Assessing climate change impact on Guyana's crops using integrated crop and spatial modeling approaches.

The Crop and Spatial Modeling activity was part of the project ‘Development of an Evidence-Based, Gender Equitable Framework for Climate Smart Agriculture Interventions,’ carried out under the Ministry of Agriculture and in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Hydrometeorological Service of Guyana, and the University of Guyana. The project required geospatial vulnerability assessment and crop modeling research and extends previous climate change studies and vulnerability and capacity assessments regarding Guyana’s agricultural sector. The research was completed on the comparative use of geospatial methods and crop modeling tools for modeling crop suitability and yield in Guyana. This report shows thematic map outputs that indicate agro-climatic zones of high to low growth potential using current climate and edaphic datasets. Crop modeling required research of the growing conditions of target crops, after which calibrations were applied to estimate yields under future climate scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5

Climate-smart agriculture investment portfolios in Guyana: a way forward

Guyana has densely populated coastal regions and relatively inaccessible Hinterland and is highly vulnerable to climate change and climate variability. The agriculture sector requires a transformation towards climate-resilient agriculture systems. In order to respond to this priority, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Guyana and local partners, joined efforts to develop and implement a Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) financed project, ‘Development of a Framework for Prioritizing Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA)’. Interventions were focused on two regions in Guyana - Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo)

Climate-smart agriculture investment portfolios in Guyana: a way forward (Synthesis)

Guyana is highly exposed to climate extremes with significant flooding risk for coastal regions, and more frequent drought events affecting subsistence agricultural activities in the hinterlands. Future climate scenarios show an increase in climate extremes. The agriculture sector requires a transformation toward climate-resilient agriculture systems. Gender and social inclusion are of great significance for the successful transformation to climate-resilient farming in Guyana. For Guyana’s agriculture to become more resilient against climate shocks, the government is focusing on improved water management for drainage and irrigation, creating decentralized infrastructure and services for farmers, and developing improved and innovative market mechanisms to improve farm income and livelihood diversification for smallholders. A way forward to resilience is to design Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Investment Portfolios. CSA incorporates resilience through adaptation and mitigation measures while ensuring sustainable production and increased farm income