63289 CGIAR NEWS | SPECIAL ISSUE CLIMATE CHANGE OCTOBER 2009 Copenhagen and Beyond BY GERALD NELSON, INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IFPRI) Interview with Bruce Campbell DIRECTOR, CGIAR CHALLENGE PROGRAM ON CLIMATE CHANGE,AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY (CCAFS) Research Highlights AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION Norman Borlaug HONORING THE LEGACY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY SCIENTIST AND LEADER Table of contents LEAD STORY Copenhagen & Beyond by Gerald Nelson, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) 4 INTERVIEW WITH Bruce Campbell Director, CGIAR Challenge Program on Climate Change,Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) 8 Honoring the Legacy of an Extraordinary Scientist & Leader, Norman Borlaug 14-15 research Highlights Trees Grow into the Job 11 Credit Where it’s Due 13 Coastal Resilience 16 Whither Wheat 17 Shadow of a Drought 18 Capitalizing on Cassava 19 Animal Attraction 21 Irrigation Revisited 22 Water Works 23 Off the Margin 24 Dry Response 25 Rural Climate Exchange: A New CGIAR Blog 27 For comments on this publication, please write to: cgiar@cgiar.org For the online version, please visit: http://www.cgiar.org/enews/september2009/ 3 Copenhagen and By Gerald Nelson, International Food Policy Research Institute Once a bit player in climate change negotiations, agriculture now plays a role more in line with its signi�cance in the run up to Copenhagen. 4 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H d The journey that has taken agriculture from bit player to signi�cant presence in climate change negotiations continues apace. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has been instrumental in bringing have highlighted the full range of agricultural issues. Barely mentioned at the December 2008 Poznan meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agriculture was explicitly are critical for the future of millions of rural people in developing countries. In early 2009, IFPRI researchers worked with an international group of experts to recommend forestry and concerns about forest recognized in the June UNFCCC agricultural adaptation and mitigation S T O R Y degradation to the negotiations. More negotiating text. Continued efforts to options and lay out the synergies recent efforts by the International Food ensure that speci�c agricultural adaptation between the two in a series of briefs Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the and mitigation measures remain on the that complement publications Food and Agriculture Organization agenda in Copenhagen in December, from CIFOR, FAO and the World L E A D (FAO) of the United Nations, and others whether or not agreement is reached, Agroforestry Centre. 5 Conservation farming can contribute importantly to cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: Neil Palmer, CIAT “Reducing deforestation and forest degradation is key to slow- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chair Rajendra ing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,� Pachauri and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer are stresses Markku Kanninen, principal scientist at CIFOR and among the key players who agree that adaptation in agricul- organizer of Forestry Day at Copenhagen. “But cost-effective ture is essential. But how can adaptation needs be met, with reduction of emissions can also be achieved through improved or without a Copenhagen agreement? farming methods that build up carbon, better management of irrigation and livestock to cut methane emissions, and better Investing in food security and adaptation fertilizer use to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.� “A work plan that includes immediate and signi�cant funding is necessary to ensure that climate change adaptation gets un- Wendy Mann, senior advisor and coordinator of FAO delega- derway in 2010,� stresses IFPRI senior research fellow Gerald tions to the climate change negotiations, adds that FAO’s Nelson. “We will release estimates of the agricultural adapta- February 2009 submission to the UNFCCC emphasizes (1) tion costs in early October, but our preliminary �ndings sug- formulating an agricultural initiative similar to reducing emis- gest that costs are substantially higher than earlier estimates. sions from deforestation and forest degradation, or REDD, to Fortunately, adaptation investments will also contribute to test measurable, reportable and veri�able payment schemes; food security. In other words, any expenditure on food security (2) establishing a range of funding and delivery mechanisms is also an investment in climate change adaptation.� to realize agricultural mitigation potential; and (3) a more comprehensive approach to integrating soil carbon sequestra- “There are three key categories of adaptation activity that tion into the scope of land use, land use change and forestry can begin immediately,� says Bruce Campbell, director of the accounting; the Clean Development Mechanism; and other CGIAR’s Challenge Program on Climate Change, Agriculture �nancial compensation mechanisms. and Food Security. “They are improved and better-coordinated 6 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H research, systematic global information climate change. Creative collection at the International Federation of and data collection and dissemination, mechanisms by which individuals Agricultural Producers. and strengthened knowledge of local contribute unique data from their conditions that can be shared among global positioning system units, cell As extreme weather will likely increase areas with similar environments.