To address climate challenges, Feed the Future employs approaches that draw on state-of-the-art science and policy. In a recent Global Learning Evidence Exchange (CSA GLEE), Rob Bertram, USAID Bureau for Food Security Chief Scientist, commented that climate variations and stressors remain constant as Feed the Future works to address global hunger and food security as:
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Smallholder farmers and rural communities build resilience by sustainably boosting agricultural yields and household income
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Countries and communities transition to agricultural systems that are better adapted to climate change stress
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Farmers and others involved in food production reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities and their influence on land-use conversion
Forum discussions focus around the concerted efforts with USAID and other USG agencies to implement climate resilient international development to support rollout and implementation of climate-smart agriculture through building capacity, best practices and sharing the learning. Committed to continuing the discussion and providing opportunities to learn with and from fellow practitioners, the following resources will explore various key concepts and approaches of adaptation with flexibility.
Overview
Central to program design and interventions is constructing a solid foundation of understanding of the key components and approaches identified within climate-smart agriculture. Addressing the changing needs within our environments require practitioners to innovate and adapt technologies; working together to design and support solutions. The following provide foundational resources on current CSA approaches.
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Taking a Systems Approach to Climate Smart Agriculture
Taking a holistic approach brings together the understanding of economic, environmental and social impacts within value chains from production to processing and trade. No one individual, community, or government can do everything; but central to a holistic systems perspective is that everyone needs to be work cooperatively to address the growing demands.
Gender and Nutrition Agriculture with Climate Smart Agriculture Approach
Gender and nutrition are key factors for effectiveness of climate smart agriculture approaches. To achieve significant decrease in malnutrition it takes more than increasing food production or family income. Access to health care, WASH, communication and social networks for women and men are part of a holistic approach.
Conservation and Smallholder Farmers
Conservation agriculture is an accepted resilient agriculture strategy. Effective at the small scale, in plot size of less than 50 hectares, smallholder farmers can increase productivity and help build resilience to climate shocks. Conservations agriculture can lead to increased productivity, build resilience and protect the soil.
Landscapes and Natural Resource Management
Landscape approach includes an awareness of poverty alleviation, agriculture production and food security along with managing natural resource to ensure resilience of ecosystems. Climate variation have an impact, both positively and negatively and every systems has to adapt. Changes made in one sector influences another sector.
Climate Smart Livestock Approaches
For generations tribes have been pastoralist, moving their herds across large regions of land as the temperatures change finding food and water. As droughts have become more frequent and land tenure brings restricted access, pastoralist are faced with difficult decisions as they seek to care for their families.
Managing Climate Risks
Smallholder farmers are often the most vulnerable to climate variations as they often lack the resources to manage climate events. Resilience programs look to reduce risk and increase asset accumulation to better withstand shocks and stresses.