Feasibility of a Grassland Carbon Project Under Improved Beef Production System

Beef production contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions via enteric fermentation and is a driver of deforestation and land use change. Hacienda San Jose, a cattle ranch in Colombia, collaborates with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture to explore the utilization of high-quality bovine genetics, deep-rooting grass species and sustainable pasture management practices to increase the efficiency of their operation. This more productive beef management has proven to lead to increases in soil carbon sequestration, thus offering the potential to generate tradable carbon credits. Unique provided a feasibility study that assessed the viability of a verified carbon project with Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) certification by evaluating a variety of financial, legal, environmental, and institutional factors.