Confronting Climate Change Initiative
Project Leader: Anél Blignaut (Blue North Sustainability)
Contact: anel@bluenorth.co.za
Duration: 1 February 2017 to 31 January 2020
Co-funder(s): Winetech; Hortgro Science; CRI; Western Cape Department of Agriculture
Problem identification and project Objectives:
The agricultural sector is a large source of greenhouse gases through activities such as landuse change, agrochemical application and fossil fuel use. Africa has been identified as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world due to a low capacity to respond to climate change.
The CCC carbon emissions calculator not only provide the fruit and wine industry with a method
to calculate and report on their carbon emissions but also ensures the continued monitoring of emissions which provides opportunities to raise awareness on appropriate mitigation and adaptation techniques within the agricultural sector.
The initiative also provides detailed management information that supports management programs to improved resource-use efficiencies (such as electricity, fertilizers, agro-chemicals and fuels), increased energy independence and improving financial performance of the business.
The overall objective of the Initiative is to assist the fruit and wine industries in enhancing their competitive position, to proactively protect market access, to proactively respond to the challenges of climate change and to enhance the sustainability of farms, packhouses, wineries and the industry as a whole.
This is accomplished by ensuring that the fruit and wine industries are:
- well informed about relevant issues through a centralized information and training resource;
- equipped to able to measure its carbon footprint and benchmark it against best practices;
- positioned to implement carbon reduction practices that incorporate effective; mitigation and adaptive strategies to meet the challenges of climate change; and
- positioned as market leaders in relation to their global competitors