17 September 2012: Highlighting that smallholder farmers can contribute significantly to climate change mitigation but will need incentives to adapt their practices, the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Program (CCAFS) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a policy brief related to the role of smallholders in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The brief, titled “Helping Smallholder Farmers Mitigate Climate Change,” stresses that carbon payments for mitigation are unlikely to be adequate to incentivize changes in behaviors due to challenges related to low returns, transaction costs and long timeframes for payback. It argues that incentives related to food security and adaptation to climate change are central to promote mitigation, and that policies and investment are required to provide up-front finance and long-term rewards.

The brief highlights institutional arrangements and enabling conditions for financing, opportunities related to REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) and nationally appropriate mitigation actions, agricultural finance options, and the need to differentiate incentives. [Publication: Helping Smallholder Farmers Mitigate Climate Change] [CCAFS Press Release]