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Climate Smart Agriculture on the ground
This document outlines an assessment of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). It discusses indicators for measuring CSA's contributions to food security, adaptation, and mitigation. It provides examples of successful CSA projects from FAO and others, including those focusing on improved rice cultivation techniques in Vietnam, drought-tolerant maize varieties in Africa, and livestock insurance programs in Kenya and Ethiopia. The document concludes with instructions for a breakout group exercise to further assess the CSA potential of case studies.
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Climate Smart Agriculture on the ground
- 1. Aslihan Arslan, FAO-EPIC Climate Change Governance Course, CDI-WUR 17.09.2014
- 2. Outline I. AssessingCSA • Food Security • Adaptation • Mitigation II. CSA Success Stories – FAO III. CSA Success Stories – Others IV. Breakout Group Exercise
- 3. Assessing CSA FoodSecurity • Identify indicators to measure FS contributions of interventions – Productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry products – The stability of production under climate stress – Improvements in crop/total income – Availability of a diverse & nutritious diet – Access to markets to improve availability • Compare with business as usual scenario – Including costs & benefits
- 4. Assessing CSA Adaptation Altering exposure Reducing Sensitivity Improving adaptive capacity • Assess impacts and map hazard zones • Conduct proper land and wateruse planning • Protect watersheds and establish flood retention zones • Change cropping patterns Mitigation • Develop or adopt suitable crop, plant and animal varieties • Improve irrigation and drainage systems • Diversify cropping and agricultural activities • Adopt disaster-prevention • Develop adaptive strategies and action plans • Diversify sources of household income • Improve water and other infrastructure systems • Establish disaster and crop insurance schemes CO2 rate of deforestation and forest degradation, adoption of improved cropland management practices (soil conservation) CH4, N2O improved animal production and management of livestock waste, more efficient management of irrigation water on rice paddies, improved nutrient management on cropland Sequestering carbon restoration of degraded soil, increased organic matter inputs to cropland, improved forest management practices, afforestation and reforestation, agro-forestry, improved grasslands management
- 5. Quantifying and targetingmitigation in ag: The FAO EX-Ante Carbon balance Tool (EX-ACT) • An Excel based tool to quantify the amount of GHGs released or sequestered from activities in the AFOLU sector • Requires activity data on agricultural practices, resource use and land use change • Calculates estimated GHG impacts in tonnes of CO2-equivalents largely using the IPCC 2006 guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories • Allows project designers to adjust investment projects to simultaneously provide economic and mitigation benefits • http://www.fao.org/tc/exact/ex-act-home/en/ The EX-Ante Carbon balance Tool (EX-ACT): Logic and Application
- 6. Conservation agriculture Watershed management The EX-Ante Carbon balance Tool EX-ACT Training Workshop www.fao.org/tc/exact Adapted crop and farming practices Irrigation and water management Crop and income loss risk management Disaster risk management (flood, drought...) Livestock and grassland management Management of irrigated rice Synergies: Main agriculture options Adaptation Mitigation
- 7. CSA ON THEGROUND - FAO
- 8. Preserving the Agro-forestrysystem on Mount Kilimanjaro What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: to be improved via conversion to certified organic coffee farming; introduction of vanilla as a high value additional cash crop; and introduction of trout aquaculture along the canals of the irrigation system. Adaptation: Rehabilitation of the irrigation system to reduce water loss and to cope with longer dry seasons due to climate change; training in sustainable land management. Mitigation: Sustainably managed “Kihamba” system increases carbon storage.
- 9. Coffee shrubs andbanana trees in the Kihamba layered vegetation, Tanzania © FAO/D. Hayduk
- 10. Andean agriculture: theimportance of genetic diversity What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: to be increased and stabilized through genetic diversity Adaptation: Traditional terraced farming systems maintain soil fertility and improve the resilience of the agro-ecosystem while providing suitable breeding stocks needed to adapt production to climate change Mitigation: This program does not aim to provide mitigation benefits.
