Helping the global environment and the people who live here through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.
The potential to benefit small scale producers in developing countries is the primary reason RuMeth International is working hard to promote its Ruminant Methane Efficiency methodology and feed supplement technology. Richard Bowman, Founder and President of RuMeth International, started his career in the mid 1980’s as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the country of Honduras. While there, and later on in his career with EnterpriseWorks Worldwide (formerly Appropriate Technology International or ATI) he saw first hand the benefits that can accrue to small scale agricultural producers through the introduction of technological interventions targeted at a specific problem.
The Clean Development Mechanism put forth by the UNFCCC and administered by the CDM Executive Board, provides an excellent means to finance such projects. As funding for traditional development projects decreases, especially in agriculture, the potential funding stream for carbon offset projects could be a significant source of financing for the introduction of technological innovations aimed at the small holder sector. Yet, when one reviews the current list of approved CDM Methodologies you notice that not many of the methodologies seem to have much of an emphasis on development. Yes, they do decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but how do they assist the people living in the implementing countries? RuMeth International seeks to reverse this phenomenon and sees its Ruminant Methane Efficiency methodology as an excellent example of the type of “win-win” benefits that a CDM project should be delivering.
Benefits Overview
The benefits that result from increasing ruminant efficiency in a developing country are threefold: 1) a reduction of greenhouse gases, 2) an increase to small-scale producers’ income, 3) an increase in available milk/meat realized for the country as a whole. This is the reason that Ruminant Methane Efficiency project’s make an excellent CDM effort. By introducing a new technology, in this case supplemental feeding for livestock, RuMeth International seeks to help non-Annex B countries develop their livestock sectors in a cleaner manner.
Rather than meeting the increasing demand for milk/meat by expanding the national herd, and thus elevating methane emissions, increased animal productivity allows for demand to be met with a smaller number of animals and a consequently lower amount of methane emissions. The introduction of supplemental feeding provides for a quantum leap in animal care and management, providing significant productivity benefits as well as establishing the base for future interventions that promote innovation and producer benefits in the livestock sector.
Benefits – Uganda Case Study
In the context of Uganda, the benefits from the RuMeth International project are significant, especially for the individual producer. Under present conditions, a producer realizes about US$ 60 annually from the milk production of each animal. By incorporating RuMeth International’s proprietary feed supplement into their animal management, an individual producer can realize an additional net income of US$90 per animal. For the typical producer maintaining five animals, this signifies an increase to family income of US$ 450. This amount, in a country whose average annual per capita income is US$ 240, is significant.
The effect of the project on national milk production is also significant. In 2000, the latest figures that are available 1, Ugandans consumed approximately 1,047 million litres of milk. Due to increased population, the demand for milk is projected to increase to 1,390 million litres by 2010. The RuMeth International project, at a projected sales level of only 2% of the Uganda dairy cattle population, would increase annual milk production by about 34 million litres. Not enough to close the gap to the projected demand, but still a substantial step in the right direction, and demonstrative of the potential impact of a supplement feeding project. Following projected success in the early years of the Uganda project, opportunities for further expansion in impact beyond 2% of the dairy cattle population are likely.
1 Report on Dairy Sector Supply, Demand and Competitiveness Study, Land O’ Lakes and K2 Consult (U) Ltd. May 14, 2001