1. C-RESAP/CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE: SUPPORTING TOOLS AND POLICIES
MODULE 6
C-RESAP/CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE:
SUPPORTING TOOLS AND POLICIES

2. Module objectives and structure
This module looks at areas that authorities need to consider from a policy perspective in order to promote climate-resilient and environmentally sound agriculture or smart agriculture, both at national and subnational levels. The module builds on achievements of different areas of agricultural policies and consider that smart agriculture can only be developed when looked at from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Structure
The module opens with an introduction on the need to use cost-effective solutions for many challenges. Then it divides in four units, starting with the roles of different sectors and the importance of their involvement in planning and implementing climate-smart agriculture. The next two units focus on direct support to farmers: first their need to access key resources and then policy considerations for enhancing field capacity. The last unit covers macro-level policy considerations on investment, incentives and legal frameworks. The module ends up with reflections on action planning. Clicking on illustrations will take you to linked to resources.
Caveat
As with technology, policies have to be looked at in the specific contexts, examples presented here are to show progress in different areas towards a framework for climate-smart agriculture.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

3. Supporting climate-smart agriculture
Challenges and risks for agriculture are occurring faster and with larger impacts than ever
Food security and smart agriculture will need more support than just technological change
Farmers have adapted over centuries, but new environmental changes and accompanied risks are too fast and larger than before.
In order to better adapt to multiple challenges, technological change is not enough; climate- smart agriculture and food security will depend on the support that farmers, herders, pastoralists, fisher folks and communities get to produce, preserve and distribute good quality and safe food. Strong support should also result in economic savings and in formulas to tackle many problems with fewer resources, in general more cost-effective answers. This support includes:
An enabling policy and regulatory environment;
Full participation and coordination of different sectors and actors in decisions and actions;
Empowerment of different actors to enhance their role towards a more effective and resource-saving food chain, while dealing with risks;
Faster and more effective transfer of information and research to and from the field.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

4. The roles of different actors and benefits of their participation in decision making processes and actions
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

5. Using a participatory approach
Different actors and sectors need to participate in planning for improved agriculture, in particular at local level
In order to be successful in planning for climate-smart agriculture, different sectors and actors need to be involved, in particular at local level, where actions are needed.
Those who ultimately carry out actions need to be convinced they are sound and in accordance with the reality of the situation. For this reason, involving them effectively throughout the decision and action taking is of primary importance.
A wide range of methodologies for involving different actors in decision making have been experimented over the years. In general, they require inclusion of all affected groups, equality, transparency, sharing of responsibilities, empowerment and cooperation.
Participation of different actors can strengthen the capacity of local authorities to implement sound strategies and plans.
Planning for
Examples of participatory approaches in FAO’s web tool
Community based adaptation to climate change.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

6. Using a participatory approach
Examples
Building on experience from different institutions
Several institutions on different continents have documented their work on participatory approaches (PA). These PA can be tailored for climate-smart agriculture. To mention a few:
A Handbook for Trainers on Participatory Local Development
Participatory Processes Towards Co-Management of Natural Resources in Pastoral Areas of the Middle East
RCPLA network- Resources Centres for Participatory Learning and Action
Resource Centers for Participatory Learning and Action (RCPLA) Network.
A publication on reflections on participatory approaches from the International Institute on Sustainable Development (iisd).
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

7. Role of government authorities
The role of authorities to provide direction to solve multiple challenges is fundamental for adapting agriculture to climate change and respond to society needs
Authorities are fundamental in supporting the development of farmers and rural communities. Their role as providers of direction and administrators of resources is essential to tackle multiple challenges for different sectors.
Government authorities who fully understand the problems, needs and possible ways forward in their communities will be the champions of change.
Within an era of communication and information dissemination, authorities will also have the fundamental role of making communities to get and understand information and its implication for their development.
Local authorities, more than ever, will be important catalysers of a climate-smart agriculture. In addition, strengthened coordination among agencies with different mandates will facilitate information sharing, planning and taking actions in a cost-effective way.
World Resources Report , a new publication for decision makers.
Source: World Resources Institute.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

8. Farmers Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Involving farmers in planning and taking actions is fundamental for increasing the resilience of agriculture and increase efficiency
This entails empowering them through different actions at different levels
Farmers will play a fundamental role in pursuing climate-resilient and environmentally sound agriculture, given the diversity of challenges that agriculture could experience under specific circumstances. Involving farmers in planning and practising climate-smart agriculture should be a priority. This entails:
Providing training so they can recognise risks and address them;
Involving them in preparing and implementing action plans;
Involving them in setting up and implementing risk reduction strategies and emergency response programmes;
Supporting their dialogue with researchers, field technicians and the private sector to exchange technologies and empower them to disseminate their own innovations;
Helping them to identify needs for a climate-smart agriculture.
Farmers building a levee to control the tidal flows in the marshlands and improve the survival of their crops in Rwanda.
Photo: FAO/ G. Napolitano.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

