22 November 2018. Brussels. European Parliament. Farmers fighting climate change in developing countries.

1. FARMERS FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE
Tiina Huvio – Programme Director, FFD; Chairman of Forest and Farm Facility of FAO
European Parliament, 22nd November 2018

2. Farming is a risky business
 Living with weather pattern – adjusting your actions, trusting your
knowledge, legacy and traditions
 How far you can adjust without extra resources, knowledge,
investments or flexible finance
 Risks known and unknown – burden of multiple risks
 Boost needed to feed the growing population (~50% increase in food
production by 2050)
 LOOKING FOR RESILIENCE – INCREASING PRODUCTION

3. Agriculture, forestry and land use – climate change
emissions
GHG emissions from the AFOLU sector account for 24 percent of the total emissions
(IPCC, 2014a).
The AFOLU sector is the largest emitting sector after the energy sector.

4. Within agriculture – the emission sources
Agriculture alone contributes 10–12 percent of global GHG emissions (IPCC, 2014a).

5. Smallholder agriculture – extensive need for land
Smallholders in
developing countries
produce, on a very
rough estimate, 5% of
total global
greenhouse gas
emissions.
Almost 30% of
arable land in
Sub Saharan
Africa is
degradaded

6.  IPCC Special report 15 (2018) underlines the nexus of poverty
reduction, adaptation and mitigation – and the need to act now
Until now, the role of farmers’ organisations have been massively
underestimated by international climate policy makers, national
governments and the private sector
Only 3-5% of total climate-development funds trickle down to
smallholder farmers and the organisations that support them
Act now

7. 3% 4%
5%
12%
14%
15%
17%
30%
Developmental Food
Aid/Food Security
Assistance
Disaster Prevention &
Preparedness
Others
Water Supply &
Sanitation
General Environment
Protection
Agriculture & Forestry
Distribution of total external development
funding related to climate change (OECD, 2016)

8. Subsector Total Agri-Climate
Funding 2016
(‘000 USD)
Share of total
Agri-Climate
funding
Amount expected
to trickle down to
farmers and FOs
Share expected to
trickle down to
farmers and FOs
Agricultural development 1.702.367 34,6% 292.392 17,2%
Agricultural financial services 245.144 5,0% 61.529 25,1%
Agricultural land resources 207.591 4,2% 24.664 11,9%
Agricultural policy and
administrative management 1.291.968 26,3% - 0,0%
Agricultural research 234.103 4,8% - 0,0%
Agricultural water resources 485.852 9,9% 48.585 10,0%
Food crop production 220.947 4,5% 69.356 31,4%
Other subsectors 529.039 10,8% 127.872 24,2%
Agriculture TOTAL 4.917.011 100,0% 624.398 12,7%
Table 1: External agri-climate funding (2016) expected to
trickle down to farmers and FOs

9. AgriCord approach - rationale
Smallholder farmers are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts
of climate change as a result of reliance on natural resources, poverty
and marginalization
Farmers’ resilience towards climate change is dependent on access to
knowledge, technology, (natural, financial, material) resources,
institutions and value chains

10. Researchers and practitioners have recognized the role of farmers’ organisations in
increasing small-scale producers’ resilience, as they provide (e.g. IIED, 2012):
Better access to services;
Enhanced financial capital and infrastructure (storage, roads);
Better access to markets and market information;
Better and sustainable access to natural resources such as water (irrigation), land,
seeds, etc.
Orientation in the market (add value);
Increased and more stable incomes;
Participation in innovation processes.
What is needed

11. Farmers Fighting Poverty in supporting FOs, and
farmers’ resilience
From 2013 to 2016, the program reached approximately 2.170.000
farmers, of which approximately 40% were women farmers.
Approximately 10 million euros is channeled every year towards 100 -
130 farmers’ organisations (AgriCord core funding only). In terms of
membership, about 1 million individual members and roughly 7,000
local grassroots organisations are reached every year.

12. Current dedicated climate initiatives in FFP
Adaptation : Agriculture: diversification of income, introduction of
resistant varieties (rice, potato), the divulgation of agroecological
practices for soil conservation, fisheries, water management, shaded
systems (coffee, cocoa) Forestry: diversification of income, flood
prevention, pest management, fire prevention
Mitigation: avoided deforestation, afforestation/reforestation,
enhancing carbon stocks through sustainable forest management,
energy efficient cookstoves, fuel switch on irrigation pumps (diesel –
solar), agroforestry, conservation tillage

13. Farmers Fighting Poverty and Climate
Change
To increase resilience of farmers by strengthening the organisation and
adaptive service delivery of farmers’ organisations as well as to
contribute to the mitigation of climate change through projects reducing
GHG emissions by and for FOs and their members.

14. How do we bring the change
Access to economic
and technical
services, climate
information and
climate-smart
technologies
Inclusive,
innovative,
sustainable,
professional FOs
with adaptive
management and
mitigation
capacities
Resilient
smallholder farmers
stepping out of
cycles of poverty
and vulnerability

15. ACT NOW – TAKE FARMERS ONBOARD
 There are good examples, experiences and knowhow to engage farmers
 What is needed, is a fast track to direct funding for them
 We can start already now – combining poverty reduction, adaptation and
mitigation
 Farmers need to be actors, not factors!