- 11. Varieties of potatofor sale at the local market, Peru © FAO/S. Cespoli
- 12. A landscape approachfor policy making, planning and monitoring-Kagera river basin What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: to be improved through restoration of degraded lands, increased production and use of agricultural biodiversity Adaptation: A participatory multi-sector process to asses and map land degradation and sustainable land management (SLM) to improve adaptation Mitigation: Carbon sequestration though incorporation of trees and improved crop & livestock management
- 13. Carbon finance tobring back grasslands in Three Rivers region of China 271 Households 22,615 ha 14,354 sheep 9,216 yaks …are part of the project to improve livelihoods and resilience through sustainable grassland management and better livestock marketing while receiving carbon credits What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: Improved pastures feed more animals and people. Upgraded husbandry and marketing add value to products. Adaptation: Restoring degraded grassland builds resilience to climate change by increasing soil moisture and nutrient retention. Mitigation: Thriving grasslands are a huge carbon sink. In its first 10 years, the mitigation potential is estimated at 63,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
- 14. CSA ON THEGROUND – OTHERS
- 15. Drought-Tolerant Maize forAfrica DTMA >100 DT maize varieties Released in 13 countries 20-30% more yield >2 million smallholders More than 2 million smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are now growing drought-tolerant maize varieties that build resilience and increase yields and productivity What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: Drought-tolerant maize varieties are increasing yields even under moderate drought conditions, thus raising income for farmers. Adaptation: The new varieties will enable farmers to cope with more frequent droughts projected as a result of climate change. Mitigation: Farmers could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by combining the use of drought-tolerant maize with practices such as no-till agriculture/agroforestry.
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- 17. Alternate wetting anddrying for more efficient rice farms in Vietnam Reduce water use up to 30% Reduce methane emissions by 48% Potential for 3.2 million ha Decrease input use MARD’s 2011 policy aims for 3.2 million hectares of improved rice cultivation with AWD by 2020 What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: AWD maintains productivity & lowers water use and emissions. Reduced input use (water, fertilizers, insecticides) decreases costs and thus raises incomes. Adaptation: Reducing water use by up to 30% through AWD enables rice farmers in areas with growing water stress to continue to cultivate rice without adverse impacts on yield. Mitigation: AWD decreases the methane emissions by around 50% from rice cultivation
- 19. Index-based livestock insurancefor climate resilience in Kenya and Ethiopia Based on real-time satellite data Productive safety net Involve commercial insurers Incentivize investments IBLI was first piloted in northern Kenya in 2010, then following the success of the pilot it was expanded into southern Ethiopia in 2012 What makes it Climate Smart? Food and income: Droughts and other extreme weather events are marked by food insecurity, and the pay-outs received from IBLI enable pastoralists to fulfil their food needs. Adaptation: Insurance increases pastoralists’ resilience to extreme weather. Mitigation: This program does not aim to provide mitigation benefits.
- 21. Breakout Session: Assessingthe CSA potential of case studies 1. Asses the local situation: climate change, agriculture, food security • What are priorities? 2. Identify contributions to all CSA pillars 3. Identify indicators for measurement & monitoring • Which existing data sources? • Additional data & analysis needs? • Barriers to adoption? 4. Identify synergies and/or tradeoffs 5. Identify potential funding sources 6. Report to the plenary
- 22. Guiding Questions 1.Which dimensions of food security are addressed by project? 2. Adaptation to slow onset CC or extreme events? 3. If there are mitigation co-benefits: does it aim to decrease emissions and/or increase sinks/sequester carbon? 4. What are institutional enabling factors/ barriers to adoption? 5. Policy bottlenecks if any?
- 23. Thank you! FAO-EPICTEAM: Aslihan Arslan, Solomon Asfaw, Giacomo Branca, Louis Bockel, Andrea Cattaneo, Romina Cavatassi, Uwe Grewer, Misael Kokwe, Leslie Lipper, Wendy Mann, Nancy McCarthy, George Phiri, Alessandro Spairani and Linh Nguyen Van Climate-Smart Agriculture in Kiroka, Tanzania © FAO/D. Hayduk
Editor's Notes
- #4 Identifying adaptation benefits from any specific agricultural development activity, we need to have an idea about how climate change is projected to affect that location and agricultural system, as well as about the effectiveness of strategies for reducing vulnerability and increasing adaptation to such changes. For mitigation we need to understand the increase in emissions that could be expected under a conventional agricultural growth strategy, as well as the reduced growth or absolute reduction in emissions that could be achieved under an alternative strategy.
- #5 4 R’s of fertilizer efficiency: right product, right dose, right placement, right timing
- #7 Identifying adaptation benefits from any specific agricultural development activity, we need to have an idea about how climate change is projected to affect that location and agricultural system, as well as about the effectiveness of strategies for reducing vulnerability and increasing adaptation to such changes. For mitigation we need to understand the increase in emissions that could be expected under a conventional agricultural growth strategy, as well as the reduced growth or absolute reduction in emissions that could be achieved under an alternative strategy.
