Carbon markets are increasingly recognized as a central instrument of international climate cooperation, yet their potential to support the decarbonization of food systems remains largely untapped. Food systems—spanning agriculture, land use and land-use change and forestry, energy, industry, and waste—account for around one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, while offering substantial mitigation opportunities across production, value chains, and consumption. This paper provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of how food-system-related mitigation activities are represented in international carbon markets. Drawing on an original merged database covering more than 9,200 projects from both UNFCCC mechanisms (notably the Clean Development Mechanism) and major independent standards, it analyses nearly 4.9 GtCO₂e of issued carbon credits through a food- system lens. The study introduces a simplified typology of project scopes and types and examines the geographical, sectoral, and technological distribution of food-system-related projects. It shows that while food systems account for a significant share of credits—especially in independent mechanisms— carbon market activity remains highly concentrated geographically and skewed toward a limited number of project types, notably large-scale REDD+ and refrigeration projects. By contrast, major sources of food-system emissions at the farm gate and along food value chains—such as livestock methane, rice cultivation, food loss and waste, and household energy use—remain largely overlooked. The paper discusses the implications of these gaps for the environmental integrity and effectiveness of carbon markets and highlights the need for adapted methodologies, improved integration of small-scale projects, and greater alignment between compliance and voluntary markets. It concludes by outlining how carbon markets could more effectively contribute to food-system decarbonization while supporting sustainable development and food security.
This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0
This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0
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TI - Carbon markets and food systems
AU - Pingault, N.
AU - Martius, C.
AB - Carbon markets are increasingly recognized as a central instrument of international climate cooperation, yet their potential to support the decarbonization of food systems remains largely untapped. Food systems—spanning agriculture, land use and land-use change and forestry, energy, industry, and waste—account for around one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, while offering substantial mitigation opportunities across production, value chains, and consumption. This paper provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of how food-system-related mitigation activities are represented in international carbon markets. Drawing on an original merged database covering more than 9,200 projects from both UNFCCC mechanisms (notably the Clean Development Mechanism) and major independent standards, it analyses nearly 4.9 GtCO₂e of issued carbon credits through a food- system lens. The study introduces a simplified typology of project scopes and types and examines the geographical, sectoral, and technological distribution of food-system-related projects. It shows that while food systems account for a significant share of credits—especially in independent mechanisms— carbon market activity remains highly concentrated geographically and skewed toward a limited number of project types, notably large-scale REDD+ and refrigeration projects. By contrast, major sources of food-system emissions at the farm gate and along food value chains—such as livestock methane, rice cultivation, food loss and waste, and household energy use—remain largely overlooked. The paper discusses the implications of these gaps for the environmental integrity and effectiveness of carbon markets and highlights the need for adapted methodologies, improved integration of small-scale projects, and greater alignment between compliance and voluntary markets. It concludes by outlining how carbon markets could more effectively contribute to food-system decarbonization while supporting sustainable development and food security.
PY - 2026
PB - CIFOR-ICRAF
PP - Bogor, Indonesia and Nairobi, Kenya
UR - https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/9429/
DO - https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor-icraf/009429
KW - agriculture, carbon, energy, food security, food systems, greenhouse gas emissions, industry, land use, mitigation, redd-plus, sustainable development, value chains, waste management
ER -Endnote (.ciw)
%T Carbon markets and food systems
%A Pingault, N.
%A Martius, C.
%D 2026
%I CIFOR-ICRAF
%C Bogor, Indonesia and Nairobi, Kenya
%U https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/9429/
%R https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor-icraf/009429
%X Carbon markets are increasingly recognized as a central instrument of international climate cooperation, yet their potential to support the decarbonization of food systems remains largely untapped. Food systems—spanning agriculture, land use and land-use change and forestry, energy, industry, and waste—account for around one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, while offering substantial mitigation opportunities across production, value chains, and consumption. This paper provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of how food-system-related mitigation activities are represented in international carbon markets. Drawing on an original merged database covering more than 9,200 projects from both UNFCCC mechanisms (notably the Clean Development Mechanism) and major independent standards, it analyses nearly 4.9 GtCO₂e of issued carbon credits through a food- system lens. The study introduces a simplified typology of project scopes and types and examines the geographical, sectoral, and technological distribution of food-system-related projects. It shows that while food systems account for a significant share of credits—especially in independent mechanisms— carbon market activity remains highly concentrated geographically and skewed toward a limited number of project types, notably large-scale REDD+ and refrigeration projects. By contrast, major sources of food-system emissions at the farm gate and along food value chains—such as livestock methane, rice cultivation, food loss and waste, and household energy use—remain largely overlooked. The paper discusses the implications of these gaps for the environmental integrity and effectiveness of carbon markets and highlights the need for adapted methodologies, improved integration of small-scale projects, and greater alignment between compliance and voluntary markets. It concludes by outlining how carbon markets could more effectively contribute to food-system decarbonization while supporting sustainable development and food security.
%K agriculture
%K carbon
%K energy
%K food security
%K food systems
%K greenhouse gas emissions
%K industry
%K land use
%K mitigation
%K redd-plus
%K sustainable development
%K value chains
%K waste management
Publisher
CIFOR-ICRAF: Bogor, Indonesia and Nairobi, Kenya
Année de publication
2026
Auteurs
Langue
English
Mots clés
agriculture, carbon, energy, food security, food systems, greenhouse gas emissions, industry, land use, mitigation, redd-plus, sustainable development, value chains, waste management
