to make cleaner fuel and organic fertilizer.
  • Using better feed and fodder. High-quality and hardy maize produced locally in Lesotho means herders don’t need to rely on imported soya. This and other interventions under the ROLL project could reduce emissions by 7 per cent, while increasing protein production.
  • Using techniques and seeds that need less water. The IFAD-supported CAISAR initiative is modernizing irrigation systems in Cambodia so small-scale farmers can intensify rice production sustainably while reducing methane emissions.
Tabitha cooks using biogas made with cow manure in Kenya. © IFAD/Translieu/Samuel Nyaberi

What is the role of governments?

With IFAD's support, governments are making good on the Global Methane Pledge. Our flagship Reducing Agricultural Methane Programme (RAMP) supports developing countries in mitigating emissions while protecting food systems and rural livelihoods.

RAMP is developing projects in 11 countries which contribute to reducing methane from livestock and rice cultivation. The programme also facilitates knowledge exchange with multiple partners to share best practices and maximize their impact on reducing agricultural methane.

The programme is also working with 17 countries to mainstream methane reduction into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which establish the climate actions they take as part of the Global Methane Pledge. A guidebook with a customizable roadmap for planning methane pledges supports other countries in doing the same.

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Methane mitigation is a crucial part of climate action and essential to keeping global temperature rise to below 1.5°C. With the right support, small-scale farmers can be part of the solution to reducing methane emissions from our food systems while protecting their incomes and ways of life.

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