Costa Rica

Latin America and the Caribbean

From 2004-2010 the project “Program to Develop Sustainable Agricultural Production” (PFPAS) benefitted 16,000 Costa Rican producers by, among other things, training farmers and sharing knowledge on sustainable technologies. One project idea developed in the Technology Action Plan aims to extend and reformulate this project to be a platform for a mitigation program in the agriculture and livestock sector. The reformulation of the project is intended to design mechanisms to incorporate agroforestry and silvopastoral practices and create incentives for carbon neutrality and certification.

Costa Rica is located in Central America and has a tropical and sub-tropical climate. On its eastern coast it borders the Pacific Ocean, and on its western side it borders the Caribbean Sea. Between the coastal plains lies a rugged landscape formed by active volcanic activity. Although Costa Rica’s economy is expanding, with strong technology and tourism sectors, it still maintains a large agriculture sector. Drawing on the expertise of the UNEP DTU Partnership, more than 130,000 ha of agricultural land have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to the decreases in rainfall that are currently being experienced. The TNA has identified several technologies that will enable a more resilient agriculture sector to emerge through projects such as the collection of rainwater for use in irrigation systems.

Costa Rica completed its TNA in 2011. The contribution of the TNA has been used to create valuable frameworks in the Costa Rican government to help eliminate barriers hindering the government’s strategic decisions regarding climate adaptation and mitigation. The National Electricity and Light Company and other electrical distributors have launched campaigns to inform and train both the industry and consumers how to use electricity efficiently for light, heat and cooling. The information and training alone is expected to reduce national electricity usage by 6%, thus saving approximately 330,700 tCO2.

The results of the TNA were used in the formulation of the NDCs as references and to provide a model for the selection of prioritized sectors.

Costa Rica’s TNA contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

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Priority technologies for adaptation

  • Infrastructure sector
    • Increase in the quality of the asphalted road network
  • Water sector
    • Adaptive co-management of watershed hydrography
  • Forestry sector
    • Environmental payment services
  • Agriculture and livestock sector
    • Sustainable agriculture production

Priority technologies for adaptation

  • Energy sector
    • Electricity efficiency and conservation
  • Agriculture sector
    • Sustainable agriculture production
  • Transport sector
    • Integration of public transport
    • Road decongestion

Get in touch

Ministry of Environment

Responsible Entity

William Alpizar

TNA coordinator