9. Farmers Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Information and technology to empower farmers to make decisions
Farmers normally take decisions to deal with climate and market variability. They choose farming systems, crop varieties and methods according to their local circumstances.
Given sufficient information about climate change threats, environmental, economic and political challenges, well‐informed farmers will be capable of making appropriate choices for a smarter agriculture.
Efforts to inform farmers of climate change and adaptation options in Benin.
Source: Joto Afrika, Issue 1.
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10. Women Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Women constitute 20–50% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. If they had equal access to resources as men, the number of hungry people in the world could be reduced by 12–17%
Women comprise about 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries (from 20% in Latin America to 50% in eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa). Still in general they have less access than men to productive resources and opportunities.
If women had the same access to resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30%; contributing to raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5–4% and reducing the number of hungry people in the world by 12–17%. To close the gap, areas for intervention include:
Eliminating barriers of women access to agricultural resources, education, extension, financial services, and labour markets;
Investing in labour-saving and high productivity technologies;
Facilitating their participation in flexible, efficient and fair rural labour markets. See more…
The state of food and agriculture 2010–2011: Women in agriculture, FAO.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

11. Women Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Female farmers at the forefront of agriculture in China
In China, as in many other countries, men often migrate to cities to look for jobs while women remain in rural areas. Over the last decades women have become an important part of the work force in many agricultural areas.
The project Enhanced Strategies for Climate- Resilient and Environmentally Sound Agricultural Production (C-RESAP) in the Yellow River Basin highlighted that female farmer population is increasing in Henan, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Shandong.
Education and training programmes are now also being addressed towards women in rural areas, in order to improve their capacity.
Female farmers in their fields in Shandong, China.
Photo: C-RESAP project.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

12. Research and extension services
The involvement of researchers in climate-smart agriculture will be important for faster field oriented innovation
The complexity of challenges that agriculture is facing requires researchers to come up with technologies in a faster and more focused way.
Bringing researchers and extension services closer to farmers, field and policy makers will be an important way to foster field oriented innovation.
The participation of researchers and extension services in decision making and effective feedback mechanisms will be fundamental to facilitate the faster technological change that is needed.
Extension services in particular, can facilitate the discussion of advantages and disadvantages of technologies from the perspective of farmers, as well as recognise the needs of farmers in the specific agro-ecosystems where they work.
Animal diseases research in Tanzania.
Photo: FAO/G. Bizzarri.
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13. Research involvement and coordination
Examples
Efforts of the European Union to coordinate research
The EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) started a foresight process in 2006, as ministers felt that better coordination of research was essential to enable Europe to successfully face the profound changes that lie ahead for the agricultural sector.
The foresight process aims to identify scenarios for European agriculture (20– 30 year perspective), to be used in the identification of medium/long term research priorities to support the development of a European knowledge-based bio-economy.
Second SCAR foresight exercise (EU SCAR), a form of dialogue between researchers and policy makers.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

14. Non-governmental organizations
Local NGOs can offer strong localized networks that link multiple communities and other organizations
If well trained, their efforts are invaluable to support farmers activities
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a major role in promoting sustainable development at international level. They have also actively helped to improve rural living conditions.
NGOs can facilitate community adaptive capacity by promoting interactions across scales and providing opportunities for collective learning. At the same time, local NGOs may not be able to access resources or translate information without assistance, and may need to work closely with larger organizations or stakeholders to connect community and national development needs and priorities.
Local NGOs can offer strong localized networks that link multiple communities and other organizations, placing them as vehicles for collection and distribution of information and resources that are transmitted across scales. If well trained, local NGOs may also be able to assist farmers in the application of new technologies.
Brochure of the GEF-NGO network—efforts from the Global Environment Facility to involve NGOs in environmental work. See also the GEF-NGO website.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

15. Non-governmental organizations
Examples
Civil Society Movement on Climate Change in Nepal
Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI‐BIRD) is a national NGO of Nepal established in It is committed to capitalize on local initiatives for sustainable management of renewable natural resources and to improve the livelihoods of resource poor and marginalized people.
LI‐BIRD is implementing climate change projects to strengthen the institutional capacity of NGOs to be more credible and effective in policy advocacy and building active climate networks at the national level towards raising awareness, building capacity, piloting and implementing climate- resilient projects and programmes to the most vulnerable communities of Nepal. See more…
Top: Agricultural innovations for livelihood security programme.
Bottom: Capacity building activities organized by LI-BIRD.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

16. Farmers’ organizations
Farmers’ associations can benefit communities by giving them access to knowledge, technology and inputs
Farmers’ and rural producers’ organizations (FOs) refer to independent, non-governmental, membership-based rural organizations. Their memberships consist of part- or full-time self- employed smallholders and family farmers, pastoralists, artisanal fishers, agricultural workers, women, small entrepreneurs or indigenous peoples. They range from formal groups covered by national legislation, such as cooperatives and national farmers’ unions, to informal self-help groups and associations.
FOs can help farmers gain skills, access inputs, form enterprises, process and market their products more effectively.
Their participation in local planning for climate-smart agriculture can benefit communities as they can get better access to technologies, knowledge and inputs needed with lower costs to communities. They can also support continuous training.
Farmers‘ association discussing the importance of tree conservation in Guamote, Ecuador.
Photo: FAO/R. Faidutti.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

17. Farmers’ organizations
Examples
A successful mango producers association in Peru
Promango, a Peruvian mango farmer organization, represents a number of producers in Peru, which account for approximately 30% of the country’s mango exports.
They have engaged in capacity building and training for the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).
The association is aiming to continue increasing their production and helping their members to eliminate intermediaries.
Promango promotes Good Agricultural Practices and strengthens production and marketing of their members’ produce.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

