11 Jan 2018   

New guidebook will support climate smart agriculture policies

The Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a new web platform to provide a better understanding of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA).

The sourcebook, now in its second edition, provides in-depth knowledge and advice on how to implement sustainable rural practices. There are new modules which address climate change adaptation and mitigation, the role of gender, and integrated production systems.

The guide is aimed at helping policymakers, academics, programme managers, and others in the development field respond to climate change and the demands of food security.

In addition, the book addresses issues from crops to fisheries and the use of resources such as water, soils and energy.

René Castro, Assistant Director-General at the FAO, said:

"Hunger, poverty, and climate can be tackled together through approaches such as Climate-Smart Agriculture that recognize the critical linkages between sustainable agriculture and strategies that promote resource-use efficiency, conserve and restore biodiversity and natural resources, and combat the impacts of climate change".

There is a pressing need for rural practices to adapt to the dilemma of needing to feed nearly double the amount of people by 2050, while dramatically reducing carbon emissions.

Climate Smart Agriculture is a vital way for agricultural economies to survive and prosper in this environment, and the FAO notes that 32 countries include CSA within their plans to meet the Paris Agreement on climate change. Of these countries, half of them are under the category of least developed.

The Climate Smart Agriculture Sourcebook can be accessed here.

Learn more about this revolutionary approach to food security at the Climate Smart Agriculture Congress on the 6 – 7th March 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. Hosted by the Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF), this summit will look into innovative financing, capacity building, partnerships and the use of technology to advance climate-smart agriculture practices in the African region. Find out more and register your attendance here: http://csa-africa.aidforum.org

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Image Credit: FAO