Background
Brazil has successfully introduced large-scale pig-farming operations that use manure management to create and sell Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) based on methane capture. However, most small farmers see this process as complex, costly and burdensome. The fact that up to 90% of the CER benefits have gone to the project developers has also lowered enthusiasm for follow-up projects. In addition, CER revenues are often overestimated.
Currently, small and mid-sized farmers (who hold around 90% of animals) deposit the waste in open lagoons, which creates air and watershed contamination. Also, many projects fail to generate electricity from the captured methane. Instead, the biogas is flared.