18. Private sector Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Private sector action is an important complement to secure commitments and concerted action by governments
The ability to determine investment flows gives the private sector great influence over the pace of innovation, technological change and adaptation
Private sector action is an important complement to secure commitments and concerted action by governments. Many areas of adaptation and the implementation of smarter agriculture can be carried out together with the private sector.
The private sector, in particular, can contribute to the assessment of risks, disaster risk management, technology development and transfer and financing of a smarter agriculture.
It will be down to policy makers to establish clear rules and a conducive environment to maximise the contribution of the private sector to a smarter agriculture and to capitalise in productive partnerships at local level.
The exposure of business to climate change risk and opportunity: a rationale for action.
Source: Business leadership on climate change adaptation- Encouraging engagement and action, PwC.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

19. Private sector Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
“Adaptation for Smallholders to Climate Change” (AdapCC) supports coffee and tea farmers in developing strategies to cope with the risks and impacts of climate change
The initiative was implemented as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) by the British Fairtrade company Cafédirect and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Technical Cooperation). Financing of the project was shared by Cafédirect (52%) and the PPP programme (48%) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The pilot project (2007–2010) will be extended and continued by Cafédirect and several regional and international public and private institutions.
See more…
Report of the public-private partnership Adap-CC.
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20. Knowledge brokers Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Reputed knowledge brokers experience can be valuable for training of communities to recognise the challenges and potential solutions
Access to reliable information and data, and the ability to share lessons and experience are necessary to foster the needed change.  
Apart from conventional knowledge holders like extension services, academia, government and international organizations, a good number of associations, web portals and online networking platforms have been set up to take on a ‘knowledge brokerage’ role over the last decade.
Reputed knowledge brokers experience can be valuable for training of communities to recognise the challenges and potential solutions. At global level, they can assist to identify climate-smart systems at have been tested all over the world. At subnational level knowledge brokers can also gather and disseminate knowledge specific for local conditions.
Adaptation learning mechanism.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

21. Knowledge brokers Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
From global to local, knowledge brokers can speed up information dissemination
Some examples of knowledge brokers include:
Adaptation and mitigation knowledge network- for accessing and sharing agricultural adaptation and mitigation knowledge from the CGIAR and its partners.
Climate and Development Knowledge Network- Supports decision-makers in designing and delivering climate compatible development.
Africa Adapt - to facilitate the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge between researchers, policy makers, NGOs and communities. See also images.
Asia-Pacific Network on Climate Change- knowledge-based on-line clearing house for Asia- Pacific region on climate change issues.
TECA: Sharing practical information and helping small producers in the field. It has also exchange groups to discuss specific issues.
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22. Providing sound access to key resources
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

23. Land Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Improving the land and water rights of farmers (including female farmers) is fundamental for technological change, as they can embark in investments only when there are benefits for them for a sufficiently long period
Climate-smart agriculture requires investments in natural resources management. Farmers will invest in them only if they are entitled to benefit from these for a sufficiently long period. Often, however, their rights are poorly defined or not formalized. Improving the land and water rights of farmers will be a catalyst for technological change.
Land tenure programmes in many developing countries have focused on formalizing and privatizing rights to land, with little regard for customary and collective systems of tenure. Still, these systems, where they provide a degree of security, can also provide effective incentives for investments.
There is no single “best practice” model for recognizing customary land tenure but there may be possibilities for selecting alternative policy responses based on the capacity of the customary tenure system.
Adapted from Save and Grow. See also Fitzpatrick, 2005.
Governing land for women and men. Practical guidance on responsible governance of tenure.
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24. Land Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Communal tenure for indigenous communities in Asian countries
The communal tenure “permanent title” model, implies that the state fully and permanently hands the land over to local indigenous communities for private collective ownership. In this situation, the resource system is often multi-facetted, comprising agricultural lands as well as forest, water and pasture land.
Examples of permanent title in Asia include the Philippines and Cambodia, where legislation provides for collective rights of indigenous communities. In many instances such as Cambodia, Philippines or, for instance, Papua New Guinea, the indigenous groups or communities that are eligible by law for private and permanent communal tenure need to become a legal entity to be recognized as a communal right-holder by the state.
Communal tenure and the Governance of common property resources in Asia-Lessons from experiences in selected countries, FAO.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

25. Plant genetic resources
Governments should make sure that there are mechanisms to safeguard access to plant genetic resources at local, national and global levels which will enable climate-smart agriculture
During the Green Revolution, the international system that generated new crop varieties was based on open access to plant genetic resources (PGR). Today, national and international policies increasingly support the privatization of PGR and plant breeding through the use of intellectual property rights (IPRs).
Plant variety protection systems typically grant a temporary exclusive right to the breeders of a new variety to prevent others from reproducing and selling seed of that variety.
IPRs have stimulated rapid growth in private sector funding of agricultural research and development, but to ensure that they profit from developments, governments should make sure that there are mechanisms to safeguard access to PGR at local, national and global levels which will enable the application of climate-smart agriculture and sustainable crop production intensification. More…
A farmer in Zambia in a demonstration plot for a new maize variety.
Photo: FAO/P. Lowrey.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

