December 2013: Aiming to better understand livelihoods and climate systems in agriculture landscapes, the Standard Assessment of Mitigation Potential and Livelihoods in Smallholder Systems (SAMPLES) project is developing tools and methodologies to support pro-poor climate change mitigation options through protocol development, global priority setting, capacity building and field-testing and research.

The protocol is developing standards for data collection, analysis and interpretation of greenhouse gas balance and livelihood indicators for smallholder farming systems, building on existing measurement protocols. Priority setting for the program is occurring through global maps of mitigation potential, vulnerable populations, and priority sites for sustainable intensification and agro-ecological zones. Program partners are working to develop assessment capacity in Kenya and the Philippines, as well as through training SAMPLES Fellows. Field testing is currently underway on multiple scales in East Africa and Southeast Asia.

The project will run from July 2013 to August 2014. The core consortium from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) includes the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Program (CCAFS), along with the Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture Program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. [SAMPLES Overview] [Upcoming CCAFS Webinar on SAMPLES] [CCAFS Overview of SAMPLES]