� phones, and digital cameras can offer with climate change, countries already powerful, cost-effective synergies vulnerable to natural disasters have a The CGIAR and others are already when combined with data collected wealth of knowledge on how to respond. working on gene discovery and using traditional methods, providing Lessons learned in drought-prone improving plant tolerance for heat, open-source information. Ethiopia and flood-prone Bangladesh drought, and submergence, but could prove invaluable in other parts of much basic research and field testing Thinking locally while acting globally the world as climate changes. Proactive remains to be done. Furthermore, Agriculture is intensely local and information exchange and preparation research to build agricultural requires in-depth knowledge of will save money and lives, and resilience to climate change suffers biophysical and socioeconomic organizations that are active in disaster from poor coordination globally. conditions. “It is essential that we work relief will play important roles. with farmers in the developing world to A set of research and test sites covering learn from their knowledge of managing Information exchange should emphasize all current agroclimatic zones around agriculture and its interactions with those adaptations that also mitigate the globe could be used to test crop local climate,� says Rodney Cooke, greenhouse gas emissions and promote germplasm under widely varying director of the Technical Advisory sustainable development. Conservation conditions and explore the potential for Division of the International Fund for tillage helps soil retain water, small new crop varieties and management Agricultural Development. However, as irrigation facilities conserve water, systems under future climate scenarios. Mark Holderness of the Global Forum and agroforestry systems improve the Coordinating efforts with national on Agricultural Research points out, storage of both carbon and water—and research sites using a common set of “In many parts of the world, national all have signi�cant mitigation potential. data management protocols could lay research and extension systems lack the foundation. Existing CGIAR and the human and physical resources to Success in building resilience among national sites could form the core, acquire information and translate it into vulnerable farmers in developing with new locations added to ensure locally useful products.� countries demands long-term support that management techniques and from the international community, germplasm resources are subjected to Investment in laboratory scientists close collaboration among stakeholders the widest possible range of climates. is badly needed, as are partnerships working on agriculture and climate In addition, regular and repeated joining national systems and change, and committed funding. A work observations of the earth’s surface international centers. Within countries, plan must emerge from Copenhagen are critical for clarifying important agricultural extension services that that delineates speci�c agricultural connections between agricultural speci�cally address climate change adaptation and mitigation activities productivity and forest degradation. adaptation include those disseminating and how to acquire funding. Three H I G H L I G H T S local cultivars of drought-tolerant events there will focus on agriculture: Some of the tools for facilitating crop varieties, teaching improved an FAO-sponsored event on December agricultural adaptation are already in management systems and gathering 10, Agriculture and Rural Development the hands of individual researchers, information to facilitate national Day on December 12 (hosted by the research institutions, data centers research work. Faculty of Life Sciences at the University and genebanks around the world. of Copenhagen), and Forest Day on Improved information sharing will “Farmer networks can be effective December 13. This combined effort R E S E A R C H allow, for instance, far-flung regions information-sharing mechanisms and promises to formulate a comprehensive to share information on management have the potential to provide cost- program for climate change and systems that perform well in one effective links between government agriculture beyond Copenhagen. location today and may be critical to efforts and farmer activities,� points farmers elsewhere after 20 years of out Nora Ourabah, senior policy of�cer 7 Q: What are the primary goals of work will be integrative, drawing the CCAFS Challenge Program? on the strengths of the Centers, but ensuring that climate change solutions BC: There is accumulating evidence are framed in the context of house- that climate change poses a signi�- hold portfolios and multifunctional cant threat to the food security and landscapes. We’ll also complement livelihoods of hundreds of millions of the Centers’ work by tackling cross- people who depend on small-scale cutting research issues. An example agriculture. The overall goal of CCAFS is our proposed work on payment for is to help overcome this threat by environmental services for farmers. providing farmers, policy makers and Interview with donors with new knowledge and tools that better enable them to adjust their Our research partnership with the Earth System Science Partnership, or Bruce Campbell actions in response to observed and ESSP, will further strengthen the com- anticipated changes in the climate. plementary nature of our work with Bruce Campbell is Director of the CGIAR the Centers. Through this partnership, Challenge Program on Climate Change, Q: How will the program add we can tap into the considerable skills Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). value to and complement the of the climate change research com- He shares his thoughts about CCAFS and ongoing work of the CGIAR munity and link these to the applied his new role as the program director. Centers on climate change? research skills of the CGIAR. Speci�- cally, we look to the ESSP for expertise BC: Farmers and other resource in climate modeling, downscaling users manage their livelihoods and climate forecasts to speci�c regions in landscapes in an integrated way that support of production decisions and encompasses many activities. The risk insurance approaches and model- Centers work from the perspective ing to inform decisions about trade- of their mandates, whether livestock, offs between food security, livelihoods forests, speci�c crops or what have and environmental goals. you. Innovations resulting from that work, such as drought-tolerant crops In all these ways, we hope to facilitate and better management of livestock, connections across Centres — connec- �sheries and so forth, are necessary tions that will make the whole greater but not suf�cient for coping with than the sum of the parts. climate change. Rural communities need integrated options, based on Q: The CCAFS Challenge Program the combined use of different crops, is working closely with several management practices and payments non-CGIAR partners. What is the for ecosystem services at a range of CP’s partnership approach? spatial levels. A conducive policy context is also important. BC: I spent some time researching and writing about partnerships with For more information on CCAFS, CCAFS will foster adaptive capacity by several colleagues. The result was a please visit the website at: offering a range of options to farmers, document called “Navigating Amidst http://www.ccafs.cgiar.org communities and policy makers. Its Complexity: A Guide to Implementing 8 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H Effective Research and Develop- for putting agriculture �rmly on the BC: The evidence suggests that CCAFS ment to Improve Livelihoods and the post-Copenhagen agenda. In this will receive massive support for a Environment.