26. Animal genetic resources
Climate-smart agriculture will also need that farmers and herders have access to breeds that can be more efficient and perform well under climatic challenges
Animal genetic resources for food and agriculture provide crucial options for the sustainable development of livestock production.
The erosion of animal genetic resources globally, and particularly in many developing countries, has accelerated in recent years as a consequence of the rapid changes affecting livestock production systems (intensification and industrialization) as they respond to surging global demand for animal products. Disease outbreaks, other disasters and emergencies and the degradation of grazing land are also threats to preserve these resources.
Climate-smart agriculture will also need that farmers and herders have access to breeds that can be more efficient and perform well under climatic challenges. As with plant genetic resources, governments should ensure that there are appropriate mechanisms for the distribution and use of animal genetic resources. See more…
Karakul sheep are well adapted to the sparse desert pastures and climate of the Uzbek desert.
Source: Management, use and conservation of Karakul sheep in traditional livestock farming systems in Uzbekistan.
Photo: Julie DeVlieg, Rice, WA.
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27. Seeds and seed sector regulation
The seed sector should be properly regulated to fulfil farmers’ needs under future challenges
Farmers require access to quality seeds of varieties that meet their production, consumption and marketing needs. Access implies affordability, availability of a range of appropriate varieties, and information on how to use them.
The seed sector should be properly regulated to fulfil farmers needs under future challenges. An effective system should use and link the formal sector—characterised by an structured system which is genetically uniform, uses scientific plant-breeding techniques, meets quality standards—and the informal sector—which provides traditional farmer-bred varieties and saved seeds.
An effective seed system should also have provisions for propagation and distribution of seeds of stress-resistant varieties, at normal times and during emergencies, and ways of disseminating knowledge on how to use these improved varieties. See more…
Harvesting, controlling quality and cleaning seed in different seed operations in Afghanistan, Mozambique and Nepal.
Photos: FAO/Napolitano/Thekiso/Bizzarri.
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28. Genetic resources Reflections Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
No country is self-sufficient in plant genetic resources; all depend on genetic diversity from other countries and regions. The fair sharing of benefits from plant genetic resources have been practically implemented at the international level through the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and its Standard Material Transfer Agreement.
In addition, the Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources and the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, makes provisions for facilitating access to animal genetic resources, and ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from their use.
The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) aims to enhance the capacity of developing countries to improve crops for food security and sustainable development through better plant breeding and delivery systems.
Do you know how your country participates in these Treaties and initiatives?
Do you know which institutes can support you with improved crop/animal breeds?
Which are the mechanisms to provide farmers with improved varieties and breeds?
Are they efficient in the light of climate variability and change concerns?
How do seed systems operate in your area? How could they be improved?
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

29. Seed systems Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Promoting smallholder seed enterprises: quality seed production of rice, maize, sorghum and millet in northern Cameroon
Two projects were carried out in Cameroon to improve seed production of rice, maize, sorghum and millet by smallholder seed enterprises (SSEs). Farmer groups were strengthened, or new ones formed, and then trained.
The groups were then linked to the Extension Service, the Agriculture Research for Development Institution, the National Seed Service and to financial institutions.
According to evaluations, two and three years after the project ended, 60% of the groups had continued with their activities. Total certified rice seed for one of the projects had increased from 267 t to 800 t and for the other cereals project, total certified seed had increased from 497 t to t.
See more…
Seed systems in emergencies, another important aspect to consider in strengthening seed systems.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

30. Linking with market opportunities
New market opportunities in the light of expected global change challenges should also be created, especially for smallholders
Market access opportunities have always determined the success of agriculture and the change from subsistence to commercial agriculture. New opportunities on the light of expected global change challenges should also be created, especially for smallholders.
At local level the design and implementation of strategies to provide farmers, particularly women, with better access to new market opportunities and the capacity to take advantage of these openings should be a priority. These strategies should especially give access to farmers to markets for high-value agricultural products, eco- friendly agricultural products, those from low carbon footprint operations and other rewarding climate change mitigation efforts.
Agricultural planning at local level should analyse possible markets and opportunities both an national, regional and international level.
A CIAT publication on market opportunities in the MEAS project website.
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31. Technology, knowledge and extension
Climate-smart agriculture is knowledge intensive, so efforts are needed to establish effective mechanisms for information exchange for farmers to benefit from scientific developments
Successful adoption of climate-smart agriculture will depend on the capacity of farmers to make wise technology choices, taking into account both short- and long-term impacts.
Rural advisory and agricultural extension services were once the main channel for the flow of new knowledge between research and the field. However, public extension systems in many developing countries have long been in decline, and the private sector has failed to meet the needs of low-income producers.
Extension services, for so long neglected should be revitalised and modernised in order to cope with farmers demand for knowledge.
More than ever efforts are needed to establish effective mechanisms for information exchange so farmers can benefit from scientific developments, they can communicate their needs for a more applied research and share their own innovations.
Extension workers facilitating sharing of knowledge and experiences among farmers in a Farmer Field School in Egypt.
Photo: FAO/G. Napolitano.
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32. Technology, knowledge and extension
Examples
A consortium effort to modernize extension and advisory services
The Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services project components include:
TEACH - Disseminating modern approaches to extension through user-friendly materials for dissemination and training programs that promote new strategies and approaches to rural extension and advisory service delivery.
LEARN - Documenting lessons learned and Good Practice through success stories, case studies, evaluations, pilot projects, and action research.
APPLY - Designing modern extension and advisory services program through assistance to selected host country organizations—public and private—for the analysis, design, evaluation and reform of rural extension and advisory services.
Website of the project modernizing extension and advisory services project.
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33. Input and output pricing
Input and output price policies should aim to support farmers in making profits from climate-smart practices
Farmers will only accept practices that give them a profit and better life opportunities.
Input prices are important for climate-smart practices. While access to good quality and fairly priced inputs is necessary, governments should make sure that access policies do not result in environmentally harmful or “perverse” subsidies. In the long run, these cause more damage to the environment and economies (world-wide unintended perverse subsidies cost from US$500 billion to US$1.5 trillion a year).
Stabilizing agricultural output prices is also important for farmers, especially after the commodity price fluctuation in recent years. For farmers depending on agricultural income, price volatility means large income fluctuations and greater risk, which reduces their capacity to invest in climate-smart systems.
An example of a framework to investigate the effect of agricultural subsidies impacts. Source: Rethinking Agricultural Input Subsidies in Poor Rural Economies.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

