What can agroecology do for climate change adaptation and food security? – The Case of soil protection and rehabilitation
Systemic approaches such as agroecology are needed to sustainably transform food systems and improve food security while fostering adaptation to climate change. This brief draws from participatory assessments of agroecological practices for soil protection and rehabilitation in 7 countries. It demonstrates how such practices can contribute to effective adaptation strategies and provides recommendations on integrating adaptation concerns into soil health interventions.
Évaluer la pertinence de la gestion durable des terres pour l’adaptation au changement climatique
Les technologies pour la gestion durable des terres (GDT) ont souvent plusieurs avantages, notamment pour l’atténuation et pour l’adaptation au changement climatique. De plus, elles soutiennent les objectifs des producteurs et productrices en matière d’augmentation et de sécurisation des rendements.
Ce guide et l’outil Excel présentent une méthode participative pour identifier les risques climatiques pertinents et pour évaluer dans quelle mesure les technologies GDT répondent à ces risques, ainsi que leur faisabilité au niveau local.
Climate Resilience – What can we learn from Pastoral Systems in Africa’s Drylands?
This policy brief gives an overview of pastoral systems in Africa’s drylands in the face of a changing climate – and serves as a short version of a technical background paper. It highlights the remarkable ability of pastoralists to adapt to the impacts of climate change, gives valuable insights and offers lessons e.g. for smallholder farming in drylands. The publication explores key factors enabling and hampering the resilience of pastoral systems. It demonstrates the link between pastoralists’ climate resilience and agroecological principles of good governance and diversification.
Pastoralism and Resilience of Food Production in the Face of Climate Change
This technical background paper dives deep into pastoral systems in Africa’s drylands in the face of a changing climate – and complements a shorter policy brief. It highlights the remarkable ability of pastoralists to adapt to the impacts of climate change, gives valuable insights and offers lessons e.g. for smallholder farming in drylands. The publication explores key factors enabling and hampering the resilience of pastoral systems. It demonstrates the link between pastoralists’ climate resilience and agroecological principles of good governance and diversification. As an appropriate enabling environment is based on good governance, access to land and water, strong customary institutions, diversification and integration of different systems.
Assessing the adaptation relevance of soil protection and rehabilitation
Soil protection and rehabilitation (SPR) technologies often provide several advantages, including benefits for mitigation and adaptation, while supporting farmers’ goals to boost and secure their yields. This guide and Excel-based tool provide a participatory method for identifying relevant climate risks and assessing how well SPR technologies address such risks along with their local feasibility.
Five Key Messages on How to Implement Agroecology as a Systemic Adaptation Response
This policy brief introduces the benefits of aligning the approaches of agroecology and Ecosystem-based Adaptation for a (climate) resilient and nature-friendly transformation of agri-food systems. It presents five key messages, including the need for a systemic transformation, alliances for change, circular knowledge transfer, the creation of an enabling environment and local-responsive financial support.
Why working with nature pays off: The case for investing in Ecosystem-based Adaptation
This series of papers compiles arguments, facts and examples on the evidence of the effectiveness of EbA in the form of short, easy to read briefs.
Looking first at why EbA pays off in general, then at EbA in the water sector, in agriculture and in cities, it showcases why EbA offers cost-efficient solutions for adaption to climate change while also providing additional benefits for people and nature.
Each of the four briefs can also be used as a stand-alone document e.g. when discussing adaptation options with planners and decision makers in water management, land use or urban planning.
‘Down to earth – why soils play a key role in ecosystem-based adaptation
There is an unprecedented interest in nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. But something very important is often missing from discussions of such solutions: the role of healthy soils. As habitats for plants and animals, as regulators of climate and water, and as the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems and the vast majority of our food production, soils are critical to all ecosystem services – including those that humans depend on for survival.
This guidebook aims to demonstrate the importance of sustainable soil management (SSM) for adaptation to climate change, biodiversity conservation and the achievement of long-term food security. By adopting nature-based solutions such as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), farmers can dramatically increase their productivity while adapting to climate risks.
Digital solutions for small-scale farming: Fostering climate resilient and low carbon agrifood systems
A brief on alignment between digital technology providers and small-scale farming. This complementary publication to the Overview brief presents in more detail the approach to assess and adopt digital technologies that support smallholder farming.
The power of digitalization: Transforming agrifood systems to enhance climate benefits
Agrifood systems play a crucial role in reducing hunger and poverty and providing a nutritious diet for all. However, in their current state, agrifood systems often do not function well and are the single largest driver of environmental degradation and transgression of planetary boundaries. Therefore, they are both a major cause of climate change and at the same time highly vulnerable to its impacts.
Digital tools provide the potential for transforming agrifood systems. From farm to fork digital technology has the potential to accelerate sustainable intensification of diversified production and healthy diets with a low carbon footprint.
This briefing, the first one of two, presents an overview for development cooperation practitioners on how to start a digital transformation in agrifood projects, especially with regard to climate resilience and GHG emission reductions.
