CAAST-Net Plus Workshop on Climate Change and Agriculture 4-6 November 2013, Accra Climate Change affects Agriculture and vice versa Benjamin De Ridder, FAO 5 November 2013
Contents Challenge Climate change impacts Approach to tackle the challenge Need to increase productivity sustainably Building resilience Reducing emissions FAO at work
We need to link 1. Achieving Food & Nutrition Security - 842 million hungry (another billion obese) - Food production need to increase 70% by 2050 - Adaptation to Climate Change is critical and 2. Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change - 2 degree limit requires major emission cuts - Agriculture and LULUCF = 31% of emissions - Part of the planetary solution.
How to make this link? We need agricultural systems which are: Productive Sustainable Resilient Provider of many ecosystem goods & services Efficient (water, nutrient circulation, energy, waste)
Impacts Key messages - Climate Change is a major challenge for agriculture as well as for food and nutrition security! - Agriculture is one of the most climatesensitive sectors AR4 and AR5 confirm the human cause of global warming and reconfirm the vulnerability of the African region to climate change.
Climate Change and agriculture - All production systems are affected by climate change and must adapt - Increased unpredictability of weather - Bio-physical impacts - Structural changes in the market
Climate Change threatens Food & Nutrition Security has the potential to undermine advances in poverty reduction and sustainable development will greatly affect the health and productivity of crops, livestock, fish and forests and dependant livelihoods will increase hunger and malnutrition, in particular in Western and Southern Africa Additional 5 to 170 Mo people at risk of hunger by 2080 depending on projections (climate, socio-economy)
Climate Change affects not only food production but all four dimensions of food security! Availability Access Stability Utilization Loss in food and feed production Indirect environmental feedback Infrastructure damage, asset losses Loss of income and employment opportunities Increased livelihood risks, pressure on food prices Higher dependency on food imports and food aid Food safety and human health risks Nutrition
Everybody will be affected. Who is most vulnerable? = exposed to hazards + rely on climate-sensitive activities + low adaptive capacity Tropical countries, small islands, coastal zones, fragile ecosystems Countries and people highly depending on agriculture LDC rural and urban poor marginalized groups
! Urgent need for adaptation We need to build the resilience of all food systems We need to focus on groups and areas most vulnerable We need to improve risk management and adaptive capacity at all levels (horizontal and vertical integration) We need to prepare for long term system changes
Climate Change & Agriculture GHG emissions
Also possibilities for mitigation About 89% of the potential is in soil C sequestration through crop land management, grazing land management, restoration of organic soils Peatlands as C reserve (30% of all soil carbon in 3% of global land area) Vegetation in agriculture landscapes also has a very high potential
Seeking for solutions Agriculture is not only provider of food, fiber and income it is an important provider of vital ecosystems services To achieve this in light of CC, we need a holistic land use and food system approach we need a landscape or ecosystem approach
The landscape approach Food and energy security as the highest priority expansion of agricultural land, rather sustainable intensification Climate change threatening ecosystems Ongoing degradation of ecosystems Need to achieve food & nutrition security, CCA and CCM goals without compromising environment
Climate-smart agriculture 3 pillars
FAO and Climate Change challenges Integrated approach Programme of Work Involves all Departments and Offices Some Key Programmes Climate -smart Agriculture
Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture Programmes Goal: Support of efforts in developing countries to contribute to climate change mitigation in agriculture by moving towards climate-smart agriculture practices Involvement and collaboration with different technical departments in FAO Supported by Germany, Norway and Finland http://www.fao.org/climatechange/micca/
UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation Goal: supports nationally-led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples and other forestdependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation. Supports national REDD+ readiness efforts in 48 countries http://www.un-redd.org/
EX-Ante Carbon-balance Tool Goal: an appraisal system developed by FAO providing exante estimates of the impact of agriculture and forestry development projects, programmes and policies on the carbon-balance. Decision making tool land-based accounting system, estimating C stock changes (i.e. emissions or sinks of CO 2 ) as well as GHG emissions per unit of land, expressed in equivalent tonnes of CO 2 per hectare and year. http://www.fao.org/tc/exact/ex-act-home/en/
Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-Smart Agriculture Goal: aimed at identifying and implementing climate-smart agricultural policies, analyzing and identifying impacts, effects, costs and benefits as well as incentives and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. bridge the gap between field research, policy making and financial investments in agriculture Malawi, Zambia, Vietnam http://www.fao.org/climatechange/epic/en/
Some examples from Ghana Integrated community land management and soil fertility improvement in the Upper West Region of Ghana Assist small-scale farmers in the Upper West Region, through the Farmers Field Schools to use integrated soil fertility management techniques to increase yields of sorghum, millet, maize and cotton for enhanced food security and poverty reduction Support for the control of the new invasive papaya mealy bug by classical biological control Putting under control the current papaya mealy bug outbreak and at reducing economic losses among farmers Ghana Health Service Food Safety Training Provide assistance to the Ghana Health Service in implementation of the Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures with regard to food safety management Resilient landscapes for sustainable livelihoods: a joint programme on CCA and DRR with a focus on long-term food security in northern Ghana Develop the capacity of national and local institutions and strengthen the resilience of districts and communities in northern Ghana to climate change and disaster risks through development and implementation of the Sustainable Land Management approaches.
Key messages 1: Practises Climate-smart practices exist Ecosystem approach at landscape level is crucial Investments are needed in filling data and knowledge gaps R&D of technologies, methodologies conservation and production of varieties and breeds
Key messages 2: Policies Smallholders need institutional and financial support for the transition Strengthened institutions for dissemination and coordination Institutionalize Ecosystems Based Adaptation Approaches into national policy frameworks Consistency between agriculture, food security and climate change policies
Key messages 3: Finance Available financing, current and projected, are substantially insufficient Combining finance (public/private, climate change/food security) improves options Fast-track financing must take sector-specific considerations into account
Local solutions appropriate to local and changing conditions Thank you for your attention!