34. Input and output pricing
Examples
Abolishment of agricultural subsidies in New Zealand
The economic crises which hit New Zealand in the 1980s led to a reform in government intervention in all economic activities.
Since 1984 the government has abolished input subsidies; phased out farm credit concessions; increased charges for government services; reduced distortions in taxation provisions; and charged more realistic interest rates on marketing board trading.
The New Zealand experience suggests that most of the supposed objectives of agricultural subsidies and market protections—to maintain a traditional countryside; ensure food security; combat food scarcity; support family farms; and slow the corporate take-over of agriculture—are better achieved by their absence. Source: Farming without subsidies?
New Zealand dairy scene, east of Rotorua. Output and net incomes for the New Zealand dairy industry are higher now than before subsidies ended—and the cost of milk production is among the lowest in the world.
Source: Farming without subsidies? Some lessons from New Zealand.
Photo: Courtesy of the Rodale Institute.
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35. Enhancing field capacity
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

36. Multidisciplinary training for farmers
Farmers will need more solid multidisciplinary training in order to be able to choose and carry out climate-smart practices
Attracting back young generations to farmers should be part of a wider agriculture education strategy
Adaptation to climate change and mitigation efforts in agriculture, together with keeping up with production challenges, will require more skilful farmers, herders and fisher folk . Formal and informal training resources will need to be widely available to them.
Training can be in the form of visits to communities from local agriculture, fisheries and natural resources institutes, regular training from extension services or NGOs or participation of producers in specific schemes outside their areas.
Training should include strategic thinking for identifying and managing risk and climate variability impacts, technical knowledge for climate-smart agricultural practices, ecosystem management and monitoring, business management decisions, all with a “problem solving” focus. Training programmes should also aim to attract younger generations to agriculture.
Young farmer harvesting export quality strawberry in his fields, Gaza. Education and training should attract younger farmers to agriculture.
Photo: FAO/B. Lahia.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

37. Multidisciplinary training for farmers
Examples
Education strategies for farmers in Australia
The Australian Government DAFF and the National Farmers Federation work together to improve training opportunities for farmers, including :
Promoting farm apprenticeships inclusion in Technical Colleges and Trade Training Centres and Skills incentive schemes
Improving and providing training in the Institute for Trade Skills Excellence
Promoting enrolments in agricultural sciences in the universities
Making FarmReady and Rural Skills Australia programmes compatible with farmers needs
See more…
The Australian Government's FarmReady programme aims to boost training opportunities for primary producers and Indigenous land managers, and enable industry, farming groups and natural resource management groups develop strategies to adapt and respond to the impacts of climate change.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

38. Useful weather information
Better ways of transferring weather information should be used if farmers are to benefit of early warning systems
Farmers can reduce crop losses if they have information in advance through weather forecasts (2–10 days) and outlooks (weeks–seasons).
Most farmers use traditional knowledge rather than formal climate forecasts, often due to a lack of understandable information. Even if weather forecasting will never be an exact science, information on risks can be better transferred by converting scientific data into more field-useful information, for example farmers should know:
Expected start and end of the rainy season;
Forecasts or outlooks of storms, floods and droughts;
Expected impacts of forecasted events and actions to take.
The effectiveness of forecasts depends on farmers receiving accurate and timely information that they can use.
Example of a weather outlook website in the USA.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

39. Useful weather information
Examples
Climate Forecasting for Agricultural Resources
A 1997–2000 project by the Tufts University and the University of Georgia studied how farmers in Burkina Faso could use climate monitoring and forecasts. They found that farmers:
Want and value scientific information, including climate forecasts;
Perceived local forecasts had lost reliability due to increased climate variability;
Need seasonal outlooks several weeks before the expected onset of the rainy season;
Need information on impacts and trade-offs;
Want forecasts to be delivered by credible sources and identified local language radio programs as a good way to deliver forecasts;
Do not fully appreciate the probabilistic nature of the forecast and need better ways to interpret information.
Listening to forecasts.
Source: Opportunities and constraints to using seasonal precipitation forecasting to improve agricultural production systems and livelihood security in the Sahel-Sudan region: A case study of Burkina Faso.
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40. Identifying risks Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
For farmers, herders and fisher folk knowing which kind of risks are associated to specific areas is important in order to create responses that address these risks
The change in climatic features, including the frequency and intensity of climate events will pose different risks. For farmers, herders and fisher folk, knowing which kind of risks are associated to specific areas is important in order to create responses that address these risks.
Although climate change projections are still coarse and uncertain, a number of trends and threats for agriculture may be discernible at local level. Risks related to the status of natural resources, trends in occurrence of weather events, expected agricultural production constraints, challenges to post harvest operations and risks shared with other sectors should be looked at.
Identifying risks together with communities should be part of efforts for planning at community level and create risk disaster management strategies.
Women in a farmer field school.
Source: Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change Project.
Photo: FAO/G. Napolitano.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

