The BioCarbon Fund of the World Bank has identified large untapped greenhouse gas mitigation (GHG) potential in the smallholder agricultural sector in East Africa based on the adoption of SALM practices, which can contribute to climate change mitigation, generate revenue streams from carbon payments for environmental services, and maintain agrobiodiversity, while reducing farmers’ vulnerability to climate change. Carbon revenues have the potential to lower barriers to the adoption of SALM practices.

The Government of Kenya contacted the World Bank to support the country to access the global carbon market based on land use activities. ECOM Agroindustrial Corp (EAC), an international coffee trader, identifi ed the World Bank and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) as implementation partners for an innovative carbon fi nance project in Kenya’s agricultural sector. EAC will support the Komothai Farmers Cooperative and two other Cooperatives to turn sun grown low quality coffee into specialty shade grown and bird friendly coffee. GTZ will support EAC with certification for climate-resilient coffee.

The World Bank provides technical assistance to generate the carbon asset and – through the BioCarbon Fund – it intends to purchase the emission reductions based on the adoption of SALM practices.

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