Climate-Smart Agriculture

Climate change, agriculture and food security

Aslihan Arslan
EPIC FAO
Centre for Development Innovation, WUR September 17, 2014
 Outline

I. Agriculture
II. Climate Change
III. Food Security
IV. Overview of Climate-Smart Agriculture
(CSA)
V. Evolution of CSA
VI. CSA at various levels
VII. References
Population & Agriculture
Worlds population will
reach 9 billion by 2050
FAO estimates that
agricultural production will
have to increase by 60% by
then
Agriculture should undergo
a significant transformation
to feed the growing global
population
Climate change adds extra
challenges in reaching this
goal esp. developing
countries where food
insecurity & poverty are
prevalent
Pressures on Agriculture

FAO, 2009.
Agriculture and food security
Climate Change
Climate change impacts on
crop production
 Climate Change
Four potential yield outcomes for maize in 2045 under RCP 8.5

Source: Mller and Robertson (2014).

Source: Mller and Robertson (2014). Excludes CO2 effects

 Climate Change
Simulated impacts for the four climate scenarios:
global average for major crops in 2050 wrt reference
Wheat Rice Coarse grains Oil seeds Sugar CR5
5

-5

-10

-15

-20

-25
IPSL/LPJ HADGEM2/LPJ IPSL/DSSAT HADGEM2/DSSAT

Source: Shocks from IFPRI as interpreted for use in the ENVISAGE model, Nelson et al. (2014).
 Food Security

Food security exists when all people, at all times,

have physical, social and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets
their dietary needs and food preferences for an
active and healthy life.
-World Food Summit, 1996
 Food Security
Food and Nutrition
Security

Food Utilization
Food Availability
Food Access Food preparation
Food production Intra-household distribution of Nutrition knowledge
food Cultural traditions
Storage and processing of
food Income Health care
Child care
Transport and distribution Illness management
Markets
Food trade Clean drinking water
Sanitation & Hygiene
Stability Energy saving cookstoves

In food availability:
Natural and man-made disasters
Accumulation of stocks
Diversification

In food access:

Seasonal vs. constant job

Diversification
Livelihood & coping strategies
Safety nets
In food utilization:
Constant access to health care
Clean drinking water & sanitation

Burchi et al., 2011

Food Security
Overview of CSA
 Overview of CSA

CSA seeks to

Enhance
Preserve natural resource base
food
security and vital ecosystem services
Transition to agricultural
production systems
Mitigate
climate
change
 Overview of CSA

CSA seeks to

Enhance
Preserve natural resource base
food
security and vital ecosystem services
Transition to agricultural
production systems
Mitigate
climate More
change productive
 Overview of CSA

CSA seeks to

Enhance
Preserve natural resource base
food
security and vital ecosystem services
Transition to agricultural
production systems
Mitigate
climate More Use inputs
change productive more efficiently
 Overview of CSA

CSA seeks to

Enhance
Preserve natural resource base
food
security and vital ecosystem services
Transition to agricultural
production systems
Mitigate
climate Less variability
More Use inputs and more
change productive more efficiently stability in
outputs
 Overview of CSA

CSA seeks to

Enhance
Preserve natural resource base
food
security
and vital ecosystem services
Transition to agricultural
production systems
Mitigate
More resilient to
climate Less variability risks, shocks and
More Use inputs and more
change productive more efficiently stability in
long-term
climate
outputs variability
 Overview of CSA

Addresses the complex interrelated challenges of food security,

development and climate change, and identifies integrated
options that create synergies and reduce trade-offs

Recognizes that these options will be shaped by specific country

contexts and capacities as well as socio- economic and
environmental situations

Assesses the interactions between sectors and the needs of

different stakeholders

Identifies barriers to adoption (esp. for farmers), and provides

appropriate solutions in terms of policies, strategies, actions and
incentives
 Overview of CSA

Seeks to create enabling environments through a better

alignment of policies, investments and institutions

Strives to achieve multiple objectives with the understanding

that priorities need to be set and collective decisions made on
different benefits and trade-offs

Prioritizes the strengthening of livelihoods (esp. those of

smallholders) by improving access to services, knowledge,
resources (including genetic resources), financial products and
markets

