Page 163 - Ecuador's Banana Sector under Climate Change
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chapter 6: climate change policies and their potential impact on ecuador’s banana sector - an economic analysis
6. Summary
The key sources of on-farm GHG emissions relating to the growing of bananas are fertilizers, packaging and fossil fuel. Fertilizer and nitrous oxide are, by far, the most significant. N2O emissions can best be reduced by encouraging the adoption of best management practices for fertilizer use, as well as testing the soil and plant tissue for nitrogen content. Reducing excess soil nitrogen can decrease N2O emissions without reducing yields and it would result in a drop in the cost of production.
Packaging is the second main source of on-farm GHG emissions. Packaging, however, is largely outside the scope of Ecuador’s policy-making, given that
a change in packaging design would require acceptance at each stage in
the supply chain, from farm to retail. Nevertheless, Ecuador can encourage innovations in packaging by collaborating with stakeholders within the supply chain in order to lessen the carbon footprint of the banana.
Fossil fuel, the third major source of on-farm emissions should be taxed. Alternatively, the price of fuel can be raised to encourage producers and domestic transporters to conserve energy and invest in more energy-efficient equipment.
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