Multi-criteria analysis and ex-ante assessment to prioritize and scale up climate smart agriculture in semi–arid tropics, India

The strategies that integrate food security, adaptation and mitigation options in agriculture are of high importance to manage the increasing risk of climate change in vulnerable semi-arid regions for the livelihood security of poor agriculture-dependent people. To address the growing problems of food security and climate change, multiple institutions and programs have demonstrated evidences for developing Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) across regions which can act as a sustainable model for adapting to changing climate and improve farmers’ welfare. However, it remain a major challenge to upscale CSV approach. This paper presents a framework and evidence based designing of a strategy for scaling up Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in Telangana State of India. Climate risk and vulnerability mapping at disaggregate level; Inventory of CSA practices and respective technical coefficients; multicriteria analysis for participatory prioritization of location specific CSA practices and identification of barriers and incentives; ex-ante impact analysis of potential adoption and investment and infrastructure needs to implement CSA practices at local level and strategy for CSA integration into district level plans have been the key steps of this CSV approach. Local level vulnerability assessments and participatory prioritization based on index calculated for climate smartness and ease of adoption for each proposed practice, formed the basis of prioritizing CSA interventions suitable for particular location. Further the ex-ante impact analysis of selected climate smart interventions in different regions of Telangana was the next step. We also generated relevant geospatial maps for irrigated as well as rainfed major crops under vertisols and light soils. These maps helped in identifying context specificity of CSA interventions. Based on participatory prioritization, five CSA practices such as Ridges and Furrows, Broad bed and furrow for soil and moisture conservation and drainage, Farm pond for critical/supplemental irrigation, Crop residue management (cotton) and drip irrigation system were considered for ex-ante assessment considering district wise actual area and yields of major crops and rainfall level for 5 years from 2010-11 to 2014-15. The proposed framework and different tools help to understand the district wise potential for promotion of CSA practices/technologies, public and private investment needs, economic impacts of the interventions to enable informed decision making for climate smart agriculture. Stakeholders’ consultations during different stages of this process was very important for integrating their perspective and creating ownership. Piloting of evidence based scientific framework guides investments and policy making decisions on scaling up CSA in Telangana state

Village Midline Study: Khulna, Morrelganj, Bangladesh

The Gabgachhia village is located in the coastal region of Bangladesh’s Khulna district. It is one of the seven villages selected for the CCAFS midline household survey. The village was also selected for the village midline study (VMS). The community has witnessed multiple changes in resources, institutional setting, infrastructure and organizational activities, especially surrounding natural resources management as well as on food security issues, farming systems development and management. These changes might be attributable to a combination of factors among which population increase, different resource utilization and mobilization patterns, adoption of new varieties and as responses to climate change impacts. Although forests have been depleted, there are some initiatives to support roadside plantation and social forestry. The low productivity in farmlands due to rising salinity, flooding and the cultivation of inappropriate crop varieties has improved since the baseline with soil salinity problems lessening with time. The farmlands are usually rain-fed but initiatives for better irrigation with sluice-gate operations improved the situation and farmers reported adopting improved varieties. The drinking water situation is reported to have improved. However, in order to meet higher demands for water, the community has to collect significant amounts of water from around the area and from more distant communities. Initiatives to harvest rainwater and conserve water for the winter season are reported to have gained in popularity. Infrastructure is also reported to have improved but to not be enough to withstand population and environment pressures. Subsistence farming of rice, ‘gher’-farming, as well as some fruit and vegetables production, aquaculture and limited poultry and livestock production are reported to be the main sources of food in Gabgachhia village. Improvement in available income generating opportunities, farming practices, agricultural production and in access to drinking water, as well as the setting up of a mother care centre, better education facilities for future generations, and finally, fully functioning canals and a greener environment were core aspects of the village’s vision for the future. Many organizations are working in and around the village and beyond, representing the government, NGOs, private sector and international entities as well as community organizations. The organizations identified in the village focused on religion, education, health, income generation, loans, local governance, agriculture, fisheries, water and disasters response. The local government is central in providing and coordinating development activities and services. The community’s organizations strongly support mosques and schools among others. Several organizations were reported to target food security related issues and improved nutrition, access to finance, capacity building for income generation, and water management. Some organizations were reported to shift their focus and provide assistance when a disaster or crisis occurred by providing food, clothing, drinking water, medicine and financial support to construct houses. The community also identified a handful of organizations addressing natural resource management, with a focus on water management infrastructure, biodiversity conservation, aquaculture and agroforestry training, and the provision of tree saplings. The analysis of linkages within and between organizations pointed out high levels of vertical linkages within organizations but limited horizontal linkages due to a lack of coordination between organizations. The organizations were noted to focus on their own efforts and to not engage with other institutions beyond the local government. Organizational support is provided on a regular basis and is especially active in times of needs. Yet, the lack of coordination and limited resources remain important constraints. The participants in the village midline study also reported on their means of access to information and provided details on their sources of information for weather, agriculture, livestock/poultry, aquaculture and disasters and other crisis related issues. Both formal and informal sources were noted to be popular in the community with the majority of information being shared between neighbours or acquired through the radio and television and through the government and local administration

