Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

Crop varieties play an important role in climate adaptation, allowing farmers to adjust the varieties they use to suit new climate conditions. Several barriers stand in the way of this approach. First, variety recommendations are often based on data from trials done at research stations, which do not reflect performance in low-input agriculture. Second, a limited range of genetic materials reaches farmers’ fields, with elite material given preference and varieties from gene banks neglected. Third, variety recommendations are not specific enough to the areas where they are used. Finally, the recommendations are seldom targeted at decreasing climate production risk. To overcome these barriers, we present a new approach. The triadic comparisons of technologies (tricot) approach involves the cost-effective, large-scale, repeated participatory evaluation of varieties under farm conditions using novel material from national gene banks or plant breeding. The approach allows the use of a broad range of materials in on-farm testing. Because it combines the resulting variety evaluation data with environmental data, the approach can measure the responses of crop varieties under seasonal climatic conditions. The data can then be translated into concrete variety recommendations, including portfolios of more than one variety. We illustrate the approach with an example that uses simulated but realistic data.

More than 500 million USD will soon be invested in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. Improving smallholder farm management is the core of most of these programmes. However, there has been no comprehensive information available to evaluate how changing agricultural practices increases food production, improves resilience of farming systems and livelihoods, and mitigates climate change—the goals of CSA. Here, we present a systematic map—an overview of the availability of scientific evidence—for CSA in five African countries: Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia. We conducted a systematic literature search of the effects of 102 technologies, including farm management practices (e.g., leguminous intercropped agroforestry, increased protein content of livestock diets, etc.), on 57 indicators consistent with CSA goals (e.g., yield, water use efficiency, carbon sequestration, etc.) as part of an effort called the “CSA Compendium”. Our search of peer-reviewed articles in Web of Science and Scopus produced 150,567 candidate papers across developing countries in the global tropics. We screened titles, abstracts and full texts against predetermined inclusion criteria, for example that the investigation took place in a tropical developing country and contains primary data on how both a CSA practice and non-CSA control affect a preselected indicator. More than 1500 papers met these criteria from Africa, of which, 153 contained data collected in one of the five countries. Mapping the studies shows geographic and topical clustering in a few locations, around relatively few measures of CSA and for a limited number of commodities, indicating potential for skewed results and highlighting gaps in the evidence. This study sets the baseline for the availability of evidence to support CSA programming in the five countries.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has three goals—productivity, resilience and mitigation. Rarely are these accounted for in CSA programming or the scientific evidence that supports it. Here, we evaluate the climate smartness of CSA-based agroforestry practices in Tabora and Dodoma, Tanzania using unpublished data from earlier studies. Firstly, a study of on-farm wood production and its use with the improved cook stove (ICS) was used to ascertain the productivity and mitigation effects of CSA. Next, intercropping experiments of maize or cassava with pigeonpea and/or provided information on the production and resilience benefits of CSA. It was found that agroforestry practices (shelterbelt, trees on contours and intercropping) supplied up eight tons per hectare (t ha) of wood—enough to support a five-member family for up to 6 years when using ICS. Employing ICS also reduced the time spent in cooking (20%) and fuelwood collection (32%), and reduced gas emissions by 62%. Generally, intercropping pigeonpea or enhanced farm production (as noted by a land equivalent ratio greater than 1) and agroecosystem resilience through crop diversification by using suitable intercropping arrangements and including a drought-resistant crop. Using the latter two in semi-arid Dodoma enhanced crop production across seasons and sites. Our analysis shows that adopting CSA-based agroforestry and intercropping practices is beneficial. However, these benefits are not universal. It also illustrates other key principles for understanding multidimensionality of CSA objectives, including the need to: select appropriate indicators, ensure designs are robust for heterogeneity, examine trade-offs, and conduct participatory evaluation of CSA.

