Presentation by Sonja Vermeulen at the webinar "The Paris Agreement, SBSTA and agriculture in 2016: Perspectives for Asia" on 1 March 2016.

1. Sonja Vermeulen
Head of Research, CCAFS
Adaptation measures in
agricultural systems:
messages to SBSTA 44

2. Working paper February 2016:
Adaptation measures in
agricultural systems: Messages
to the SBSTA 44 Agriculture
Workshops
Info note February 2016:
Measures for climate change
adaptation in agriculture.
Messages to the SBSTA 44
agriculture workshops
http://hdl.handle.net/10568/71052http://hdl.handle.net/10568/71049

3. Lessons learned for adaptation measures
Perspectives from Asia

4. 1. Governance and policy
International governance arrangements and national policy
frameworks already provide a robust foundation for adaptation in
agricultural systems.
India’s national agroforestry
policy:
• Framework to increase
productivity and income for
smallholders, while enhancing
climate resilience
• Initial investment of
USD 33 million
• Will increase area under
agroforestry from
25 to 53 million ha

5. 2. National planning
National planning using prioritization tools can result in efficient, effective
and equitable allocation of limited resources to benefit the most vulnerable
farmers and systems.
Climate-Smart Agriculture
Prioritization (CSAP) tool:
• Decision-support modelling
framework to support
agricultural investment
decisions that match local
context and capacity
• Developed and tested in Bihar,
India
• Identifies best-suited crops
and technologies under climate
change

6. 3. Local Planning
Local planning involves devolution of decision-making and participatory
approaches to match local contexts, capacities and preferences.
Local Adaptation Plans for
Action (LAPAs) and Climate-
Smart Villages (CSVs) in South
Asia:
• Climate-resilient agricultural
systems developed by linking to
existing government village
development schemes
• 1500 CSVs in India – to be
scaled further in Nepal and
Bangladesh
• Community groups, local
government, and private
sector involved in design and
implementation

7. 4. Finance, incentives, value chain
interventions
Sub Mission on Agricultural
Mechanization (SMAM):
• Incentivizes investment in efficient
farming technology (e.g. laser-land
levelling) through farm-level
subsidies
• Part of India’s National Mission on
Agricultural Extension and
Technology
• Subsidies are ear-marked for
small-scale farmers and women
Access to adaptation finance remains critical to achieving local and
global goals for adaptation. Both economic incentives and value chain
initiatives can ensure that financial investments achieve adaptation at
scale.

8. 5. Research and knowledge systems
Stress Tolerant Rice in Africa
and South Asia (STRASA)
project:
• Public-private R&D partnership
distributes improved seed
varieties through small private
seed companies
• Sub1 seeds reached 3.8 million
farmers in India, Bangladesh
and Nepal
Effective research and knowledge systems connect farmers, policy-
makers, businesses and researchers to accelerate sharing of emerging
knowledge, and help adapt to dynamic current climates and to future
scenarios for climate and development.

9. 6. Extension services, capacity building
and technology transfer
New extension approaches in
Haryana, India:
• Engaging directly with young
farmers during technology
development to facilitate
adaptation
• Young farmers show great
interest in adoption of new-
generation technologies
• Inspired several community-
based farming movements
Modernizing extension services, capacity building and technology
transfer approaches are important to capture the attention and
participation of a wider group of rural people, including youth.

10. 7. Use of indigenous knowledge
Participatory land-use planning
in Vietnam:
• Development of a community
land-use plan for climate
change adaptation
• Applied across 3 climate-smart
villages in Vietnam
• Local knowledge of climate
risks integrated with scientific
knowledge
Indigenous knowledge strengthens adaptation measures by working
closely with knowledge-holders at both local and national levels.

11. 8. Gender and social inclusion
Improved adaptation for women
rice farmers in Vietnam:
• Women received training and
better access to climate and
crop information
• Targeted women farmers in Hau
Giang province
• Improved incomes,
participation and decision-
making of women in the
household and community
Gender equality and social inclusion can be strengthened if adaptation
measures are well designed.

12. Thank you
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