Towards climate-smart agricultural policies and investments in Telangana

This briefing note summarizes the key findings of the “Scaling up climate-smart agriculture in the Telangana State” project, carried out by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and partners, between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2017. This project was carried out with the financial support of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Partners involved in the execution of this project were: the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD); the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI); the CGIAR Research Program on Climate change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU); Department of Agriculture, Government of Telangana and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

Household Welfare Effects of Stress-Tolerant Varieties in Northern Uganda

This study assessed the adoption of stress-tolerant varieties and their effect on household welfare, measured by net crop income per capita in Nwoya District, Uganda. The stress-tolerant varieties were considered to be climate-smart because they stabilise and increase crop income in the presence of climatic shocks. However, the uptake of the stress-tolerant varieties was still low in northern Uganda, due to bad past experience in terms of the performance of other improved varieties. Using data from a random sample of 585 households, a logistic model was estimated to assess the drivers for adoption of stress-tolerant varieties. In addition, a propensity score matching model was employed to assess causal effects. The second model was estimated because it controls for unobserved heterogeneity caused by self-selection bias. Results showed that adoption of stress-tolerant varieties was positively influenced by household size, access to information from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the perception of future climate change, the number of years an individual had lived in the village, and the number and type of assets owned as an indicator of household well-being. Average treatment effect from results showed that stress-tolerant varieties can increase crop income within a range of United States Dollars (USD) 500–864 per hectare per year, representing an 18–32% increase in crop income. The findings offer justification for scaling up stress tolerant varieties among smallholder farmers in northern Uganda to improve their welfare

Lessons in Theory of Change from a Series of Regional Planning Workshops

The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) is using theory of change (TOC) planning to specify research outputs, partnerships needed to produce outputs, and a plausible hypothesis on how these outputs will contribute to development outcomes. This learning note is part of a series to capture the process, progress and lessons from CCAFS in its endeavor to plan, implement and deliver research for development with a strong focus on outcome delivery. The portfolio for 2015 includes about 80 newly contracted projects in five CCAFS target regions (South and Southeast Asia, East and West Africa and Latin America) with a value of between $5-15 million in each region. Since the last of these learning notes was published, the process for finalizing the impact pathways (IPs) was considerably simplified to ensure that it was as practical as possible and to ensure buy-in. This learning note describes that process, and the preparatory work in the run up to a series of regional planning workshops; much of this work was focused on reducing the complexity of the IPs and their M&E framework as far as was practicable

Demand and experiences with financial products and services in climate smart villages

This study ‘Demand for and experiences with financial products and services’ describes and discusses the results of a survey to provide a first insight into the financial services that the smallholder farmers from climate smart villages use and to explore how these are related to climate smart agricultural technologies & practices. The study is one of three preliminary studies of a multi-year international research project (2016-2022) on ‘Business models, incentives and innovative finance for scaling climate smart agriculture (CSA)’. The knowledge and insights developed are used to further support ongoing and emerging climate smart projects in which CCAFS is involved. A survey was conducted to identify smallholder farmers and the small to medium enterprises (in different stages of the value chain) and their demand for and experiences with financial products and services. There were 148 respondents from 24 villages from Latin America, West Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The targeted number of female respondents (50%) was nog met in all regions, for example in India where the role of female farmers in irrigated agriculture would be limited. A limitation to the results is that in different regions a different number of villages was involved, making it more difficult to generalise results. Sometimes it would prove challenging to make conclusions about the reasoning behind the answers. The study is about adoption climate smart agriculture, but does not define the extent of adoption. .

Lessons from inventory preparation of irrigation systems of Budhi Rapti River, Chitwan, Nepal

In IIMI, Irrigation management in Nepal: Research papers from a national seminar, Bharatpur, Nepal, 4-6 June 1987. Kathmandu, Nepal: IIM

Comparative study of Pithuwa and Chainpur Irrigation Systems

In IIMI, Irrigation management in Nepal: Research papers from a National Seminar, Bharatpur, Nepal, 4-6 June 1987. Kathmandu, Nepal: IIM