Cultivating equality: delivering just and sustainable food systems in a changing climate

T oday, the world faces a greater challenge perhaps than ever before: tackling hunger and malnutrition in the face of climate change and increasing natural resource scarcity. Civil society, governments, researchers, donors, and the private sector are simultaneously debating and collaborating to find solutions. But the dialogue is over-emphasizing food production. Improving yields is important, particularly in places where there is not enough food or where food producers live in poverty. But simply producing more is not enough to tackle hunger. Furthermore, acknowledging that lack of food is not the sole cause of hunger is important. Inequality shapes who has access to food and the resources to grow it and buy it. It governs who eats first and who eats worst. Inequality determines who can adapt more readily to a changing climate. Hunger and poverty are not an accident – they are the result of social and economic injustice and inequality at all levels, from household to global. The reality of inequality is no truer for anyone than it is for women – half the world’s population, with far less than their fair share of the world’s resources. If we are to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030, we must address the underlying inequalities in food systems. In a changing climate, agriculture and food systems must be sustainable and productive – but our efforts cannot end there. They must be profitable for those for whom it is a livelihood; they must be equitable, to facilitate a level playing field in the market, to secure rights to resources for food producers, and to ensure access to nutritious food for all; they must be resilient to build the capacity of populations vulnerable to economic shocks, political instability, and increasing, climate-induced natural hazards to recover and still lift themselves out of poverty

Testing a new model combining micro-finance and farmer training to upscale the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices by small-scale farmers in developing countries

This note introduces the climate-smart agriculture sustainable, productive, profitable, equitable and resilient (CSA-SuPER) research project implemented by a consortium comprising CARE International, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and Wageningen University and Research (WUR)

Seis temas de cara al cambio climático global y la seguridad alimentaria

There are several complex and interrelated challenges and barriers to achieving global food and nutrition security in an increasingly variable climate. Without urgent action for mitigation and adaptation, the world faces more loss and damage and this will further threaten the productive capacity and long-term viability of smallholder farmers. Updated on 15 December 2015 with key action points generated by participants during the Seminar on Food and Nutrition Security, Agriculture and Climate Change, which took place on 7 December 2015 in Lima, Peru

Three things scientists don’t know about women farmers and climate change but really should

Just how well agriculture and food systems can cope with rising temperatures, floods and other climate shocks and stresses will be determined first and foremost by how much both women and men farmers can adapt to climate change. Farmers need to be supported to continue building resilient food systems that can nourish and sustain lives despite rising challenges, which have been compounded by setbacks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. However, researchers do not currently know if existing solutions to climate change really do work for women or if they have only been designed primarily with men and their context in mind

Gender considerations in the promotion of climate-smart agriculture practices: Evidence from rural Tanzania

This is the second of two Info Notes that summarize insights from five studies conducted between 2018 and 2021 on upscaling climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices among small-scale farmers in rural Tanzania. The first Info Note - Upscaling climate-smart agriculture practices: working with Farmers’ Field and Business Schools and Village Savings and Loan Associations in rural Tanzania - summarizes key findings and policy recommendations on upscaling CSA practices. This second Info Note focuses on findings concerning the gender dynamics in promoting the adoption of CSA practices, and provides recommendations for policy makers and practitioners. The Note begins with the study background, main concepts, and methodology before presenting and discussing results and making recommendations

Upscaling climate-smart agriculture practices: working with Farmers’ Field and Business Schools and Village Savings and Loan Associations in rural Tanzania

This is the first of two Info Notes that summarize research findings on upscaling climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices among small-scale farmers in rural Tanzania through community-based learning processes and platforms, mainly targeting women farmers. The second Info Note – Gender considerations in the promotion of climate-smart agriculture practices: Evidence from rural Tanzania – summarizes findings on the gender dimensions of promoting CSA practices. This first Note focuses on findings concerning the profitability of CSA practices and the effect of community-based learning processes and platforms on upscaling the adoption of CSA practices. The Note begins with the study background, main concepts, and methodology before presenting and discussing main research results and providing recommendations