Addresses adaptation and builds resilience to shocks, especially

those related to climate change
 Overview of CSA

Considers climate change mitigation as a potential

secondary co-benefit, especially in low-income,
agricultural-based populations

Seeks to identify opportunities to access climate-

related financing and integrate it with traditional
sources of agricultural investment finance
 Evolution of CSA
Food Security and Agricultural
Mitigation in Developing
2009 Countries: Options for Capturing
Synergies

Climate-smart Agriculture: Policies,

2010 Practices and Financing for Food
Security, Adaptation and Mitigation

Climate-smart
2013 Agriculture Sourcebook

2014 FAO Success Stories on

Climate-smart Agriculture
 Links to
Previous Approaches
CSA contributes to the
achievement of sustainable
development goals: economic,
social and environmental
Sustainable

Green
development Uses green economys need for
Economy
more resource efficiency and
resilience
Sustainable
intensification Sustainable intensification:
focuses on availability dimension
of food security (CSA covers also
accessibility, utilization and stability)

Climate-Smart Agriculture
 Evolution of CSA

So whats new about it ?

Objective of CSA is a new
avoiding approach to guide
the needed
Harmonization contradictory changes of
and and conflicting agricultural
synchronization policies by systems to
of practices and internally address food
policies managing security and
trade-offs and climate change
synergies
Not a new agricultural system or a set of practices
 Overview of CSA
How to address the multiple demands placed on
agriculture?
CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE
Create synergies between food
security, adaptation and climate
change mitigation
Adaptation
Mitigation
Synergies Main objective:
Pathway towards enhanced
food security and
development goals
Productivity &
income increase
ALL AGRICULTURAL SECTORS
 Agriculture
CSA requires coordination across agricultural sectors

Fisheries Livestock Forestry Crops

 CSA & Synergies
Concepts of mitigation and adaptation
Mitigation Adaptation

I act in response to the

I attack the
can and should be both impacts of the problem
problem
implemented

Risk management
Decrease GHG Strenghtening
sources institutions
Decrease sources Increase sinks
Trainings
Increase sinks Investments in rural
of GHG economy
 CSA & Synergies
Main differences between adaptation and mitigation
Mitigation
Causes of climate Global Longer-term Especially motivated
with countries less
change effect
vulnerable to CC

Objectives Spatial scale Time scale Equity

victims not always

Effects of climate Shorter-term responsible for
change Local effect causing CC

Adaptation

Same final common target: Sustainable development

 Various levels of CSA

Farm level

Landscape

Markets

Regional, national global policies

 Farm Level
At farm level, CSA can aim at improving:

Crop Management

Livestock
and Soil
Pasture Manageme
Manageme nt
nt

Water Management
 Conventional Agricultural
Intensification
Conversion of energy sources from
human to fossil fuel dependent
machinery.
Increased use of fertilizer, pesticides and
herbicides (dependent on fossil fuels)
generally very inefficiently applied.
Expansion of agricultural land area
through deforestation and conversion
from grasslands to cropland.
Increased specialization in ag production
and marketing systems.
Emphasizing improved and hybrid crop
varieties
Climate Smart Agriculture
Use of energy efficient technologies
Energy for agricultural power (irrigation or
tillage).
Increased efficiency of fertilizer
Inputs /inputs and wider use of organic
fertilizer.
Intensification on existing land as
Land use main source of production increase
rather than expansion to new areas.
Greater diversification in
production, input and output
System marketing systems.
Valuing the resilience of traditional
Varieties varieties
 Farm Level
Crop Management: Conservation Agriculture and Soil-Water Conservation
approach to managing agro-ecosystems for improved and
sustained productivity, increased profits and food security while
preserving and enhancing the resource base and the
environment

3 main principles of CA:

minimal soil disturbance,
permanent soil cover, and
crop rotations/associations

Ongoing international debate on

the effects of CA on yields and
resilience. Conservation agriculture Other soil and water conservation
Need to customize & modify the 3 (e.g cover crops, intercropping,
fallowing, alley cropping,no till, legume
(e.g. ridging, shelterbelts, terracing, bunding, agro-
forestry, woodlots, taungya, stone lines, strip
principles to various agro-ecological rotation) cropping, vetiver, animal traction, drainage ditches)

systems 89.7-90.9 % 61.4-70%

Need to explicitly account for
Source: Knowler, 2003. Positive net present values (NPV) for conservation
climate change impacts
agriculture and other soil and water conservation practices at the farm-level
from a total sample of 130 studies.
 Farm Level
Crop Management
Diversify crop types and varieties, including crop
substitution,

