Workshop on Mapping out a CCAFS R4D Agenda and Strategy for Southeast Asia

Taking off from the convergence meeting of CGIAR Centers and selected partners in December 2013, this regional workshop to mapped out a CCAFS R4D agenda and strategy for Southeast Asia (SEA). The region was added to the CCAFS portfolio (East Africa, West Africa, South America, South Asia) in order to make the program fully global

Harnessing Rural Radio for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Philippines

The working paper documents the pilot rural radio campaign, dubbed as 'Climate Change i-Broadkas Mo', implemented by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia (CCAFS SEA) and the Philippine Federation of Rural Broadcasters (PFRB)​ in strategic regions of the Philippines from 2015 to 2018. The radio campaign provided PFRB affiliated broadcasters with scripts and ready-to-be-aired (RTBA) interviews on climate-smart agriculture. The lessons learned from the project can be used to enhance the capacities of rural broadcasters on climate change reporting and to create a demand for radio-based distance learning, not only in Northern Philippines, but in similar regions in Southeast Asia

Lessons in theory of change: CCAFS Southeast Asia Research for Development Workshop

In CCAFS we are building our research for development agenda using outcomes thinking targeted towards five CGIAR intermediate development outcomes (IDOs). Each of our Flagship research programs and regions are developing theories of change (TOCs), impact pathways (IPs), and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems. Our impact pathways are harmonized, contributing to an overall CCAFS pathway in which we are focused on catalysing behavioral changes in next-users (see box below) so that they create an enabling environment for the intermediate development outcomes (IDOs). In Southeast Asia we have involved our partners and next-users from the very beginning of the process, so that their voices and priorities form the foundation of the regional theory of change. We are learning from them, and with them co-developing our research agenda. We organized a workshop in December 2013 for CGIAR Centre partners to develop a preliminary impact pathway, including a regional vision, behavioral outcomes and target research outputs. This was followed by a workshop in March 2014 with partners and next-users in the region

Agrobiodiversity conservation and use in Asia, Pacific and Oceania

The Asia, Pacific and Oceania (APO) region is the centre of diversity of many important species of crops, animals and livestock. Most of its resource-poor farmers depend on this agrobiodiversity for food security and livelihood. Agrobiodiversity in APO has served as the source of genetic materials that propelled the Green Revolution in the region. It has enabled continuous growth in productivity, allowing agriculture to cope with declining yield, emergence of pests and diseases and occurrence of abiotic stresses like drought and floods. Agrobiodiversity is also being explored in developing climate change ready crops for the future. In recent years, this agrobiodiversity has been threatened due to simplification of ecosystem and species, and planting of a few preferred varieties. Several countries have thus initiated programmes focusing on collecting, characterizing, evaluating, documenting and conserving the region’s extant crop diversity. Approximately 900,000 accessions of the most important crops including wild relatives have been collected and maintained. However, these were not exhaustive. APO countries vary in their capacity to implement national genetic resource programmes, with 18 out of 45 countries having at least some kind of national coordination system. This has led to a situation where the collections are there but may not be viable anymore and hence can be lost forever. Nonetheless, APO’s genetic resources are underutilized, with only a small portion of agrobiodiversity being used in genetic improvement programs or in agriculture. There are still many constraints to the greater use of genetic resources including the continuing under-investment in this area. To promote collaboration on the conservation and sustainable use of genetic diversity in APO, Bioversity International (formerly the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, IPGRI) organized regional and crop/plant networks. Recently, the different networks have been tapped by the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust) in developing and implementing the regional strategy for conservation and utilization of crop diversity. Bioversity in APO is primarily responsible in coordinating the mplementation of Bioversity’s global programs aimed at improving livelihood, food security and better nutrition through conservation and utilization of genetic resources. The national programmes of member-countries are Bioversity’s main partners in programme implementation. To respond to the aforementioned challenges these activities need immediate attention in the region: 1) review of priorities, 2) strengthen network collaboration, 3) enhance capacity development, 4) strengthen germplasm exchange and quarantine procedures, 5) promote use of new methodologies, 6) improve information and documentation system, 7) increase focus on underutilized crops, and 8) promote Global Plan of Action (GPA) implementation

Fostering local adaptation platforms for agriculture: How context specific climate-smart villages (CSVs) can relate to local adaptation efforts.

