The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a booklet showcasing ten best practices from its climate smart agriculture (CSA) approach to the crop, fishery, forestry and livestock sectors.
The report, ‘FAO success stories on CSA,' stresses the urgency of tackling climate change and safeguarding food security to boost farmers' resilience and adaptation to climate change and illustrates how rural communities are already transitioning to farming practices that are better suited to a warming world.
6 June 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a booklet showcasing ten best practices from its climate smart agriculture (CSA) approach to the crop, fishery, forestry and livestock sectors. The report, titled ‘FAO success stories on CSA,’ stresses the urgency of tackling climate change and safeguarding food security to boost farmers’ resilience and adaptation to climate change and illustrates how rural communities are already transitioning to farming practices that are better suited to a warming world.
CSA includes three objectives: “to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes; to adapt and build resilience to climate change; and to reduce or remove greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions where possible.” CSA “can also improve farm yields and household incomes, leading to stronger, more resilient communities,” said Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General. Noting the interlinkages among climate change, the environment, food security and natural resources, Semedo underscored the importance of an integrated approach.
Diverse CSA options exist across the globe and among agricultural systems, according to the publication. Near Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya and Tanzania, FAO has partnered with farmers to revive Kihamba, an 800 year-old agroforestry system that provides a variety of foods throughout the year while maintaining groundwater health. FAO has also introduced an ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast that aims to boost food and income from fish products while increasing climate resilience and preserving ecosystems.
The report also features: a pilot project to train herders to restore degraded grasslands, improve productivity and sequester carbon in China; the conservation of genetic diversity in local varieties of maize, potatoes and quinoa in the Peruvian Andes; and the role of women in promoting climate-smart farming practices in India. Case studies further discuss CSA success stories from: a CSA readiness project in Malawi, Viet Nam and Zambia; South-South cooperation in Nigeria; a river basin landscape approach in Uganda; and a livestock waste management project in East Africa.
FAO selected the cases from the FAO CSA Sourcebook, which was launched in 2013. [FAO Press Release] [UN Press Release] [Publication: FAO Success Stories on Climate-Smart Agriculture] [Publication: Climate-Smart Agriculture Sourcebook]