02164naa a2200169 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000110006024500770007125000110014826000090015952015820016865300160175065300190176665300150178577301940180010773462011-06-08       2010    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d1 aEpagri  aThe case of the Santa Catarina rural competitiveness project (SC RURAL).  a2. Ed.  c2010  aAgriculture can play an important role in climate change mitigation while contributing to increased food security and reductions in rural poverty. The EX-Ante Carbon-balance Tool (EX-ACT) can estimate the mitigation potential of rural development projects generated from changes in farming systems and land use. The study presents and discusses the EX-ACT analysis performed on two World Bank-supported projects in Brazil (Santa Catarina Rural Competitiveness and Rio de Janeiro Sustainable Rural Development). The projected estimates of the impact of project activities on green house gas emissions and Carbon sequestration demonstrate the additional environmental benefits achieved through protecting forested areas (riparian zones, ecological corridors), enhancing production systems (promotion of improved cropland and grasslands management) and expanding agro-forestry and perennial systems. The study demonstrated possible synergies between mitigation and rural development goals while the EX-ACT sensitivity analysis has indicated that projected results will be intermediate between ?pessimistic? and ?optimistic? scenarios. Cost-benefit analysis showed that both projects would generate environmental benefits associated with climate change mitigation. However, the Santa Catarina Rural Competitiveness project demonstrated higher mitigation potential, a result primarily due to the size of the project area and the nature of the development activities, thus providing a better opportunity to be eventually considered for public co-financing for low-Carbon agriculture.  aAgricultura  aSanta Catarina  aZona rural  tIn: BRANCA, G.;MEDEIROS, K. Estimating mitigation potential of agricultural projects: an application of the ex-ante carbon-balance tool (ex-act) in Brazil. 2. ed. Roma: FAO, 2010. p. 12-38.