Local adaptation platforms help empower sub-national and local government players, civil society organizations, and public-private partnerships in demonstrating the validity of agro-ecology-specific solutions to current and future climate change impacts. This brief discusses how Climate-Smart Villages, good examples of local adaptation platform, have served as centers for discovery, adaptation, learning, and sharing of climate-smart agriculture in local communities

The AMIA Experience: Supporting local actions for Climate Resilient Agriculture

The brief tackles how the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) Program of the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) served as a platform for supporting local actions for climate resilient agriculture. The document discusses a number of key lessons emerging from the AMIA Village experience on the importance of local platforms for adaptation in the form of Climate-Smart Villages towards overall resilience building of the sector

Pathways to Attaining a Food Secure Philippines through a Competitive and Climate-Resilient Agri-Fisheries Sector

This document highlights the key messages drawn from climate adaptation efforts and events done with Philippines’ Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Offices (DA-RFOs) across the country. This brief, developed for the Climate Change Consciousness Week, offers DA a synthesis of lessons from the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) village experience as a bankable model for establishing context specific, local adaptation platforms for developing and disseminating CRA technologies and processes. This brief also offers valuable policy insights for the Philippines’ National Adaptation Plan

The impact of climate change on crop pests and diseases, and adaptation strategies for the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

The workshop report provided evidences from numerous single factorial laboratory studies and modelling exercises that crop pests and diseases were affected by the vagaries of climate change viz., temperature, rainfall and wind patterns. There was also adequate support for the notion on the innate ability of crop pests and diseases to adapt to changing environmental conditions. It was revealed that organisms respond in different ways to various ecosystem templates thus lending credence to the fundamental need for one to be cognitive of organisms’ ecology and that of the nexus with ecosystem services. In contrast, it was recognized that there were conflicting messages on impacts of climate change on crop pests and diseases that were sent out to policy makers and farmers. Several key aspects were identified and the following needs for refinement were recognised: (i) Research designs that span across spatial and temporal landscapes; (ii) Effective modalities of communicating impacts to influence policies and changes and (iii) Re-designing policies and national agricultural frameworks to enhance resilience to climate changes (e.g. ecological engineering). The workshop highlighted several issues pertinent to climate impact on pests and diseases. The issues focused on the following questions: (i) The specific needs (viz. ecological and implementation) in the development of climate change adaptation strategies for P&D management, (ii) New policies or infrastructure that need to be designed to enhance sustainable agriculture, (iii) Policy change activities that could be initiated, and (iv) the key imperatives that need to be addressed to improve farmer livelihoods, learning and motivation. Overall, the workshop provided a valuable opportunity to take stock of the current state of affairs pertaining to the impact of climate change on crop pests and diseases and the adaptation strategies needed to plan and prepare the best set of collective actions in the face of climate change. The output list of recommendations and next steps will enable us to forge ahead with the directions and plans to diagnose and identify optimum efforts that will benefit the rural poor who are chronically vulnerable to the threats of climate change

Summary of Baseline Household Survey Results: Vinh Loi district Bac Lieu province Viet Nam

The household baseline survey conducted in December 2014 to January 2015 collected data from 140 households in seven villages, including Tra Hat village, in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam. This is part of the baseline data collection activities in Tra Hat Climate Smart Village of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. The objective is to collect household baseline data where data in five or 10 years in the same households will be compared to capture changes that may occur over time. Results showed that the households were highly dependent on farming, particularly rice, for food and income. Farming, however, was characterized by low crop and commercialization index. They diversified income sources by engaging in off-farm work within the area or migrating to other places to find work. The market influenced more farmers’ decisions related to crops, but climate-related factors were becoming significant. Adaptation and mitigation measures need to be enhanced. Providing the farmers with correct information can help them make better decisions about the future. Access to land, increased production, few natural disasters in the area, and improved irrigation were likely the reasons for enough food supply among most of the households