Climate Smart Agriculture
at country level:
lessons from recent experience
Aslihan Arslan
Natural Resource Economist, EPIC-ESA
FAO
CSA is…
- Context specific
- Evidence based
- Assessing synergies/tradeoffs across
multiple objectives
CSA is not..
- One practice that is always applicable
- Prioritizing mitigation in LDC context
Background on the project
• 2009 FAO initiates program of work on FS and CC for Copenhagen
•Indicating considerable potential to capture synergies and link CC finance to
agriculture
•2010 FAO Development of CSA background paper for Hague
• Highlighting importance of resilience and institutional framework
•2010 Initiation of discussion between EC, FAO & potential natl. partners on CSA
project
• Driven by need for action at country level
•2011 Project development; background technical studies
• Project plan is a framework of activities to achieve major building blocks of
CSA;
• Designing country specific implementation plans undertaken with national
partners in initial phase;
• Total budget: 5.3 mil. EUR (3 years; 3 countries) EC funding: 3.3 mil. EUR
•2012 Project initiated
Activities include a range of country initiation
activities:
• identification of national focal points;
• identifying priority areas for CSA work;
• linking to natl. research partners;
• initiating analyses of synergies and tradeoffs/barriers to
adoption using existing datasets;
• development of detailed country logframe;
• support to MOA staff to attend UNFCCC meeting
The Building Blocks of the Project
1. Assessing the situation: identifying locally viable CSA
practices
2. Understanding barriers to adoption of CSA practices
3. Managing climate risk
4. Building coherent policies
5. Guiding investment
Assessing the
situation
Understanding
Barriers to Adoption
•Test Input
constraints
•Test Institutional
constraints
Are CSA practices
being adopted?
If not, why not?
•Test Financial
constraints
Managing Climate
Risk
•Risk-reducing tools:
safety nets,
insurance,
diversification
•Risk profile of relevant
CSA practices
What are relevant CSA Practices in a country?
Increasing ag. returns, reducing vulnerability
& emissions growth
Guiding Investment
Define the baseline to
determine benefits of
CSA activities
Identify synergies
and tradeoffs of
relevant practices
CSA Strategy:
Technical,
Institutional, and
Economic Priorities
Risk
Management
Analysis
Benefits: Food
Security, Adaptation,
and Mitigation
Costs
How do Benefits &
Costs of practices
compare?
Investment
proposals
Policy Levers
for Adoption
•Role of information under
a changing climate
Building Coherent
Policies
Financing
1. Assessing the situation
•
•
Some CSA “best bets” so far: agro-forestry with and without CA;
fertilizer use efficiency; legume rotations;
Defining the baseline and metrics
2. Understanding barriers to adoption of CSA practices
•
•
•
Limited, late, unreliable input supply
Delayed returns; opportunity cost of residue; labor constraints
CC driven uncertainty/risk affects adoption
3. Managing climate risk
•
•
4.
Building coherent policies
•
5.
Assessing potential of existing instruments (Cash Transfers)
Modeling efficiency/costs of alternative instruments (OECD)
Working within existing agricultural policy structures (e.g. ASWAp and
CAADP plans; national ag. action plan (Vietnam)
Guiding investments: Assessing additional CC benefits (adaptation and
mitigation), additional investment costs – and potential to link climate
finance
Thank you!