The concept of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is gaining momentum across the globe. However, it is not specific on what should be covered under its three pillars—productivity, resilience and mitigation. Consequently, CSA encompasses many different agricultural practices/technologies, making it difficult to prioritise CSA objectives. Firstly, there is a lack of clear and workable criteria as well as methods for assessing the climate-smartness of interventions. Secondly, little information exists about the impact of the various interventions already promoted as CSA, especially in the developing world. Finally, CSA prioritisation does not take into account stakeholders’ perspectives to ensure that the interventions are applicable, suitable and of high adoption-potential. Here, we describe a new participatory protocol for assessing the climate-smartness of agricultural interventions in smallholder practices. This identifies farm-level indicators (and indices) for the food security and adaptation pillars of CSA. It also supports the participatory scoring of indicators, enabling baseline and future assessments of climate-smartness to be made. The protocol was tested among 72 farmers implementing a variety of CSA interventions in the climate-smart village of Lushoto, Tanzania. Farmers especially valued interventions that improved soil fertility and structure, reduced surface runoff, and reclaimed degraded land due to the positive impacts on yield and off-season crop agriculture. Mostly, the CSA interventions increased animal production, food production, consumption and income. The protocol is easy to adapt to different regions and farming systems and allows for the better prioritisation of interventions. But we recommend that CSA is adopted as part of a monitoring, evaluation and learning process.

This study assessed the adoption of stress-tolerant varieties and their effect on household welfare, measured by net crop income per capita in Nwoya District, Uganda. The stress-tolerant varieties were considered to be climate-smart because they stabilise and increase crop income in the presence of climatic shocks. However, the uptake of the stress-tolerant varieties was still low in northern Uganda, due to bad past experience in terms of the performance of other improved varieties. Using data from a random sample of 585 households, a logistic model was estimated to assess the drivers for adoption of stress-tolerant varieties. In addition, a propensity score matching model was employed to assess causal effects. The second model was estimated because it controls for unobserved heterogeneity caused by self-selection bias. Results showed that adoption of stress-tolerant varieties was positively influenced by household size, access to information from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the perception of future climate change, the number of years an individual had lived in the village, and the number and type of assets owned as an indicator of household well-being. Average treatment effect from results showed that stress-tolerant varieties can increase crop income within a range of United States Dollars (USD) 500–864 per hectare per year, representing an 18–32% increase in crop income. The findings offer justification for scaling up stress tolerant varieties among smallholder farmers in northern Uganda to improve their welfare.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has the potential to increase the resilience of farming communities in semi-arid north-central Namibia that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and variability. Although some farmers have adopted climate-smart practices, others have been slower to transition toward new methods. This chapter considers the role played by religion and tradition in CSA adoption in Namibia. It argues that religious and traditional value systems play a key role in decision-making for some farmers, and may prevent the: (i) use of climate forecasts in planning agricultural practices; (ii) sale of livestock when drought conditions are predicted; and (iii) uptake of novel or alternative agricultural practices. As such, adaptation practitioners should work with, rather than against, religious and traditional value systems in order to catalyse the uptake of CSA. We suggest: (i) positioning religious and traditional leaders as climate change champions; (ii) integrating scientific information with traditional knowledge; and (ii) framing CSA in such a way that it does not conflict with religious or traditional values.

This chapter aims to shed light on the broad debate surrounding when and why farmers adopt agricultural innovations, especially in the context of multi-stakeholder platforms (MSP) seeking to scale climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. No research has yet tested the hypothesis that farmer entrepreneurship—defined as the innovative use of agricultural resources to create opportunities for value creation—may facilitate the adoption of CSA practices. This study is intended to fill that information gap. Farmers involved in coffee and honey MSPs in the Manafwa region of Uganda filled out questionnaires that evaluated four types of entrepreneurial competences: innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness and intentions. The goal was to investigate quantitatively the influence of farmer entrepreneurship and farm characteristics on product innovation, process innovation and market innovation. Results confirmed earlier research showing that farmer educational levels have a stronger influence on process innovation than any other variable. In addition, it was shown that farm size and access to resources have a significant effect on all forms of agricultural innovation. The study also found that farm size influences entrepreneurial innovativeness in a surprising way, with smaller farms more likely than larger farms to engage in all forms of innovation. Finally, our study reveals that at least two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation—proactiveness and innovativeness—may play a role in the adoption of agricultural innovations. These qualities, moreover, can be learned. MSPs seeking to promote innovation, including adoption of CSA practices, might consider investing in programs that help farmers develop entrepreneurial mindsets.