- #10 The “Kihamba” agroforestry system covers 120 000 hectares of Mount Kilimanjaro’s southern slopes. The 800 year-old system stands out among agroforestry systems as one of the most sustainable forms of upland farming. Without undermining sustainability, it has been able to support one of the highest rural population densities in Africa, providing livelihoods for an estimated one million people. As an ecologically compatible cash crop, coffee allowed the agroforestry system to adapt successfully to the emerging cash economy. However, in the 1990’s, coffee prices on the world market plummeted at the same time as pests and diseases were increasing. Additionally, many coffee shrubs had reached an age (over 50 years) when they produce less beans. These factors led to a sharp decline in productivity and profitability. It is estimated that 20 percent of coffee cultivations in the area have been abandoned. If this continues, it will have massive environmental and socio-economic implications in the landscape around Mount Kilimanjaro especially on food security, carbon storage, water catchment and soil erosion. Rethinking sources of cash income. Three interventions were agreed on: a) conversion to certified organic coffee farming; b) introduction of vanilla as a high value additional cash crop; and c) introduction of trout aquaculture along the canals of the irrigation system. • Rehabilitation of the irrigation system to reduce water loss and expansion of the capacity of storage ponds to cope with longer dry seasons due to climate change. • Training in sustainable land management. • The interventions in coffee management alone are expected to increase farm cash income by 25 percent in three years.
- #12 The GEF funded, FAO-led Global Partnership Initiative on conservation and adaptive management of “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems” (GIAHS), in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, other local institutions and the participation of local communities, is helping value these ingenious agricultural technologies to guarantee their conservation, while providing sustainable development conditions for present and future generations of Andean peoples. With these actions, FAO aims at developing appropriate technologies and measures to address the impact of climate change while strengthening the food and nutrition security of local families for current and future generations. The FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture adopted a “Programme of Work on Climate Change and Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” to promote the understanding of the roles and importance of genetic resources for food and agriculture in food security and nutrition and in ecosystem function and system resilience in light of climate change.
- #14 The goal of the Transboundary Agro-ecosystem Management Project for the Kagera River Basin (Kagera TAMP), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by FAO, is to adopt an integrated ecosystem approach for the management of land resources in the Kagera River Basin. The Basin is shared by Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Through a landscape approach the project helps restore degraded lands, sequester carbon, adapt to climate change and use agricultural biodiversity in a sustainable way while improving agricultural production, rural livelihoods and food security.
- #15 The herding households can choose a combination of management options, such as selectively reducing grazing, sowing grasses or storing winter hay. The project also supports profit-boosting measures like improved feeding, post-farm processing and marketing activities. The aim is to raise the productive potential of more than 22 000 hectares of degraded land—while still protecting producers’ income in the near term. Partners and funding sources The FAO partnered with CAAS, ICRAF and NWIPB to develop the carbon accounting methodology, which was subsequently validated by the Verified Carbon Standard. Key lessons and impacts The FAO’s new carbon accounting system can be used around the world to secure carbon finance for up-front investments in sustainable grazing. To entice herders to participate, projects need to deliver net economic returns. This also helps to link climate change mitigation with rural development objectives. Strong institutions for monitoring and enforcement are crucial to ensure reliable, verifiable carbon benefits.
- #17 Started in 2006. CIMMYT and IITA’s diverse group of partners from both the public and private sectors helped avoid the bottlenecks that often slow efforts to get improved crop varieties to farmers. More than 2 million smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are now growing these new maize varieties and hybrids. Farmers are reporting yields 20–30% above their traditional varieties, despite dry conditions.
- #18 Photo credits: CIMMYT - DTMA project https://www.flickr.com/photos/cimmyt/sets/72157625428334384/
- #19 MARD’s 2011 policy aims for 3.2 million hectares of improved rice cultivation by 2020. Partners and funding sources The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and various national partners have been involved in the development and testing of AWD, funded by the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) and other programmes. In Vietnam, the MARD’s extension services support roll-out of AWD. Field demonstrations across multiple countries showcased AWD’s benefits to farmers and policy makers and ensured buy-in at multiple levels. AWD offers multiple wins for farmers, reducing costs associated with watering, fertilizer and insecticide application.
- #21 In contrast with conventional insurance products, IBLI tracks local forage conditions using real-time, publicly available satellite data (‘greenness maps’) to determine the severity of drought, predict area-average livestock losses and calculate policyholders’ indemnity payments. When the contractual threshold—or ‘strike’ point—of forage loss or predicted livestock mortality is reached, the IBLI contract is triggered and policyholders receive a pay-out proportionate to the number and type of animals insured and the severity of vegetative loss and expected herd loss in the policyholder’s geographic area. Thus, IBLI aims to provide a productive safety net for households affected by livestock loss and help them effectively manage the resulting shock. IBLI may also incentivize investment in livestock and nourish the economy in pastoral areas. IBLI has been piloted in the Marsabit district of northern Kenya since 2010, with the active participation of a Kenyan insurer and technical support towards product design from Cornell University and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). NOTE: that 40% of the premium was subsidized by donors