8 December 2014 CCAFS Side Event COP 20 Julian Gonsalves

Farmer centered & smallholder approaches offer us our best opportunity to address food security in a changing climate

Julian F. Gonsalves, PhD.

Julian Gonsalves, COP Side Event, Peru. December 2014.

Major issues of 21st century for us are the hunger-poverty challenge affected by climate change

One BILLION people are undernourished because they lack access to

affordable food.

Another billion suffer from hidden hunger, i.e. micronutrient deficiencies.

Yet to come: we will need to feed 9 billion in 2050 (but note: we have 200+

definitions of food security).

Climate change will eliminate much of improvement in child malnutrition

levels (IFPRI 2009).

Land degradation remains a high priority as 5-12 million become lost

annually.

Majority of world’s poor (370 million) are resource poor, risk prone and

heterogeneous.

More than half of smallholder in most continents are below poverty line.


Do we needmore

statistics?


• Climate change will affect hundreds of millions of small scale farmers, herders, forest dwellers, fishers, who are already (currently) food insecure.

• Climate change is threat multiplier – under poverty condition can delete assets, wipe out savings, roll back progress.

• Drivers of poverty worsen vulnerability, increase risks and limits adaptation – so livelihood based approaches are critical, important.

• Climate justice perspective – focus on resource poor who are most affected by climate change (better targeting – preferential choices).

• So it’s not climate proofing but poverty proofing.


This is a smallholder area in Northern Vietnam.


Mosaics in

our landscapes:

not

degraded

but regenerating


Five centuries +

of

farming


Difficult conditions don’t deter us



We “create” market linkages (just do not let

unfair trade destroy our livelihoods).



Do we not understand resilience?


We can smile because we know how to overcome challenges – just helpus grow along our pathways.


• So start with an assumption farmers and local communities understand resilience! They been through difficult times. Collectively smallholders (the majority poor) they offer us our best chance to fight climate change.Focuson them as among our best bet


• The stubborn persistence of millions of herders under traditional farming is a living proof of a successful indigenous agriculture strategy and contributes to the creativity of small farmers throughout the developing world (Wilken 1987).

• Millions of SH, family farms – testimony to remarkable resilience of agro-ecosystems in the face of change.


Let’s be optimistic about the future:

CCAFS is the largest ever research program on climate change research.

IFAD now supports the largest climate change adaptation program focused on smallholder farmers.

The CGIAR now has reduced poverty, improved food and nutrition security and improved natural resource and ecosystem services as new system level outcomes (proposed 2015).

Global donor, research and governments now value agriculture

Development outcomes influence research more than any time since 80, 90

Funding for agriculture is more easily secured from governments, LGU, donors (relatively).

New space has been created for development actors.


Need to develop

ways to utilize

research/knowledge

(apply what we

already know). The

“gaps” in utilization

of agriculture science

existed even before

this new awareness

of climate change

impacts.


Smallholders (SH) provide us with opportunities big farmers don’t have

(remember regenerative approaches are not always scale neutral).

Smallholding provide opportunities for diversification, intensification

under a multi-benefit and risk aversion approach.

Multiple benefit – build climate resilience alongside other benefits – so

deploy traditional and new technologies

No regrets approach (FAO) - adaptive practices and actions which will be

beneficial in future even if worst fears don’t materialize.

Smallholder agriculture has untapped potential for emission reduction as

a co-benefit, e.g., no burning rice.


Difficulties to communicate “mitigation” to poor farmers, so focus on

adaptation + approaches .

Focus on productivity (livelihoods) and natural adaptation processes

using eco-friendly, holistic approaches… mitigation is invariably a co-

benefit.

Planned adaptation is part of top-down planned approach by

government, LGU, NGOs, etc.

Autonomous adaptation happens at individual, HH or farm level.

Autonomous adaptation can be nurtured, e.g. Prolinnova approaches.

Autonomous – builds on local innovation, enhances local extension –

while support testing, etc. (PTD, PID).

Look for the diversity dividend – a landscape dominated by diversified

farms, forests (mosaics) of agriculture-forest-coastal interventions.


Incremental adaptation: because adaptation is an on-going process

What’s needed is innovative local funding innovation grants, small grants, micro-credit for climate smart agriculture

Foster the adaptation process (nurture innovation development through group processes and farmer centered approaches

Innovation fairs, innovation funds all help build a social capital for enhanced adaptation capacities (see www.prolinnova.org)


• Community driven approaches to adaptation (within broad

based multi-benefit approaches to adaptation) are integral to

building capacities for incremental adaptation – need to start

now

• But not difficulty to mainstream such approaches unless – LGU,

platforms, multistakeholder processes are used

• Importance of going to scale : processes are scaled up not just

technologies :”Bring more benefits to more people more quickly

with longer lasting results” (Going to Scale, IIRR 2000).

• Knowing how to bring to scale multi-benefit adaptation

approaches will ultimately help us deliver local outcomes at

scale.







Environment

8 December 2014 CCAFS Side Event COP 20 Julian Gonsalves