Women Farmer's Perspectives on Climate Change and Intention to Adopt Sustainable Agriculture

Purpose: This study highlights the significance of sustainable agriculture and delves into the views of women farmers on climate change and their aspirations to adopt sustainable farming practices.   Theoretical framework: The opportunity comes in creating fresh methods, abilities, and interventions that foster innovation. The challenge is figuring out ways to mitigate its effects and search for alternatives. Women farmers in particular need creative behaviour and decision-making power to adapt to climate change since they face resource, cultural, societal, and personal constraints.   Design/methodology/approach: To better understand how farmers think about climate change, sustainable agriculture, and related topics, we conducted structured, open-ended interviews with them. Twenty-six female farmers in the Himalayan state of Sikkim were chosen using convenience sampling. Qualitative data analysis tools were used to analyse the interview data. A web-based tool was used for sentiment analysis, which also contributed to identifying the themes.   Findings: Positive sentiments were identified in the use of organic farming for sustainable agriculture. Most respondents believed that government support is required for large-scale use of organic farming. The respondents also acknowledged the positive effects of vermicomposting. The analysis showed that vermicomposting provides good health and growth to plants and crops. Resilient crop selection was identified as a method that assists in standing against weather fluctuations.   Research, Practical & Social Implications: Crop selection based on seasons is vital for good yields. The thematic analysis also presented a positive response toward applying crop rotation, intercropping, and companion cropping. Compared to women with lower decision-making and inventive skills, women with these traits embraced more sustainable agricultural practises.   Originality/Value: Giving women in agriculture greater autonomy will thereby enhance the adoption of sustainable agricultural techniques, so enhancing food security and reducing climate change. This outcome will help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality and climate action set by the United Nations

Climate Services for Resilient Development (CSRD) Partnership’s work in Latin America

The Climate Services for Resilient Development (CSRD) Partnership is a private-public collaboration led by USAID, which aims to increase resilience to climate change in developing countries through the development and dissemination of climate services. The partnership began with initial projects in three countries: Colombia, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) was the lead organization for the Colombian CSRD efforts – which then expanded to encompass work in the whole Latin American region

A compendium of Technologies, Practices, Services and Policies for Scaling Climate Smart Agriculture in Odisha (India)

Stakeholders engaged in agricultural research for development (AR4D) are increasingly tackling risks associated with climate change in smallholder systems. Accordingly, development and scaling of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) are one of the priorities for all the organizations, departments and ministries associated with the farm sector. Having a ‘one-stop-shop’ compiled in the format of a compendium for CSA technologies, practices and services would therefore serve a guide for all the stakeholders for scaling CSA in smallholder systems. Bringing out a Compendium on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) for Odisha, India was therefore thought of during the workshop on ‘Scaling Climate-Smart Agriculture in Odisha’ organized at Bhubaneswar on 18-19 July 2018 by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in collaboration with Department of Agriculture (DoA) & Farmers’ Empowerment, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Rice Research Institute (ICAR-NRRI), Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) & International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) under the aegis of CGIAR Research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). The main objectives to bring forth this compendium are: to argue the case for agriculture policies and practices that are climate-smart; to raise awareness of what can be done to make agriculture policies and practices climatesmart; and to provide practical guidance and recommendations that are well referenced and, wherever possible, based on lessons learned from practical action. CSA programmes are unlikely to be effective unless their implementation is supported by sound policies and institutions. It is therefore important to enhance institutional capacities in order to implement and replicate CSA strategies. Institutions are vital to agricultural development as well as the realisation of resilient livelihoods.They are not only a tool for farmers and decision-makers, but are also the main conduit through which CSA practices can be scaled up and sustained. The focus in this compendium is on CSA and it’s relevant aspects, i.e., (i) technologies and practices, (ii) services, (iii) technology targeting, (iv) business models, (v) capacity building, and (vi) policies. The approaches and tools available in the compendium span from face-to-face technicianfarmer dialogues to more structured exchanges of online and offline e-learning. In every scenario it is clear that tailoring to local expectations and needs is key. In particular, the voice of farmers is essential to be captured as they are the key actors to promote sustainable agriculture, and their issues need to be prioritized. CSA practices are expected to sustainably increase productivity and resilience (adaptation), reduce Greenhouse Gases (mitigation), and enhance achievement of national food security along with sustainable development goals. CSA is widely expected to contribute towards achieving these objectives and enhance climate change adaptation. CSA practices have to be included in State’s Climate Policy as a priority intervention as the state steps up efforts to tackle climate change. Furthermore, emphasis shoud be laid on CSA training for a sustainable mode to enhance CSA adoption in the state hence the relevance of developing this document. The adaption of climate related knowledge, technologies and practices to local conditions, promoting joint learning by farmers, researchers, rural advisor and widely disseminating CSA practices, is critical. This compendium brings together a collection of experiences from different stakeholders with background of agricultural extension and rural advisory services in supporting CSA. The contributions are not intended to be state-of-the art academic articles but thought and discussion pieces of work in progress. The compendium itself is a ‘living‘ document which is intended to be revised periodically

Performance trials on different rates and ratios of N and P fertilisation in Ethiopia to inform field-specific Maize-Nutrient-Management advisory

This report of the Scaling Readiness of Nutrient Management decision Support Tools project focuses on agronomic trials that serve to inform the development of scalable, field-specific advisory for maize farmers in Ethiopia. These trials were conducted to generate additional information required to make a mobile phone-based nutrient decision support tool – Maize-Nutrient-Manager – more scalable in the context of institutional limitations in fertilizer availability and distribution in Ethiopia. The focus of the trials is on establishing proper N:P ratio’s for different fertilization rates with the fertilizers available to farmers in West-Shewa and Jimma (two major maize belts in Ethiopia). The trials were conducted with additional funding from the TAMASA project and in collaboration with EIAR. As the latter institute is involved in conducting fertilizer trials and the development of recommendations, this collaboration also aimed at forming an appropriate entry point for institutionalization of the decision support tool that is being developed

Launch of the Ethiopian Digital AgroClimate Advisory Platform (EDACaP) Progress Report on EDACaP Development and Hosting

This brief outlines progress achieved with the establishment of the Ethiopian Digital AgroClimate Advisory Platform (EDACaP) under the CCAFS project P263 (Regional and national engagement, synthesis and strategic research) with support from P1605 (Capacitating African Stakeholders with Climate Advisories and Insurance Development). EDACaP aims to build farmers' resilience through agro-climate advisories that digitally integrate climate, soil, crop and agronomic data and are delivered through SMS, IVRS and radio to development agents and farmers in local languages. It builds on a partnership between the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the National Meteorological Agency, CIAT, ILRI, CIMMYT with additional support from ICRISAT, IRI, and University of Florida