The contribution of good agricultural practices to SDGs

When: Friday, 7 December, 10:25 – 11:45
Where: Indonesia Pavilion

Can three distinctly different pursuits – mitigating climate change, adapting to climate change, and improving standards of living – go hand in hand?

SEI research taking place in Indonesia is exploring this premise. A case study conducted with farmers in rural Bali is examining the role that bioenergy can play in improving agricultural practices, sparking entrepreneurship, and addressing climate change.

In Bali, farmers are already beginning to feel the effects of climate change, and their experiences are informing climate change research. Weather patterns are changing the face of agriculture. Temperatures are rising. Precipitation is decreasing. As a result, farmers in some regions are shifting away from traditional rice paddies to less-water intensive crops, such as coffee. The SEI case study examined how farmers can use farm waste – largely the manure from pigs and cows – to make renewable energy: biogas, produced in small bio-digesters installed near their homes. The biogas can replace the burning of firewood for cooking, and can be used to roast the coffee, a higher value crop that offers the potential for farmers to earn higher incomes. Bioslurry, the waste from the biogas production process, can also be used as an organic fertiliser, replacing energy-intensive, and higher-priced mineral fertilisers.

SEI is conducting research as part of two European Union projects: Transition Pathways and Risk Analysis for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies (TRANSrisk), a European Union-funded research project studying the risks and uncertainties within low-carbon transition pathways; and GREENWIN, which explores green business models and implementation barriers.