41. Identifying risks Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Identifying risks in fishing communities
Policy support for adaptation of fisheries includes supporting measures to reduce exposure of fishing people to climate-related risks through:
Assessing climate-change risks, including future fish stock variation and cross-sectoral factors which could affect fisheries;
Engaging communities with disaster management and risk reduction planning, especially concerning planning coastal or flood defences;
Supporting risk reduction initiatives within fishing communities, using ‘soft engineering’ solutions where possible, e.g. the conservation of natural storm barriers, floodplains, erodible shorelines to manage costs and damage impacts;
Implementing early warning systems.
This fishing community in Aido Beach, Benin, has adopted the use of an experimental net featuring larger mesh that does not catch juvenile fish.
Photo: FAO/D. Minkoh.
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42. Preparing disaster risk management plans
Disaster risk management plans include provisions to reduce the impacts of hazards and rehabilitate areas hit by disaster in a more effective way
The purpose of disaster risk management (DRM) is to reduce the potential impacts of hazards; to prepare for events which bring those hazards; and to initiate an immediate response should the impacts be so large that disaster strikes. The DRM framework encompasses :
The preparation phase, which should provide timely and reliable hazard forecasts and identify actions to avoid or limit adverse effects of hazards.
The response phase, to protect lives and assets through a series of established coordinated actions.
The post-disaster phase, focused on recovery and rehabilitation.
DRM planning implies strong coordination and gives more opportunities to increase community resilience and rehabilitate disaster stricken areas without wasting time or resources.
Example of elements of DRM framework.
Source: Disaster risk management systems analysis- A guide book.
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43. Preparing disaster risk management plans
Examples
Drought Planning in the Near East.
Planning to reduce drought impacts
Drought planning involves identifying objectives and strategies to effectively and equitably prepare for, respond to, and recover from the effects of drought, as well as the development of a plan to implement the strategies.
To reduce the likelihood of drought impacts being repeated in the future, increased emphasis is being placed on developing drought plans that outline proactive strategies that can be implemented before, during, and after drought to increase societal and environmental resiliency and enhance drought response and recovery capabilities. Several countries in the Near East and Africa have already begun the process of developing national drought plans. Their valuable experience can be used in other countries.
Preparing for drought in eastern Kenya.
Photo: FAO/T. Hug.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

44. Strategies for biosecurity
Plant and animal disease containment, as well as measures to reduce food and water safety threats and produce safe food should be part of agricultural community risk reduction management plans
The success of climate-smart practices will depend highly on a well set framework for biosecurity by identifying and containing animal and plant diseases as well as reducing hazards posed by food and food operations to humans. Often frameworks are available at national level but poorly implemented at local scales.
As part of agricultural community risk reduction management plans, plant and animal disease containment, as well as measures to reduce food and water safety threats and produce safe food, should be included.
Education programmes, e.g. through the inclusion in farmer field schools that disseminate information about surveillance and practices to contain disease and contamination outbreaks (and ways to handle them) are necessary to support farmers’ work, in particular to contain potential threats brought by climate change.
Transferring animal health knowledge in Togo.
Photo: FAO/K. Pratt.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

45. Strategies for biosecurity
Examples
Early warning systems in place can contribute to climate-smart strategies
Protection against animal and plant diseases and pests and against food safety threats and preventing their spread, is one of the keys to fighting hunger, malnutrition and poverty. The Emergency Prevention Systems (EMPRES) address prevention and early warning across the entire food chain through EMPRES Animal Health; EMPRES Plant Protection and EMPRES Food Safety.
Another example is the Global Early Warning System (GLEWS) for Major Animal Diseases, including Zoonosis (an infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans).
The networks and structures created by these systems can be used to incorporate climate concerns and link to local planning processes.
EMPRES website.
GLEWS
website.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

46. More applied research delivered to the field
More support to research should be given so they can respond better and faster to farmer needs, connect to extension services and where relevant, collect and spread farmer innovation
Many agricultural research systems are not sufficiently development- oriented, and have often failed to integrate the needs and priorities of farmers, especially smallholders, in their work. In addition, research systems are often under-resourced.
To support more applied research and a faster transfer to the field, it is important to:
Increase funding, in particular that for local institutes, to strengthen agricultural research and promote technology transfer programmes to smallholders;
Improve feedback mechanisms, to connect farmers innovation with scientific research as well as strengthen extension services;
Support programmes that foster integration of disciplines to adopt more systematic approaches to agriculture and natural resource management.
Inspecting a new wheat variety, responding to farmers’ needs.
Photo: FAO/J. Spaull.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

47. More applied research delivered to the field
Examples
Researchers as training and technology brokers in the Yellow River Basin
The project Climate-resilient and Environmentally Sound Agriculture (C-RESAP) has demonstrated technologies devised by local research institutes and trained approximately 1,500 farmers in 4 provinces in China.
Researchers from universities and national and provincial agricultural research academies took the lead in working with farmers to demonstrate practices and deliver multidisciplinary training.
This experience set new precedents and saw Chinese scientists embarking on field extension work. It was a good opportunity for scientists to learn new skills like delivering and preparing information for different audiences. They also had the opportunity to receive feedback from farmers on the C-RESAP practices demonstrated.
A field technician advises farmers on soil quality in Ningxia, China.
Photo: C-RESAP project.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

