21 October 2009: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), has released a paper that explores greenhouse gas mitigation options in India’s agriculture sector.

The paper focuses on three sources of greenhouse gases: methane from irrigated rice production; nitrous oxide from fertilizer use; and carbon dioxide from energy used to pump ground water. The paper uses IFPRI’s International Model for Policy Analysis of Agriculture Commodities and Trade (IMPACT) to estimate carbon dioxide equivalents from these sources for 2000 and 2050. It also examines how changing land use may affect carbon sequestration. The paper highlights that making changes to irrigation management techniques and reducing subsidies to agricultural electricity may be particularly cost-effective mitigation options. [IFPRI publication] [IMPACT model description]