dealing with uncertainties: good adaptation practices

Dealing with uncertainties:

Good adaptation practices

Nap Expo 2016Bonn July, 11-15 2016

Katia Marzall, Leader Resilience and Comprehensive Risk Management in Agriculture Contacts: [email protected] http://www.iica.int/en

Adapting to climate change requires actions in different fronts. One of the central actions, is establishing resilient agricultural systems.

The final objective of NAPs and other adaptation related policies is to create a favorable environment for farmers (in the case of agriculture) to make the best decisions possible, maintaining their activity viable, guarantying food production and livelihood reproduction.

Here are a couple of examples, of systems that adopted production practices that allowed them to face changes in climate

A day ON the farm:

http://www.euroclima.iica.int/un_dia_en_la_finca



La Socola Farm

18 year organic vegetable production

12 ha

Costa Rica, Cartago Region

Reference producer and supplier for Cartago, San Jose, and surroundings

Shifting on rain season and patterns, as well as wind behavior impacted on plant health and production capacity

Some practices

• Integrated pest management (IPM)

• Soil management: organic fertilization and minimum tillage

– Soil structure, water storage capacity,

• Dripping and aspersion irrigation techniques – controlled irrigation during dryer period

• Green houses for vulnerable plants at vulnerable periods

Some practices

• Agrobiodiversity: resistance, synergy, market security

• Fruit trees amongst vegetable garden

• Wind breaks

Some practices

Learned lessons

• Shifting to an organic system required Don Roberto to see his farm as an agroecosystem, and to understand how to work with natural local resources, and energy, water and nutrient cycles.

• He developed a strong knowledge on phytopathology as well as ecological processes, that are central to adjust his production to environmental / and climate changes.

• He created a farmers`s association, that allows for information and experiences exchange

La Hacienda Aquiares, since 1890924 ha, coffee production

20 years agroforestry systemRainForest Alliance certificate

one of the leaders in coffee production in Costa Rica

Costa Rica, Turrialba / Atlantic exposurelocation: exposed to intense climatic variability as well

as tropical storms and hurricanes

the current climate change impacts, evidentiates that the farm has created a resilient system, by adopting

sustainable practices, protecting environment, making adequate use of natural resources, as well as a healthy social environment, a cornerstone of this establishment

Some practices

At the plant level: Increasing plant resistance

• Selected varieties more adapted to the new climatic conditions

• Grafting to increase resistance towards nematodes

System level: changes on production system and plant management

• Establish agroforestry system to create a more favorable environment, reducing soil erosion and increasing CO2 storage*

• Slow-release fertilizer (SRF)

• Forest preservation areas, preserving aquifers and biodiversity protection

• Integrated pest management

• Adjusting system management to new climate cycle **

• Soil erosion control

Some practices

*Establishing agroforestry

agroforestry: coffee produced together with

a variety of forest, fruit or legume species.

• Different shadow systems have different functions

– Lower altitude (820-1000m) – shadow very important to create more favorable microclimate for coffee plants

– Medium altitude (1000-12000m) – shadow still has a function to lower temperature, but also bring other ecosystem benefits

– High altitude ( 1200-1350m) – protection against heavy rains and winds

• Further, the farm experiments with different shadow formation (species, pruning, density), and coffee varieties, not only for production purposes, but also effects on carbon emission and storage.

Adjusting system management to new climate conditions **

• Flowering has shifted from three main periods (January, April and May), to just one.

• Harvesting was usually from October to February, in 2014 harvest started in July and ended in January, while in 2015 it started in December. (precision agriculture)

• Usually, the establishment of new plantation areas was done in March and April. Lately, the rainy season became unstable.

• To face this new condition, the farm established protected cultivation (greenhouses), to protect seedlings against heavy rains

Lessons learned

• A commitment with sustainable

development on all its components:

technical, environmental and social,

structured decision making and technologic innovation, aiming at social and environmental wellbeing, resulting on positive results on the economic front as well.

• The changes on the production system considered mainly sustainability of natural and social resources. However, they have a positive effect in strengthening its resilience. Those practices can be considered as “no regret”, since they are cost effective, and bring positive outcomes to the production, with or without changes in climate patterns.

Some common points1. Know your system: (Data information, knowledge)- your ecosystem- your agroecosystem

plant and animal physiology, relations, behavior- your social system

And how all the elements interact




2. Observe changes, and look for alternatives (Gaps and needs)

3. Exchange information about new conditions, new opportunities (technological, market…)






4. Consult information regarding new conditions, technologies, alternatives, trends






4. Consult information regarding new conditions, technologies, alternatives, trends

5. Embrace complexity and uncertainty … continuously

dealing with uncertainties: good adaptation practices

Environment