48. Access to financing Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Innovative access to financing is needed for farmers to be able to implement climate-smart practices—financing should help farmers and not hinder their development possibilities
Credit financing for smallholders is traditionally considered a high risk business and involves high transaction and supervision costs. Innovative financing schemes have approaches and practices to address these problems.
Value chain financing responds to problems tied with access to credit by interlinking two separate transactions as a substitute for collateral. For instance, loans for purchase of inputs are linked to the sale of output as a condition for the loan. Some examples of innovative financing include: warehouse receipts, contract farming, trade finance, other commodity-finance instruments such as repurchase agreements and export receivable financing.
Credit delivery mechanisms link informal financial intermediaries with formal ones is a widespread practice in many countries.
Source: IFAD.
Innovations in financing food security by PIDS discussing different financing models for small scale farmers.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

49. Access to financing Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Examples of innovative financing
A number of initiatives to support farmers have appeared in the last decades, among them:
Self-help groups (SHGs) linked to banking in India: SHGs are a village-based financial intermediary usually composed of 10–20 local women. Many SHGs are 'linked' to banks for the delivery of microcredit. See example…
Unit Desas are village banks of the Bank Rakyat Indonesia. The strength of Unit Desas is savings mobilization. Each is managed by 4 to 11 personnel at a ratio of one loan staff per 400 borrowers and one cashier per 150 daily transactions. See more…
Bank Finance against Warehouse Cheese: Loans against Parmesan are offered by four banks in the Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region. The cheese is stored in climate- controlled warehouses as collateral for the term of the loan. See more…
Parmesan warehouses in Italy.
Source: Innovative financing in agriculture II-Lending against warehouse stored cheese as collateral.
Photo: R. Mohite, FTKMC.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

50. The macro-level picture: investment, incentives and legal frameworks
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

51. Financing and investment
Climate-smart agriculture needs adequate investment for enabling farmers to be more efficient in their production and adapt to climate change
Public and private sources should be combined in innovative ways to meet requirements
Climate change adaptation and mitigation costs in rural areas are expected to be high, therefore climate-smart agriculture needs adequate investment, both in public infrastructure and in funding for enabling farmers to be more efficient in their production and adapt to climate change.
Considerable investment is required in filling data and knowledge gaps and in research and development of technologies, methodologies, as well as the conservation and production of suitable varieties and breeds.
Public and private sources, as well as those earmarked for climate change and food security should be combined to meet the investment requirements of the agricultural sector. See also Financing and Investments for Climate-smart Agriculture and Private Sector Finance and Climate Change Adaptation.
Investment needs versus available resources (in blue) in developing countries: A funding gap.
Source: “Climate-Smart” Agriculture, FAO.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

52. Financing and investment
Examples
Adapt yesterday’s irrigation to tomorrow’s needs
Irrigation is critical to meet global food needs, but the era of rapid expansion of large-scale public irrigated agriculture is over. A major new task is adapting yesterday’s irrigation systems to tomorrow’s needs.
Investments in irrigation must become more strategic. Irrigation has to be seen in the context of other development investments and consider the full spectrum of irrigation options—from large-scale systems to small-scale technologies supplying water to bridge dry spells in rainfed areas, together with the integration of water for crop, livestock and fish.
The challenge for irrigated agriculture is to improve equity, reduce environmental damage, increase ecosystem services, and enhance water and land productivity in existing and new irrigated systems.
Source: Water for food water for life: A comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture (CAWMA).
Projections of capital investment in irrigation development and rehabilitation.
Source: Reinventing irrigation, CAWMA.
Rehabilitation of an old reservoir for irrigation, Morocco.
Photo: FAO/ R. Messori.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

53. Insurance Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Index insurance products, where payments are based on an independent measure highly correlated with farm-level yield or revenue outcomes, could be considered to support farmers
Various forms of insurance exist in agriculture. However, these can involve high opportunity costs in the form of foregone development. The increasing incidence of weather shocks are even further reducing efficacy of local insurance arrangements
The traditional agricultural reinsurance is not considered a success. Index insurance products, where payments are based on an independent measure highly correlated with farm-level yield or revenue outcomes, are explored as alternatives. Index insurance makes use of variables exogenous to the policyholder—such as area-level yield or an objective weather event or measure such as temperature or rainfall—but have a strong correlation to farm-level losses. Source: Managing agricultural production risk (The World Bank). See also New approaches to crop yield insurance in developing countries (IFPRI).
Some advantages of index insurance contracts.
Source: Managing agricultural production risk, The World Bank.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

54. Insurance Examples Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
Weather index insurance two cases: Mexico and Kenya
Since 2002–03, Mexico has used an insurance scheme managed by a government owned insurer to improve relief efforts in the event of drought. Vulnerable smallholder farmers are identified in advance and payments can be made as soon as a predetermined threshold is crossed (using a weather-based index which correlates local rainfall with crop yields). The scheme puts relief funding on a more predictable footing and transfers part of the risk to the international reinsurance market. More…
Kilimo Salama (“Safe Agriculture”) insures farm inputs against drought and excess rain. The project, a private sector initiative, offer farmers who plant on as little as one acre insurance policies to shield them from significant financial losses when drought or excess rain are expected to wreak havoc on their harvests. They use mobile phone registry and payment system and distribution through rural retailers that are micro-insurance firsts. More…
AGROASEMEX (Mexico) and Kilimo Salama (Kenya) insurance schemes websites.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

