Climate-Smart AgricultureClimate change, agriculture and food security
Aslihan Arslan
EPIC – FAO
Centre for Development Innovation, WUR – September 17, 2014
I. AgricultureII. Climate ChangeIII. Food SecurityIV. Overview of Climate-Smart
Agriculture (CSA)V. Evolution of CSAVI. CSA at various levels VII. References
Outline
Population & Agriculture• World’s 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 ChangeFour potential yield outcomes for maize in 2045 under RCP 8.5†
Source: Müller and Robertson (2014).
Source: Müller and Robertson (2014). Excludes CO2 effects
Climate Change
Wheat RiceCoarse grains Oil seeds Sugar CR5
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
IPSL/LPJ HADGEM2/LPJ IPSL/DSSAT HADGEM2/DSSAT
Source: Shocks from IFPRI as interpreted for use in the ENVISAGE model, Nelson et al. (2014).
Simulated impacts for the four climate scenarios: global average for major crops in 2050 wrt reference
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 and Nutrition Security
Food Availability
Food production
Storage and processing of food
Transport and distribution
Food trade
Food Access
Intra-household distribution of food
Income
Markets
Food Utilization
Food preparation Nutrition knowledgeCultural traditions
Health careChild care
Illness management
Clean drinking waterSanitation & Hygiene
Energy saving cookstovesStability
In food availability:Natural and man-made disasters
Accumulation of stocksDiversification
In food access:
Seasonal vs. constant jobDiversification
Livelihood & coping strategiesSafety nets
In food utilization:Constant access to health care
Clean drinking water & sanitation
Burchi et al., 2011
Food Security
Food Security
Overview of CSA
Overview of CSA
CSA seeks to…
Enhance food
security
Mitigate climate change
Preserve natural resource base and vital ecosystem servicesTransition to agricultural production systems
Overview of CSA
CSA seeks to…
Enhance food
security
Mitigate climate change
Preserve natural resource base and vital ecosystem servicesTransition to agricultural production systems
More productive
Overview of CSA
CSA seeks to…
Enhance food
security
Mitigate climate change
Preserve natural resource base and vital ecosystem servicesTransition to agricultural production systems
More productive
Use inputs more
efficiently
Overview of CSA
CSA seeks to…
Enhance food
security
Mitigate climate change
Preserve natural resource base and vital ecosystem servicesTransition to agricultural production systems
More productive
Use inputs more
efficiently
Less variability and more stability in
outputs
Overview of CSA
CSA seeks to…
Enhance food
security
Mitigate climate change
Preserve natural resource base and vital ecosystem servicesTransition to agricultural production systems
More productive
Use inputs more
efficiently
Less variability and more stability in
outputs
More resilient to risks,
shocks and long-term climate
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
2009 Food Security and Agricultural
Mitigation in Developing Countries: Options for Capturing
Synergies
2010“Climate-smart” Agriculture:
Policies, Practices and Financing for Food Security, Adaptation and
Mitigation
2013 Climate-smart Agriculture Sourcebook
2014FAO Success Stories on
Climate-smart Agriculture
Links to Previous Approaches
CSA contributes to the achievement of sustainable development goals: economic, social and environmental
Uses green economy’s need for more resource efficiency and resilience
Sustainable intensification: focuses on availability dimension of food security (CSA covers also accessibility, utilization and stability)
Climate-Smart Agriculture
Sustainable
intensification
Green Economy
Sustainable
development
Evolution of CSA
So what’s new about it ?
Harmonization and
synchronization of
practices and policies
Objective of avoiding
contradictory and
conflicting policies by internally managing trade-offs
and synergies
CSA is a new approach to
guide the needed
changes of agricultural systems to
address food security and
climate changeNot a new agricultural system or a set of
practices
Overview of CSA
Create synergies between food security, adaptation and climate change mitigation
Main objective: Pathway towards
enhanced food security and development goals
ALL AGRICULTURAL SECTORS
How to address the multiple demands placed on agriculture?
AdaptationMitigation
Synergies
Productivity & income increase
CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE
CSA requires coordination across agricultural sectors…
Fisheries
Livestock
Forestry Crops
Agriculture
Mitigation Adaptation
I attack the problem
I act in response to the impacts of the
problem…can and should be both implemented
Decrease GHG sources
Increase sinks of GHG
Risk management
Strenghtening institutions
Trainings
Investments in rural economy
Decrease sources Increase sinks
Concepts of mitigation and adaptation
CSA & Synergies
CSA & Synergies
Longer-term effect
Shorter-term effect
Especially motivated with countries less
vulnerable to CC
“victims” not always
responsible for causing CC
Global
Local
Effects of climate change
Causes of climate change
Mitigation
Main differences between adaptation and mitigation
Objectives
Spatial scale
Time scale
Equity
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
Soil Manage
ment
Water Management
Livestock and
Pasture Management
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
• Use of energy efficient technologies for agricultural power (irrigation or tillage).
• Increased efficiency of fertilizer /inputs and wider use of organic fertilizer.
• Intensification on existing land as main source of production increase rather than expansion to new areas.
• Greater diversification in production, input and output marketing systems.
• Valuing the resilience of traditional varieties
•Energy
•Inputs
•Land use
•System
•Varieties
Conventional Agricultural Intensification
Climate Smart Agriculture
Farm Level
3 main principles of CA: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotations/associations
Crop Management: Conservation Agriculture and Soil-Water Conservation
• Ongoing international debate on the effects of CA on yields and resilience. • Need to customize & modify the 3 principles to various agro-ecological systems• Need to explicitly account for climate change impacts
“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”
Source: Knowler, 2003. Positive net present values (NPV) for conservation agriculture and other soil and water conservation practices at the farm-level from a total sample of 130 studies.
Conservation agriculture (e.g cover crops, intercropping, fallowing, alley cropping,no till,
legume rotation)
Other soil and water conservation (e.g. ridging, shelterbelts, terracing,
bunding, agro-forestry, woodlots, taungya, stone lines, strip cropping, vetiver, animal
traction, drainage ditches)
89.7-90.9 % 61.4-70%
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:
Maize System
Livestock system or Integrated
Crop & Livestock system
Landscape Approach
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
Objective: Need to achieve food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation goals without compromising environment
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 houses to create hay meadows to supply supplementary fodder to animals and decrease grazing pressures on the peatlands in spring.
Farm level
• Pilot projects by national and international organizations supported peatland restoration by replanting vegetation (forage cultivation), rewetting (ditch blocking) and establishing co-management systems.
Community and local level
•The Provincial People’s Congresses of Gansu and Sichuan approved Wetland Conservation Regulations in 2007 and 2010 to promote the conservation of biodiversity and enhance the livelihood of local communities.
Regional level
•The government of China has encouraged the ecological restoration of degraded rangelands and forage cultivation in winter pastures to reduce grazing pressure on peatlands in winter and spring.
The national level
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: what’s 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
The EX-Ante Carbon balance ToolEX-ACT Training Workshopwww.fao.org/tc/exact
From farm-based to comprehensivedevelopment concepts
Conservation agriculture
Sustainable land management
Agroecology
Organic farming
Macro
Micro
Farmingtechnics
Area - basedmanagement
Multi-functionplanning and policies
Climate smart agriculture
Valuechain
CSA among other concepts of `green‘ agriculture