About

The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairying and other types of pastoral farming is a significant challenge, requiring engaged, collaborative, and participatory action research to identify the barriers against change at the farm-level. There is currently little evidence to explain the limited adoption of ‘low cost’ options by farmers.

I.N.C.O.M.E seeks to identify the barriers against the implementation of low-cost GHG mitigations and explain why apparent win-win mitigation options are not adopted. Multiple methods are used: workshops, literature reviews and desktop analysis, expert consultation, and verification through modelling, evidence-based low-cost GHG mitigation strategies and available management practices, with particular emphasis on the cost-effective measures identified in existing marginal abatement cost curve studies.

In order to empirically evaluate and further explore the claims of ‘low cost’, a subset of mitigation options able to be applied in the varied national contexts of the study are selected using agreed criteria to further examine their claims of ‘low cost’ within the socio-cultural, economic and environmental contexts of each country.

This project was finally funded by the New Zealand Government to support the objectives of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

Results

I.N.C.O.M.E. delivered different insights for debate and practical consideration on agricultural mitigation options:

• It identified what mitigation options could involve no financial costs to farmers -- win-win options for mitigation in dairy and sheep and beef farms.
• It provided a comprehensive list of all potential barriers that affect farmers decisions to adopt agricultural practices that involve not apparent financial costs.
• It identified what barriers are more relevant for dairy and sheep and beef farmers when decisions are made about the adoption and intensification of agricultural practices that could support GHG emissions mitigation.

For more references, see the summary of the project findings at:
https://www.motu.nz/assets/Documents/our-work/environment-and-agriculture/agricultural-economics/no-cost-barriers/No-Cost-Mitigation-Synthesis.pdf