By Estibalitz Morras (IFAD) and Catherine Mungai
(CCFAS)
We have just
returned from Nairobi, where we attended the 9th International Conference on
Community-Based Adaptation (CBA9). IFAD co-facilitated one session on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) to achieve food
security, increase resilience and enhance community based adaptation globally.
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| ©IFAD/Estibalitz Morras |
CSA is an approach that supports the more efficient use of resources;
with less food losses and promotes a shifts towards more resilient smallholder
farming systems. It links a scientific approach with traditional knowledge in
order to create a sustainable food-secure population and enhance local capacity
to adapt to climate change. CSA also has the potential
to address some of the mistakes and shortcomings of conventional social and
economic development that have contributed to social inequality, poverty and
environmental degradation.
“CSA is often linked to new technologies that
deliver an immediate boost to productivity or instantly show adaptation
benefits – however this
idea often bypasses smallholders, or has only short-term benefits,” said Chris Henderson from Practical Action . “This is why we need to ensure
CSA is relevant to Community Based Adaptation (CBA), especially to marginalized
and smallholder farmers.”
In that regard, the technologies and approaches
need to be: i) accessible; ii) sustainably used and iii) innovative, building on the wealth of local, traditional and
indigenous knowledge and experience. Practical Action believes in helping
small-scale farmers through technology to enable poor communities to build on
their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions.
Integrating
Local and Indigenous Knowledge
Based on his
experience working in the Mekong Delta, through the Project for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta (AMD), Pham Vu
Bang (IFAD Vietnam) called for the recognition and respect of local knowledge
and involvement of community members in planning. This is the approach applied in the ADM projects supported by the Adaptation for Smallholder
Programme (ASAP) of IFAD.
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| ©IFAD/Ilaria Firmian |
Bang made the
point that; to enhance the resilience capacity of rural poor communities, it is
agreed that we should let vulnerable groups and communities decide the best way
for them to cope with the impact of climate change. New technologies is
certainly a part of the solution, but should link to indigenous knowledge and
farming systems to promote biodiversity and culture.
The importance of incorporating local
knowledge into CSA was further elaborated by John Mbaria from Kenya’s
Nation Media Group who recommended the
documentation and sharing of such knowledge and the integration of traditional norms
and practices into local government and national policy processes.
Lucia Zigiriza works in the ASAP-supported
project Post-Harvest and Agribusiness Support Project (PASP)” in Rwanda.
She said that communities in Rwanda are involved in the planning and monitoring
of land restoration, which feeds in to the National Strategy on Climate Change.
Farmers are organized in cooperatives which monitor and share information. The
project distributes climate information services to farmers such as weather forecasts.
PASP is also going to provide climate resilient storage facilities. Additionally
the project creates access to solar driers, biogas fueled grain driers, and
hermetic storage bags.
Monitoring
and Up-scaling CSA
Monitoring CSA should not be about the rate or success of
technology transfer – e.g. the uptake of new ‘adapted’ or ‘improved’ varieties.
It should
be about measuring the capacity of farmers and communities to identify, develop
and use different agricultural practices.
Vijayasankaran from Samaj
Pragati Sahayog in India pointed out that CSA is a holistic approach that requires
multi-pronged investment and a multi-disciplinary approach towards
participatory research. Water is the key to enhancing resilience of production
systems to climate variability and climate change. Hence, public investment in
water, especially low-cost solutions which could be taken up by smallholder
farmers, lies at the core of CSA. While the role of private sector investments
need to be emphasised, we need to recognise that scaling up of small, scattered
initiatives on CSA is not possible without incorporating these into national
government programmes with substantial investments sustained over a period of
time.
As a way forward,
participants called for the up-scaling of successful climate-smart practices and
services. This will entail a careful assessment of the barriers to the uptake
of these practices by local vulnerable communities. Also, as mentioned by Caitlin Corner-Dolloff from the International Center for Tropical
Agriculture (CIAT) governments,
with support from non-governmental organizations, international agencies and
research institutions, need to establish enabling environments, including
incentives, to support community based adaptation through climate-smart
agriculture. The pitfalls of existing programmes for food security and climate
change resilience could be addressed by recognizing the vital role of CSA in
ensuring access to and sustainable use of innovative solutions by smallholder
farmers.
For more information please see CBA9 session
interview: James Kinyangi: www.youtube.com/watch?t=12&v=w4c3UVOVwpU
The views expressed in this blog are solely
those of the panellists from the Session 11 of the 9th International
Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA9).