Develop new crop varieties, including hybrids, to increase

the tolerance, resistance and suitability (research)

Promote seed banks so as to help farmers diversify crops

and crop varieties

Increase livelihood diversification, including off-farm

income sources
 Farm Level
CSA can also involve changing a production system entirely:

Livestock system
or
Maize System Integrated Crop
& Livestock
system
 Landscape Approach
Objective: Need to achieve food security and climate change
mitigation and adaptation goals without compromising environment
DEFINITION
integrated multidisciplinary process where trade-offs
and synergies are carefully assessed and appropriate
landscape-scale management interventions are identified and
implemented.
recognizes that the root causes of problems may not
be site-specific and that a development agenda requires
multi-stakeholder interventions to negotiate and implement
actions.
combines natural resources management with
environmental and livelihood considerations
places human well-being and needs at the centre of
the land use decision-making process, respects rights and
cultural values
 Landscape Approach
Example: Ecosystem services of peatlands of the Ruoergai
Plateau
The Ruoergai
peatland
pastures on
the Tibetan
Plateau:
a major milk
and meat
producing area
in China

FAO, CSA Sourcebook, Module 2, p 68, 2013

 Landscape Approach
Herders fenced parts of the winter pastures near their winter
Farm level houses to create hay meadows to supply supplementary fodder
to animals and decrease grazing pressures on the peatlands in
spring.

Community Pilot projects by national and international organizations

supported peatland restoration by replanting vegetation (forage

and local level cultivation), rewetting (ditch blocking) and establishing co-
management systems.

The Provincial Peoples Congresses of Gansu and Sichuan

Regional level approved Wetland Conservation Regulations in 2007 and 2010
to promote the conservation of biodiversity and enhance the
livelihood of local communities.

The national The government of China has encouraged the ecological

restoration of degraded rangelands and forage cultivation in

level winter pastures to reduce grazing pressure on peatlands in

winter and spring.

FAO, CSA Sourcebook, Module 2, p 68, 2013

 Market Approach
CSA can also be a market approach:

Such as introducing sustainable value chains to help farmers in

a competitive sector.
 Policy level
Example: Disaster Risk Management

Develop early warning systems

Invest in infrastructure to protect against asset loss

Protect equipped areas from flood damage and maintain drainage outlets

Support the meteorological department in collecting, analysing &

disseminating weather/climate info

Strengthen community and municipality capacities in disaster management

Align national development, climate change and agricultural policies to

minimize contradictions and harness synergies
 Key Messages

Climate-smart agriculture is not a new agricultural system, nor a

set of practices.
It is a new approach, a way to guide the needed changes of
agricultural systems, given the necessity to jointly address food
security and climate change.
CSA brings together practices, policies and institutions that are
not necessarily new but are used in the context of climatic
changes.
Addresses multiple challenges faced by agriculture and food
systems simultaneously and holistically, which helps avoid
counterproductive policies, legislation or financing.
 Thank you!

http://www.fao.org/climatechange/climatesmart/en/
www.fao.org/climatechange/epic
 References

Burchi, F., Fanzo, J. & Frison, E. 2011. The role of food and nutrition system approaches in
tackling hidden hunger. International Journal Environ. Res. Public Health.
Grainger-Jones, E. 2011. Climate-smart smallholder agriculture: whats different? IFAD
occasional paper No.3. Rome. (available at http://www.ifad.org/pub/op/3.pdf).
FAO. 2009. Profile for Climate Change.
FAO. 2013. Climate-smart agriculture sourcebook.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2010. Assessing the environmental
impacts of consumption and production: priority products and materials.
UN-Water. 2010. Climate change adaptation: the pivotal role of water. UN-Water policy brief.
(available at http://www.unwater.org/downloads/unw_ccpol_web.pdf)
Nelson et al., Climate change effects on agriculture: Economic responses to biophysical
shocks PNAS, 2014.Vol 111(9): http://www.pnas.org/content/111/9/3274
 CSA among other concepts of
`green agriculture
From farm-based to comprehensive
development concepts

Macro Climate smart agriculture

Agroecology

Sustainable land
management

Organic farming

Conservation agriculture
Micro

Farming Value Area - based Multi-function

technics chain management planning and policies

The EX-Ante Carbon balance Tool

EX-ACT Training Workshop
www.fao.org/tc/exact