Environmental & Analytical Toxicology

Development of a Strategic Plan to Reduce GHG Emission in Sri Lankan Agriculture

Abstract

Punchi Bandage Dharmasena* and Chandima Gunasena

Sri Lanka was among the 171 countries that signed the Paris Agreement in 2016 at the High- Level Signature Ceremony of the Paris Agreement held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Subsequently the country submitted the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in 2021. The Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka prepared Carbon Net Zero 2050 Roadmap and Strategic Plan in 2023. The authors are responsible for the agriculture sector.

Agricultural lands contribute to the greenhouse effect primarily through the emission and consumption of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) such as methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Synthetic fertilizers and organic materials after harvesting, and animal manure deposited during grazing are the most common sources that contribute to N₂O emission. Emission of CH₄ from agriculture is mainly from paddy fields and enteric fermentation of the livestock. Carbon dioxide is emitted from agricultural fields due to use of machinery, application of urea, dolomite and gypsum and tillage operations. However, when comparing the total GHG emissions from CH₄, N₂O and CO₂ from agricultural fields in Sri Lanka, it can be seen that the emission of CO₂ is negligible compared to other GHGs.

In the study three scenarios were adopted to predict GHG emission from agriculture up to 2050 – Baseline scenario, NDC 2030 scenario extended to 2050 and Improved mitigation scenario. The study included literature review, stakeholder discussions and analysis to determine strategies to minimize GHG emissions from the agriculture sector.

The study results showed that the NDC 2030 extended scenario and improved mitigation scenario can reduce GHG emissions by 30% and 60% respectively up to 2050 compared to the baseline situation. However, in achieving these targets the paper discusses issues and constraints and policy gaps, which would hinder the success of the efforts.