This document discusses opportunities for collaboration between the CCAFS and MAIZE CRPs through learning platforms (LPs). It outlines four initial LPs: 1) Ex-ante evaluation and decision support tools for climate-smart options. 2) Participatory evaluation of climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices in climate-smart villages. 3) Identifying priorities and options for low-emissions development through standards, data, and models. 4) Developing weather-related agricultural insurance products and programs through analysis and pilots. The document details areas of potential collaboration between CCAFS and MAIZE within each LP including technology evaluation, modeling, and method development. It recaps existing collaboration and outlines next

1. CCAFS as an integrating CRP:
links with CRP MAIZE
Clare Stirling: CRP MAIZE MEETING

2. CSV project in SA: ML Jat Global N mitigation
project: C Stirling
Index-based
insurance: J. Hellin

3. “Learning Platforms” to link with the AFS-CRPs

4. LP #1: Ex-ante evaluation and decision
support for climate-smart options
Opportunities for CCAFS & MAIZE collaboration:
• Evaluation of CSA technologies & policies – identify targets:
what is climate-smart; in what context; at what scale? (with
LP# 2 & 3).
• Maize breeding & foresight modelling
• Identify thresholds for transformation (e.g. exit from
agriculture, migration)

5. LP #2: Participatory evaluation of CSA technologies and
practices in CSVs
Opportunities for CCAFS & MAIZE collaboration:
• CSVs used as sites for participatory testing of CSA
technologies
• Development of CSA recommendation domains (with LP#1).
• CSA simulations under different climate/socio-economic
scenarios (with LP#1),

6. LP#3: Identifying priorities and options for
low-emissions development
Opportunities for CCAFS & MAIZE collaboration:
• Community of practice: GHG methodologies, data & models
under SAMPLES (Standard Assessment of Mitigation Potential
and Livelihoods in Smallholder Systems).
• Identification of most promising technical options and their
trade-offs - including emerging options such as BNI.
• MRV (monitoring, reporting & verification) – developing &
tracking appropriate indicators for e.g. N, soil carbon

7. LP4: Weather-related agricultural insurance
products and programs
Opportunities for CCAFS & MAIZE collaboration:
• Develop a Community of Practice on insurance across the
CGIAR & develop connections with global insurance
community
• Concept paper: promising synergies between CGIAR and global
insurance community:
 Identify key challenges and knowledge gaps that impedes progress by
the global agricultural insurance community
$50k each to PIM (through IFPRI) and MAIZE (through CIMMYT)
to support joint development of LP#4

8. “Learning Platforms” to link with the AFS-CRPs
LP1: Ex-ante evaluation and decision support for climate-smart options (including down-scaled
climate data, regional climate outlooks, prioritization frameworks, climate-smart breeding)
LP2: Participatory evaluation of CSA technologies and practices in CSVs (including integrated
assessment of CSA options)
LP3: Identifying priorities and options for low-emissions development (including guidelines for
GHG measurement, identifying priority mitigation options)
LP4: Weather-related agricultural insurance products and programs (including global analyses to
identify constraints and opportunities, lessons from pilots)
LP5: CSA, gender and social inclusion
(supporting CSA gender specialists on climate-specific topics)
LP6: Partnerships and capacity for scaling CSA
(position CGIAR as a global leader for developing country food systems, and manage national to
global partnerships for CC policy impact and scaling CSA)

9. RECAP: MAIZE/CCAFS collaboration in 2017
• Much already going on through existing CIMMYT-CCAFS projects and
the aligned bilaterals
• Galway science write-shop (April): plan to develop & publish several
‘concept’ papers: CSA ex-ante evaluation framework; insurance;
climate services and LED.
• Big opportunities for systems modeling efforts in different sites to
evaluate climate-smartness at different scales: crop/livestock systems,
economic analysis, foresight analysis (with PIM)
• Mixed methodologies for MRV to inform country NDCs
CCAFS project portfolio will develop through time, opportunities for new
activities & collaboration.

10. Possible challenges
• Incentives vs. transaction costs for researchers to
collaborate and share knowledge across CRPs
• Culture of collaboration on ideas and knowledge, but
competition when funding is involved. Possible
challenge with partner CRP.
• Need to identify effective mechanisms for maintaining
communication, at a feasible cost

11. Thank you and
any questions?