Towards incentive-compatible mechanisms for enhanced carbon storage in the African drylands

This paper considers the economic prospects for reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon storage in the habitable drylands of Africa. Particular attention is paid to the semi-arid and drier sub-humid agro-ecological zones of sub-Saharan Africa. Crop and animal agriculture are the main sources of rural employment in those areas; cropping, livestock grazing, wood collecting and foraging are the main human uses of the natural environment. The paper begins with a conceptual model of "net carbon benefit" for the habitable drylands of sub-Saharan Africa. The model distinguishes the impacts of different types of human activities, particularly crop agriculture, livestock grazing, crop/livestock production, fuel wood harvesting and tree planting on carbon emission and storage. Several propositions are then presented about the relationships between those activities, the environment, the variable climatic conditions that affect the region, the structure of economic institutions and incentives, and the adoption of technologies and land management practices.