Agriculture

Use of precision agriculture technology for fertilizer applications. Establishment of forage species (Mucuna sp, Canavalia sp and Trichanthera gigantea) in germplasm banks, research plots and fallow areas. Establishment of bamboo barriers on the edges of the farm. 3 Potential to reduce 10 tons of CO2 e per year.

Forests and bamboo

Agro-ecological zoning. Development of a forest management program. Evaluation of the ecological sustainability of agro-forestry systems. 3 Potential to reduce 250 tons of CO2 e per year.

Tropical agriculture gears up for climate change

Costa Rica Carbon Neutral 2021

Other information
Establishment of a program to optimize fuel consumption. Establishment of a program to optimize electric energy consumption. 3 Potential to reduce 20 tons of CO2 e per year.

Research and technology transfer to help small and medium-scale producers

In the Costa Rican Atlantic area, the National Institute for Innovation and Technology Transfer (Instituto Nacional de Innovacin y Transferencia de Tecnologa Agropecuaria -INTA) has converted a 900 hectare (2223 acres) farm into a laboratory for sustainability. There, in a region rich in biodiversity, proper use is being made of natural resources, research is being conducted and innovation and technology transfer are being promoted. Its forest areas and bamboo plantations are important to the process of carbon dioxide xation.

By instituting these measures, a total of 405 tons of CO2e could potentially be reduced. Beyond the efforts to obtain carbon neutrality certication for the EELD farm, this process will be vital in supporting national efforts to transfer agricultural technologies designed to achieve development that is low in emissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Xinia Solano, Coordinator, Experimental Los Diamantes Station xsolano@inta.go.cr

Responding to the demands of agricultural producers in the humid tropics

he National Institute for Innovation and Technology Transfer is responsible for the Experimental Los Diamantes Station (Estacin Experimental Los Diamantes EELD), a 900-hectare farm whose purpose is to respond to technology generation and transfer needs and provide services to small and medium-scale agricultural producers in the humid tropics.

On the whole, these activities would benet the area of influence, especially the Atlantic area of Costa Rica. They are also designed to fulfill the greater objective of obtaining carbon neutrality certication for the farm, thereby generating a model that will allow for the transfer of technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which have already been validated. As an initial step towards achieving the carbon neutrality goal, the EELD has drawn up an inventory of greenhouse gases, which has made it possible to determine the sources of emissions and quantify the systems carbon footprints. Source of e mission
Enteric fermentation livestock system Enteric fermentation porcine system Production of pig slurry Manure production and management Nitrogen used in agriculture Residual water treatment Fuel consumption Energy consumption Human emission Total

The station is located in Gupiles, Pococ, province of Limn, in an area of transition between the life zones known as Basal Rain Forest and Premontane Forest, which have significant animal and plant biodiversity. Because of their geographic location and natural characteristics, the farm has signicant potential for the development of activities to protect soil resources, the hydrological regime, as well as the environment, landscape and biodiversity. It is because of these conditions that the efforts of the EELD have focused on enhancing the value of the farm with forestry restoration models, germplasm conservation, wildlife protection, standardization on environmental management and the development of models for the sale of environmental services.

MT CO2 e/year
543 332 118 608 420 371 100 267 33 3 457 9 4 1 183 084

Percentage of total emissions

46 10 36 8 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 100

Livestock
Establishment of live fences with nitrogen fixing species (Erythrina sp and Gliricidia sepium). Recovery of pasture lands with improved grazing species with greater digestibility (Brachiaria sp). Adjustment of animal diets to reduce CH4 from enteric fermentation. Use of purines in fertigation for pasture lands. 3 Potential to reduce 100 tons of CO2 e per year.

Pigs
Management of animal remnants and excrement. Installation of a biodigester and use of biogas produced in mixers for preparing concentrates. Treatment of oxidation lagoons with efficient micro-organisms. Establishment of live bamboo barriers on the peripheries of pig farms as an alternative to phytoremediation of nitrous oxide leaching. 3 Potential to reduce 25 tons of CO2 e per year.

In addition, a series of technologies and initiatives that could be implemented to reduce emissions throughout the entire system has been identied and prioritized.