This document discusses climate-smart agriculture which aims to increase food security, adaptation to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It notes that agriculture contributes significantly to emissions but can also be part of the solution. Key points made include that climate-smart practices already exist but more investment is needed, smallholders require support to transition, and available financing is insufficient. Agriculture mitigation is not just about soils but also vegetation, and emission reductions per unit of food produced will make a major contribution. Monitoring does not need to measure everything but focus on strategic levels and proxies to help implement policies. Links between agriculture, forests, and REDD+ are also discussed.

1. Climate-smart Agriculture
Peter Holmgren
FAO

2. Peter Holmgren, FAO
3 November 2009

4. Two Goals of Our Time
1. Achieving Food Security
– 1 billion hungry
– Food production to increase 70% by 2050
– Adaptation to Climate Change critical
2. Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change
– ”2 degree goal” requires major emission cuts
– Agriculture and Land use = 30% of emissions..
– ..and needs to be part of the solution

5. Climate Change and Food Security
Climate Change, Food and Security

6. Overlaps, Synergies and
Trade-offs
National ->
International
National ->
Local
Climate
UNFCCC
“Carbon”
Biodiversity
CBD
“Species”
Food Security
WSFS
“Calories”
+ Human rights,
Health, Trade,
Education, .....
LOCAL
REALITIES
GLOBAL
OBJECTIVES

7. Action Can help
Food
Security
Can help meet
CC
Mitigation
Increase productivity (yields per
area) under environmental and
sustainability constraints
Yes (yes)
Reduce expansion of agriculture and
sustainable forest management
Yes
Effective water use Yes (yes)
Reduce losses in / more efficient
agricultural practises
Yes Yes
Reduce losses in food processing and
handling
Yes Yes
Improve agricultural markets and
incentives
Yes Yes
Carbon sequestration in vegetation
and soil
(yes) Yes

8. But solutions also depend on
• Demographic changes
– population
– urbanization
• Economic growth
• Structural changes in agriculture
• Consumption patterns

9. Remember:
Climate change mitigation
will never be the main goal
for agriculture.

10. Climate-smart Agriculture
Agriculture that sustainably:
• increases productivity
• increases resilience (adaptation)
• reduces/removes GHGs
AND
• enhances achievement of national
food security and development goals

11. Key messages 1: Practises
• Climate-smart practices exist
• Ecosystem approach at landscape
level is crucial
• Investments are needed in
– filling data and knowledge gaps
– R&D of technologies, methodologies
– conservation and production of varieties
and breeds

12. Key messages 2: Policies
• Smallholders need institutional and
financial support for the transition
• Strengthened institutions for
dissemination and coordination
• Consistency between agriculture,
food security and climate change
policies

13. Key messages 3: Finance
• Available financing, current and
projected, are substantially insufficient
• Combining finance (public/private,
climate change/food security) improves
options
• Fast-track financing must take sector-
specific considerations into account

14. On scope of agriculture
mitigation
• It is not only about soils.
• Vegetation in agriculture landscapes
has a very large potential
• Emission reductions per produced
unit will be a major contribution

15. On MRV and Monitoring
• Often said to be an obstacle
• but, Don’t Worry!
• Some consolation:
– No need to measure Carbon or
emissions everywhere
– Only at strategic levels do we need to
monitor actual emissions
– At operational levels, focus will be on
proxies that help implement policies

16. Links to REDD+
• Emissions from forests are largely
caused by agriculture
• So REDD+ is largely to be achieved
in the agriculture sector
• Which means that climate-smart
agriculture should be included in
REDD+ strategies and finance

17. FAO actions
• MICCA Programme
– Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture
– Knowledge – emissions, mitigation potentials
– Pilots of mitigation payments
• EX-ACT – incorporating climate impact in
agriculture investment projects
• Adaptation Framework Programme
– Brings together adaptation in all FAO work areas
• UN-REDD Programme

18. Two Goals
Achieving Food Security
Avoiding Dangerous
Climate Change
We must reach both.

19. Peter Holmgren, FAO
3 November 2009