Capitalizing on carbon market opportunities the agriculture sector in Latin America and the Caribbean

The voluntary carbon market is an essential vehicle for countries to access private capital to support the transformation to climate-resilient, productive, and sustainable agriculture. This remains true for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which could annually mitigate billions of metric tons of emissions through cost-effective interventions in the agriculture and forest sectors.  

LAC countries have significant experience tapping into carbon finance opportunities. With project developers and investors ready to deploy even more finance into the region, several enabling conditions must be further strengthened in order for LAC countries to effectively capitalize on these opportunities.  

Climate Focus’ report Carbon Market Opportunities in the Agriculture Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean sheds light on existing carbon market opportunities and challenges for agriculture interventions in LAC. Focusing on the livestock sector and agroforestry systems for coffee and cocoa, the report also highlights the enabling conditions needed to take advantage of these opportunities and overcome obstacles.  

The report was developed in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative (VCMI).