55. Incentives for climate-smart agriculture
Farmers need incentives to change their practices towards climate-resilient and environmentally sound agriculture
Ideally, change towards a more climate-resilient and environmentally sound agriculture should happen as a result of the compelling need of becoming more efficient and resilient. Still at the beginning farmers may need smart incentives to change their practices, especially in areas where investment is low. These may come, for example, in the form of incentives:
Make agricultural operations more energy efficient;
Mitigate GHG emissions through energy generation or waste recycling;
Payment for ecosystem services;
Preferential prices for commodities produced by sustainable production intensification through certification schemes.
The state of food and agriculture 2007 – Paying farmers for environmental services, FAO.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

56. Incentives for climate-smart agriculture
Examples
Environmental Quality Incentives Program, USA
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers through contracts up to a maximum term of ten years in length.
These contracts provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns and for opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. See more...
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) website.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

57. Legislation and regulation
Reforms in laws and regulation—and the way they are interconnected—will be called for, if countries are to have a more efficient food chain
Of particular importance will be better mechanisms to implement these frameworks at local levels
The interests and mitigation and adaptation targets of different sectors in a country vary widely. Until now, the tendency has been to legislate and regulate sectors separately, which often has created contradictory provisions and difficulty to implement at local levels.
Reforms in, for example, water, land use and tenure, environment, biodiversity, agriculture, forestry, social and economic laws and regulation—and the way they are interconnected—will be called for, if countries are to have a more efficient food chain. Provisions for better access to resources or rights, e.g. seed systems, genetic resources and contractual farming arrangements, are also needed.
Of particular importance will be better mechanisms to implement these frameworks at local levels.
The GLOBE climate legislation study, presents examples of efforts in different countries to establish legislation frameworks.
Climate change conference for Mexican climate legislation.
Source: UNDP, Mexico.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

58. Preparing a climate-smart action plan
Preparing and implementing a climate-smart action plan ensures actions result in improved adaptive capacity and more resilient communities. Aspects that need to be considered include:
Identifying actors: Those affected by potential actions need to be involved since the beginning
Building capacity of actors for planning: by informing them of challenges, the need to become more efficient and reducing risks (e.g. through training, awareness campaigns, meetings).
Inviting actors to determine risks and opportunities: This also involves external support to present scientific findings regarding potential risks in your community. Risk and opportunity identification should cover environmental and economic threats and opportunities (current and future) and not being limited to agriculture, but driven by a multidisciplinary perspective to development.
Identifying mechanisms for disaster risk management in all sectors, including roles and responsibilities of different actors, establishment of early warning and monitoring systems, securing support and funding from central governments. For agriculture this entails providing specific sectoral solutions that are compatible with development priorities and other sectors.
It should also include finding common ground for actions with neighbouring communities, to ensure planning is done in the context of a larger picture, e.g. that your local responses link to subnational, national and hopefully global economic and environmental priorities.
Revising and improving continuously, through monitoring and evaluation of activities.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

59. Resources Module 6. Supporting tools and policies
References used in this module and further reading
This list contains the references used in this module. You can access the full text of some of these references through this information package or through their respective websites, by clicking on references, hyperlinks or images. In the case of material for which we cannot include the full text due to special copyrights, we provide a link to its abstract in the Internet.
Institutions dealing with the issues covered in the module
In this list you will find contact details of national and international institutions that might hold information on the topics covered.
Glossary, abbreviations and acronyms
In this glossary you can find the most common terms as used in the context of climate change. In addition the FAOTERM portal contains agricultural terms in different languages. Acronyms of institutions and abbreviations used throughout the package are included here.
Module 6. Supporting tools and policies

61. Remarks and contacts
We hope this information package assists you in the complex but rewarding task of changing the future of your community.
We have presented short concepts on current concerns and possible ways to address them. We have also included just a few examples of the wide range of experience that is available around the world. We hope that the key wording contained in the concepts and examples will assist you in you looking for material that is relevant to you. We also hope it helps you and your community to prepare plans that can be implemented according to your local conditions.
If you have experience, please document it and share it— we need to act now. Only working together can we address global change.
Thank you and best wishes
For more information
Climate-resilient and environmentally sound agriculture project, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China.
Plant Production and Protection division, FAO.
Climate Change programme, FAO.
Contact the authors.
Please note contacts in FAO can change. If so, please visit

62. Accessing other modules:
Part I - Agriculture, food security and ecosystems: current and future challenges
Module 1. An introduction to current and future challenges
Module 2. Climate variability and climate change
Module 3. Impacts of climate change on agro-ecosystems and food production
Module 4. Agriculture, environment and health
 Part II - Addressing challenges
Module 5. C-RESAP/climate-smart agriculture: technical considerations and examples of production systems
Module 6. C-RESAP/climate-smart agriculture: supporting tools and policies
About the information package
How to use
Credits
Contact us
How to cite the information package
C. Licona Manzur and Rhodri P. Thomas (2011). Climate resilient and environmentally sound agriculture or “climate-smart” agriculture: An information package for government authorities. Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.