It is necessary to devise the 4th comprehensive measures (2008~2012) for agricultural sector that should be effective and practical by evaluating policy performances for the 3rd comprehensive measures (2005～2007) against the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which would be completed in 2007 and by reflecting the results in setting up them. The 4th comprehensive measures should include programs for encouraging voluntary GHG reductions and for developing carbon sinks rather than regulations and obligatory reductions in agricultural sectors as Korea is presently exempt from obligatory reduction.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate projects in agricultural sectors for the 3rd comprehensive measures against the UNFCCC and to suggest the 4th measures based on the results of evaluation and to determine practical options accordingly.
For the 3rd measures, policies focused on the establishment of frameworks for reducing GHGs and a total of 90 projects were carried out in three categories: (1) establishment of infrastructure for implementing the convention, (2) GHGs emission reductions by sector, and (3) adaptation to climate changes. Among those, agricultural sectors fulfilled a total of 16 projects, including 3 projects in the first category, 8 projects in the second one, and 5 projects in the third one. In the project for establishing the infrastructure on convention implementation, scientific studies developed the applied technology on utilization of livestock manure and food wastes, which is yet to be used in rural regions due to lack of programs for transferring the technology to farms. In the project of GHGs emission reduction, the technologies of reducing methane emissions were developed, including those for GHGs emission reduction in cultivated lands and improvements in harvesting and planting systems. The technologies are considered to be potentially practiced but limited in terms of technology dissemination to farms, necessitating the development of programs for transferring technology.
The studies on the utilization of livestock manure and food wastes have been conducted over a long period of time since the implementation of the 1st measures and should preferably be terminated. It is therefore necessary to develop programs for linking the results of evaluation to projects for utilization and commercialization of resources based on the policy evaluation. Regarding GHGs statistics, the major projects include the development of GHGs emission coefficients and the establishment of a national inventory system and patterns of GHGs emission distribution to be led by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy.
Regarding the 4th measures, the following projects will play a key role in obligatory GHGs emission reduction: reduction in nitrogen fertilization, production of rape seed for biodiesel, and reduction of methane emission in the livestock industry. Therefore, it is determined that the systematic mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the projects should be well prepared so that they could be effectively carried out within the specified periods.
For the adaptation to climate changes, the works of evaluating the cultivation of crops and its effects on productivity and the studies of carbon sequestration in farmlands would be the basic works in the sectors of adaptation and sinks, and the system for monitoring and evaluating these two at regular intervals would have to be operated.
For the 4th measures, additional projects should include a pilot project of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in agricultural sector, application of emission trading system, promotion of organic farming, regional-based maximum nutrients loading system, active participation in negotiations of UNFCCC, continued efforts in the adaptation sector, systematic research and technology development, establishment of an integrated GHGs management system, and organization of task forces.
For effective arrangements against UNFCCC, policy integration should be carried out so that the programs in agricultural and environmental sectors can supplement each other. In particular, for the agricultural sector to be a key contributor in the early reduction of GHGs emission, incentives such as direct payment should be considered.
Researchers: Chang-Gil Kim, Tae-Young Kim, and Sang-Gun Lee
E-mail address: changgil@krei.re.kr