Presentation given at EESC in Brussels as part of the Climate-Smart Agriculture sessions of the WBCSD Low Carbon Technology Platform initiative. 10 June 2017

1. Alain Vidal
CGIAR System OrganizationPhoto: G. Smith, CIAT
Soils for Food Security and Climate
The 4p1000 initiative

2. CGIAR is committed to advance agri-food science
and innovation to enable poor people, especially
women, to better nourish their families, and improve
productivity and resilience

4. CGIAR and its partners aim to

5. We have disconnected our food
system from the soil and we now
need to reconnect it!
Emmanuel Faber
DG of Danone
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT

6. • Mitigate climate change
o Attenuate GHG emissions. Organic Carbon can be
stored in soils for decades to millenia
o Low cost negative emission technology
• Adapt to climate change
o Soil organic matter increases soil water capacity
o Decreases sensitivity to erosion
• Contribute to food security & restore
degraded soils
o Major role of soil organic matter in soil fertility
o Yields stability
o 30% world soils severely degraded (FAO - 2015)
Why storing Carbon in soils?
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT

7. Why 4p1000 or 0.4%?
8.9 4.3
0.9
2.9
2.6
3.4
ATMOSPHERE: 830 Gt C
8.98.9 0
0
2.9
2.6
0
TOP SOIL: 860 Gt C
0
Gt C (billion metric tons of carbon)
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT

8. Towards 4p1000
Time (years)
Poor organic
restitution:
Soil degradation
New
equilibrium
Possible
potential
Maximal capacity

9. Limits and feasability: Practices
© FAO
© R.Cardinael
©agriculturedeconservation
Rangeland
management
Conservation agriculture
Agroforestry
Water management
Integrated soil fertility
management
Organic fertilizerCover crops
Soil organic
carbon
CO 2
Annual 4p1000 increase locally attainable?
Great variability of C storage rates (climate, soil..)
Limits : biomass availability, nutrients, water, soil…

10. A French initiative in the Lima Paris Action
Agreement launched at COP21
4p1000
“Soils for food security and climate”
• International research program on soil carbon
sequestration
• Multi-stakeholder platform to facilitate partnerships,
influence policy and improve supply chains
• Expertise on project monitoring and evaluation
• Digital resource center on carbon in soils

11. Contributing to the
Sustainable Development Goals
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT

12. Total countries including 4 per 1000, GRA, FACCE JPI, CCAFS & CIRCASA
Our vision: Co-ordinated research on agricultural
soil carbon sequestration spanning at least 82 countries and 85% of global research

13. How can private sector invest in
4p1000?
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT
• A collaboration platform with tools,
references, experience sharing and more
• Open to investors, practicioners, farmers,
decision maker
• Possible staff secondment

14. Policy Recommendations
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT
• Maintream soil carbon conservation /
sequestration as a best climate-smart /
agroecological practice
• Promote countries’ readiness through
projects that combine mitigation and
adaptation (eg through Green Climate
Fund)
• Recognize our food system’s need to
follow the ‘carbon law’ set by the Paris
agreement

15. A global carbon law and roadmap to make Paris goals a reality

16. Thank you
Photo: G. Smith, CIAT