Curated Content

This report presents a summary of the presentations and evaluates the discussions and feedback from participants collected through Q&A on the presentations, the panel discussion and chat boxes dedicated to specific questions around the topic of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and the contents of the webinar.

There is a growing consensus that climate change is transforming the context for rural development, changing physical and socio-economic landscapes and making smallholder development more expensive. But there is less consensus on how smallholder agriculture practices should change as a result. The question is often asked: what really is different about ‘climate-smart’ smallholder agriculture that goes beyond regular best practice in development? This article suggests three major changes:

• First, project and policy preparation need to reflect higher risks, where vulnerability assessments and greater use of climate scenario modelling are combined with a better understanding of interconnections between smallholder farming and wider landscapes.

• Second, this deeper appreciation of interconnected risks should drive a major scaling up of successful ‘multiple-benefit’ approaches to sustainable agricultural intensification by smallholder farmers. These approaches can build climate resilience through managing competing land-use systems at the landscape level, while at the same time reducing poverty, enhancing biodiversity, increasing yields and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

• Third, climate change and fiscal austerity are reshaping the architecture of public (and potentially private) international development finance. This calls for: (i) new efforts to enable smallholder farmers to become significant beneficiaries of climate finance in order to reward multiple-benefit activities and help offset the transition costs and risks of changing agricultural practices; and (ii) better ways to achieve and then measure a wider range of multiple benefits beyond traditional poverty and yield impacts.

IFAD is actively helping developing countries make these changes according to their differing needs and circumstances. These changes underpin IFAD’s various new policy and institutional frameworks, such as the Environment and Natural Resource Management Policy, the Climate Change Strategy, the initiative on climate finance for smallholder farmers (Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme) and the IFAD Strategic Framework 2011-2015.

This brief synthesizes knowledge within CGIAR on agricultural practices and technologies that enhance food security, resilience and productivity. This brief has been prepared for the benefit of parties and observers making submissions to the UNFCCC SBSTA 44 on issues related to agriculture.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a systematic approach to agricultural development. It intends to address climate change and food security challenges simultaneously across levels, from field management to national policy, with goals to 1) improve food security and agricultural productivity, 2) increase the resilience of farming systems to climate change, and 3) mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequester carbon. After the introduction of the CSA concept in 2010, development organizations, national governments, and donors have quickly adopted a “climate-smart” agenda.

This working paper synthesizes knowledge within CGIAR on adaptation measures in agricultural systems, for the benefit of parties and observers preparing submissions to the UNFCCC SBSTA. Experience from CGIAR and partners indicate that adaptation measures covering policy, technological, financial, institutional, and research interventions are being tested and applied in agricultural systems in low-income and middle-income countries. Lessons include the need to ensure context-specificity when designing adaptation measures, engaging farmers in decision-making, and combining indigenous and scientific knowledge. Adaptation measures in agricultural systems are able to generate various added benefits in addition to adaptation benefits. These include enhanced food security, environmental benefits including mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and positive outcomes for gender and social inclusion. However, good design and implementation of these measures is important, for which capacity enhancement and technology transfer are essential functions.Climate change adaptation; agricultural systems; adaptation measures

The objective of the Toolbox is to support programme designers and field practitioners in doing gender sensitive and socially inclusive research.

This latest Module of the Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook entitled Gender in Climate-Smart Agriculture provides development agencies and practitioners, policy makers, civil society, research and academia, as well as the private sector with tested good practices and innovative approaches and technologies for gender mainstreaming in climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Gender equality is equal participation of women and men in decision making, equal ability to exercise their human rights, equal access to and control of resources and the benefits of development, and equal opportunities in employment and in all other aspects of their livelihoods. Gender equity is fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. Equity and equality both need to be considered in designing CSA interventions. This module is a joint product of the World Bank Group, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

This Source-book is a particularly timely resource. It combines descriptive accounts of national and international experience in investing in agriculture with practical operational guidance on to how to design agriculture-for development strategies that capitalize effectively on the unique properties of agricultural growth and rural development involving women and men as a high-impact source of poverty reduction. It discusses gender equality and women’s empowerment.

This is a Vulnerability Sourcebook Annex for the Vulnerability Sourcebook Standardized vulnerability assessments support adaptation planning and evaluation sourcebook.

The sourcebook describes the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process that aims at reducing the vulnerability of developing and least developed countries (LDCs) by addressing medium and long-term adaptation needs.