Global impact through local outcomes: CCAFS annual report highlights

Lili Szilagyi(CCAFS)

The last year has seen significant progress on agriculture under climate change; discover the most recent outcomes and innovations from CCAFS partners in the new Annual Report.

Impacts through policies and partnerships

In more than 20 countries, CCAFS researchers collaborate with farmers, civil society, governments and researchers to help advance the concept and practice of climate-smart agriculture in farmers' fields and in global initiatives.

Evidence from Climate-Smart Villages in India convinced the Department of Agriculture in the state of Haryana to support scaling out climate-smart agriculture to 500 more villages across the state. CGIAR centers CIMMYT, IFPRI and IWMI have all contribute to this large-scale success.

In the global climate change arena, CCAFS scientists provided analyses on agriculture in the climate negotiations to ensure that a new climate change deal would not close the door on agriculture. As a result of scientists working closely with national policy makers, 80% of parties to the UNFCCC have included agriculture in their mitigation targets and 90% of those that include adaptation measures also list agriculture as a priority.

Capacity development and innovative communication

Smallholders need innovative approaches to enhance their capacity for effectively dealing with climate change. The Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach makes available historical records and forecasts from meteorological agencies, providing farmers with information matched to their locality in a form that they can easily understand and use. Scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) tailored PICSA to northern Ghana, helping over 6,000 farmers in 140 communities make their own decisions to adjust their crop, livestock and other livelihood practices to better match seasonal forecasts.

Media can be a powerful channel for sharing information on climate change. CCAFS and partners including CIAT, IRRI, and ICRISAT have worked to develop the capacity of media in Southeast Asia, West Africa and Latin America by organizing workshops and seminars for journalists on communicating climate change. The media provide a vital link not only between researchers and policymakers, but also between researchers and farmers, for example by raising awareness of how the traits of different varieties, such as drought-tolerance or disease-tolerance, can help deal with climate change.

Breakthrough science and innovation

All engagement and outreach are informed by strong science. CCAFS and partners collaborate across the globe to identify and address the most important interactions, synergies and trade-offs between climate change and agriculture. In Kenya the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have been working to help farmers develop new breeds of goats and sheep suited to conditions brought about by climate change. The new ‘super goats' have become so popular with local farmers that they are set to replace traditional breeds in Nyando completely in only a few years’ time.

Researchers at CIAT and Grain Legumes identified 'heat-beater beans' that have a strong tolerance to temperatures 4°C higher than the range that beans can normally tolerate. This offers the potential to adapt bean production in Africa and Latin America to increasing temperatures caused by climate change.

Integrating gender and harnessing local knowledge

To address gender and social inequality, CCAFS has made the need to understand and transform gender dynamics in relation to climate change one of its most important priorities. To help governments incorporate gender perspectives into their policies and programmes CIAT and partners analysed climate change mitigation opportunities for men and women livestock producers in Latin America where women play a crucial role in livestock production.

Research carried out by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with households of smallholder coffee farmers in western Uganda found that joint decision making in a household had a positive effect on investment in the couple’s farm. This type of decision making appeared to contribute to farming systems that are better able to sustainably satisfy the cash and food needs of a household, leading to increased well-being and food security.

Hopes for 2016 and beyond

In 2015, agriculture gained prominence in the Paris climate agreement, and CCAFS science increasingly informed initiatives to enhance millions of farmers’ resilience to climate impacts and help them reduce emissions.

With the Paris Agreement now being signed, it's time to put the plans into action and we look forward to working with multiple partners to bring those commitments to life." Bruce Campbell, CCAFS Program Director

CCAFS is supported by CGIAR Fund Donors and through bilateral funding agreements from Australia (ACIAR); Ireland (Irish Aid); Netherlands (Ministry of Foreign Affairs); New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade; Switzerland (SDC); Thailand; The UK Government (UK Aid); The United States (USAID) and the European Union (EU). The Program is carried out with technical support from The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

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