Plant genetic engineering, climate change and food security

This paper explores whether crop genetic engineering can contribute to addressing food security, as well as enhancing human nutrition and farming under a changing climate. The review is based on peer-refereed literature, using results to determine the potential of this gene technology. It also provides a brief summary of issues surrounding this genetic enhancement approach to plant breeding, and the impacts on farming, livelihoods, and the environment achieved so far. The genetic engineering pipeline looks promising, particularly for adapting more nutritious, input-efficient crops in the development of the world’s farming systems

CCAFS site atlas – Mid-Western Terrai / Rupandehi

CCAFS site atlas for Mid-Western Terrai / Rupandehi, Nepal

CCAFS site atlas – Khulna / Morrelganj

CCAFS site atlas for Khulna / Morrelganj, Bangladesh

CCAFS site atlas – Bihar / Vaishali

CCAFS site atlas for Bihar / Vaishali, India

Assessment of India's Agrometeorological Advisory Service from a farmer perspective

This report summarizes the results of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) commissioned evaluation of India’s Integrated Agro-meteorological Advisory Service (AAS). Conducted June-July of 2012, this assessment was a joint endeavour of CCAFS, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The assessment sought to offer transferable lessons that can guide investment in climate/agro-meteorological advisory services elsewhere in the world. Researchers conducted focus groups and individual interviews with 132 male and female farmers in eighteen villages across six states about how they receive and use AAS advisories, perceived gaps, and suggestions for improvement. The assessment uncovered the key role of diverse communications approaches. In villages where many communications channels were used to disseminate AAS information, such as SMS and voice messaging, meetings and trainings with agricultural extension officers, local knowledge centers, farmers clubs, and announcements over the microphone in villages, awareness and use of AAS advisories was higher. Farmers noted that trainings and discussions with agricultural extension officers at the village level were their preferred form of receiving information. However, ensuring wide representation in discussions is critical. In villages where women were fully engaged in receiving and disseminating AAS information, use and potential benefit from the program were maximized. Women overall had lower awareness of AAS than men do, indicating the importance of targeting women and information that responds to the demands of women in communications efforts. The establishment of specific trainings and discussions on AAS for women farmers in the villages was recommended by farmers, as were trainings and interactions with scientists that all farmers can attend. Membership in women’s or farmers groups may be a positive factor in increasing awareness of AAS information, and extension services targeting existing local groups could be a strategy for increasing the impact of AAS information

South-South Collaboration in CCAFS for developing capacity on weather index insurance

Climate risk management has become a key area for research and policy dialogue due to increasing threats of disasters and climate extremes, which are likely to increase due to climate change. Global south (including Latin America, Africa, South and South-east Asia) is a major hotspot for climatic risk challenges due to high exposure to climate extremes when compared to temperate regions, high incidences of poverty, poor enabling environments and low regulatory support. With this backdrop, the CGIAR Research Program Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has been working in Africa, Latin America and Asia together with its partners on accelerating climatic risk management through a dedicated research flagship to Climate services and safety nets. A workshop was thus organized by CCAFS to mobilize stakeholders in different regions to facilitate the diffusion of learnings and advances in climate risk management from one region to another. This workshop was planned after feedback and follow-up from South: South collaboration on climatic risk management workshop in New York, concurrent with the needs and demands of the stakeholders

Scaling up climate services for farmers: Mission Possible. Learning from good practice in Africa and South Asia

This report presents lessons learned from 18 case studies across Africa and South Asia that have developed and delivered weather and climate information and related advisory services for smallholder farmers. The case studies and resulting lessons provide insights on what will be needed to build effective national systems for the production, delivery, communication and evaluation of operational climate services for smallholder farmers across the developing world. The case studies include two national-scale programmes that have been the subject of recent assessments: India’s Integrated Agrometeorological Advisory Service (AAS) Program, which provides tailored weather-based agrometeorological advisories to millions of farmers; and Mali’s Projet d’Assistance Agro-meteorologique au Monde Rural, which provided innovative seasonal agrometeorological advisory services for smallholder farmers and 16 less mature initiatives operating at a pilot scale across Africa and South Asia. The case studies were examined from the standpoint of how they address five key challenges for scaling up effective climate services for farmers: salience, access, legitimacy, equity and integration

Perspective: The gap between intent and climate action in agriculture

This paper presents a framework based on four dimensions—intent, need, scope and readiness for implementing adaptation and mitigation in agriculture. A global case study analysis based on the proposed framework shows that 61 countries (including key food producers) have high need for adaptation but have a mismatch between scope, intent and/or readiness. The framework can be used to monitor and track periodically the NDC progress and identify where corrective actions are required