Increasing agricultural productivity does not often provide a viable route out of poverty or hunger for the poorest households, because their farms tend to be small with low yield potential. These challenges will be amplified as climate change causes shifting patterns of crop suitability and disease and pest pressures. Off-farm sources of income are often cited as an alternative to increased farm productivity, but in remote communities such opportunities can be very limited. Shea trees may offer an alternative. In northern Ghana, shea butter has been promoted as a climate-smart option for increasing household incomes. Here we present a quantitative study of 223 households, half of whom were exposed to improved value-chain opportunities for sale of shea butter. An innovative survey tool called RHoMIS (Rural Household Multi-Indicator Survey) allowed rapid evaluation of the project impacts on multiple household welfare metrics: income, food security and gender. The survey results showed that the poorest households self-selected to take part in shea butter production, and that the resulting income remained in the control of women. When compared to a control population, those who took part in shea production substantially increased their incomes and became more food secure. We conclude that the promotion of shea butter value chains can function as a complement to CSA activities, especially by increasing adaptive capacity. The shea trees themselves serve as a buffer against desertification and protect soil and water resources, and shea butter production boosts incomes, making households more resilient in the face of climate shocks and other negative events.

Smallholder farmers around the globe are facing unstable productivity due to changing climate and weather patterns. The ways in which the private sector supports these farmers to build resilience to and/or engage in efforts to mitigate climate change can have significant impact on farmer livelihoods, security of supply of smallholder crops, and the reputation of the private sector actors drawing loyalty of end consumers and investors (Campbell (2013) . Rockville, MD: Westat. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JP6B.pdf. Accessed 29 March 2018). This paper assesses how private-sector actors across the supply chain manage climate smart agriculture (CSA, with an eye on how civil society can better engage companies in promoting CSA practices. Drawing on dialogue with 42 private firms working in coffee, cocoa and other commodity crops, we found that companies used a variety of climate information depending on their proximity to farm level, drivers for decision-making, and motivations for investing in climate smart practices. In order to successfully approach companies, tool/resource developers need to understand the role of climate smart agriculture within each company’s business model and sustainability strategy (Vorley et al. (2009) . Agro-industries for Development. Wallingford, CABI for FAO and UNIDO, p 186–222). By providing granular data to assist in risk management of specific supply chains, tailoring tools and resources to the companies’ needs, and making the business case for CSA investment, those promoting CSA practices can better engage the private sector to invest in climate resilience.

Extreme weather is causing significant problems for smallholder farmers and others who depend on agricultural value chains in developing countries. Although value-chain analysis can help untangle the complex relationships within agricultural systems, it often has failed to take into account the effects of climate change. Climate-change assessments, meanwhile, often focus on the production node while neglecting other components of the value chain. In response to these shortcomings, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), in collaboration with the Government of Kenya, developed the climate risk profiles (CRP) approach. Using a case study from Nyandarua County in Kenya, we illustrate how this approach (i) supports identification of major climate risks and their impacts on the value chain, (ii) identifies adaptation interventions, and (iii) promotes the mainstreaming of climate-change considerations into development planning at the subnational level. Our results show that the magnitude of a climate risk varies across value chains. At the input and production stage, strategies for supporting climate-smart value chains include the following: improving access to input markets, supporting diversification and value addition, provision of climate-smart production technologies, dissemination of climate information services, and making financial and insurance services available. At the harvesting, processing and marketing stages, useful interventions would include strengthening farmer organization, investing in climate-proofed infrastructure including roads and facilities for storage, processing and improving access to output markets. Finally, climate-change adaptation along the value chain would be improved by strengthening existing institutions, exploring public-private partnerships and adopting coherent local policies.