Country profile of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Costa Rica

Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in Costa Rica seeks to integrate agricultural development with climate change mitigation and adaptation, promoting food security and sustainable development. The country profile highlights the importance of practices such as efficient use of agrochemicals, improved irrigation and drainage systems, agroforestry in coffee production, and rotational grazing for livestock production. These actions help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, improve resilience to droughts, and diversify farmers’ incomes through payments for environmental services (PES). Costa Rica already implements key actions such as the Coffee NAMA, which includes reducing nitrogen emissions through the use of slow-release fertilizers, recycling coffee waste to generate energy, and promoting agroforestry systems. In addition, the country has adopted emissions monitoring systems and practices such as water management and agrochemical reduction in sectors such as banana and pineapple.