FAO launches carbon-neutral tea initiative to mitigate climate change

The new project will explore practices to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at each stage in the tea value chain

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has launched a new project in Kenya to develop and support the production of carbon-neutral tea.

It says the programme will address climate change mitigation with measures in place to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at each stage in the tea value chain.

The project will use carbon-neutral tea production methodologies developed in China by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) as well as new technologies to tackle climate change through energy efficiency, tried and tested in the Kenyan tea sector by the German Development Agency (GIZ).

Scientists will prioritise energy and resource efficiency in tea factories through technology transfers, implementation of effective monitoring management, green procurement guidelines and factory automation.

The project will also address the first stages of the tea value chain and the cultivation of tea bushes using low carbon practices including the reduction of fertilisers and pesticides, the support of carbon sequestration and soil conservation.

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