Calculating the GHG Footprint of Food Aid using Cash Transfers

In early 2021, Action Against Hunger (ACF) France launched a GHG emissions assessment with other members of the Humanitarian Environment Network (REH). The scope of accounting target all emissions, and very quickly some activities, which can generate considerable variability in the results, are identified. Among these, one item seems to represent more than 20% of ACF-France’s overall emissions, and which had gone “hidden” until now: cash transfers.

This study responds to the need to estimate the GHG footprint of activities using cash transfers in ACF’s main areas of intervention, and seeks to identify the next steps that can be taken to design concrete actions to reduce this footprint. The work was carried out by the CITEPA association, and approximately 80% of this document is taken from the study report, published without modification. ACF is responsible for setting the context, interpreting the results and making recommendations.

The results obtained show that the average carbon intensity of the food products making up the PDM/MEB is approximately 2.6 kgCO2e per USD of monetary transfer. The vast majority of country offices surveyed are between 1 and 3.5 kgCO2e/USD.