� The principles and best regard, CCAFS is working with a large number of reasons. Climate change is practices of participatory partnership consortium of players to jointly host at the top of the international agenda are not rocket science. So, it’s amazing an “Agriculture and Rural Develop- because of the devastating impacts it how often they aren’t followed, to the ment Day� at COP15. The purpose of is likely to have in our lifetime. Food detriment of collaborative endeavors. this event is to establish a work plan security is back on the agenda, as In CCAFS, we’ll involve partners from for fully incorporating agriculture into evidenced by discussions in various the outset — in de�ning the work the post-Copenhagen agenda. global fora. Then, there is the program, formulating impact desire of CGIAR stakeholders, strategies and so on. Q: You come to the CCAFS Chal- from farmers to donors, for a more lenge Program from CIFOR with integrated CGIAR. CCAFS is at the Q: In your new role as director a forest background. How will intersection of all those forces: of the program, what do you see you bridge the divide between climate change, food security and as its biggest opportunities? Its forests and agriculture to address cross-Center partnerships. To secure biggest challenges? land use in the climate debate? strong support, the program needs to achieve ef�ciency and low transaction BC: CCAFS will bring together the BC: My early work dealt with liveli- costs, demonstrate an ability to act complementary strengths of the hoods in dryland Africa, covering as an honest convenor of diverse CGIAR, the ESSP and their respective everything from small-scale irrigation partners and develop a sharply partners to address the most pressing to harvesting of forest products. focused strategy for ensuring that and complex challenge to food secu- So, in coming to CCAFS, I feel I’m research has an impact. rity in the 21st century. This collabora- returning to that focus. At CIFOR, I led tion will unite the world’s best talent the forests and livelihoods program, Q: CCAFS emphasizes the in agricultural science, development which is all about the synergies and importance of communications research, climate science and earth tradeoffs between environmental and between scientists and system science. I think this collabora- livelihood goals. So, I don’t see a clear stakeholders in its work. tion is the CP’s biggest opportunity. divide between forests and agriculture. How do you envision that Our key challenge, perhaps, is to They’re all part of the mosaic in which work being carried out? establish and maintain effective part- farmers live and work. Where I do see nerships, while ensuring that CCAFS a pronounced divide is between global BC: We intend to build communica- remains an integrated endeavor. environmental and local livelihood tions into all aspects of our work. But Ensuring that the collaborating institu- goals. The challenge for research is to we want to go about this in a strategic tions work well with multiple partners put in place incentives that advance the way, so that our communications are will be a balancing act. global environmental agenda, while at constructed solidly on the basis of the same time reducing poverty. This our goals and proposed impact Q: What should we expect for challenge is part of the CCAFS agenda. pathways. For this purpose, we’ll agriculture at COP15? What are undertake stakeholder analyses, in- the likely outcomes? Q: Do you think recent calls for vestigate researcher-stakeholder rela- I N T E R V I E W stronger support of agriculture tionships, build consensus on impact BC: I don’t think anyone expects that will translate into strong support pathways, form partnerships with key a very detailed program for agriculture for the CCAFS Challenge Program? players in these impact pathways and will emerge from COP15. But there What are the best opportunities ensure that key messages get to the does appear to be an opportunity for making that happen? appropriate players at the right time. 9 10 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H Trees Grow into the Job As trees in tropical forests grow bigger, they absorb more carbon than previously thought, heightening their role in mitigat- ing climate change. An international team of scientists including researchers from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) have discovered that rainforest trees are getting bigger, sequestering Highlights more carbon from the atmosphere and slowing climate change. According to the �ndings, tropical trees in undisturbed forests around the world are absorbing nearly a �fth of the carbon dioxide (C02) released by fossil fuels. That is signi�cantly more than the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the world’s transport sector. The researchers estimate that remaining tropical forests remove a massive 4.8 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. This includes a previously un- known carbon sink in Africa that mops up 1.2 billion tons of CO2 annually. Published in Nature earlier this year, the 40-year study of African tropical forests, which account for one third of the world’s tropical forest, shows that each hectare of intact African forest has for decades trapped an additional 0.6 tons of carbon per year. Combined with data from South America and, to a lesser extent, from Asia, the study’s analysis of the records of 250,000 trees reveals that, on average, the remaining 11 “Indonesia is deeply interested in REDD and carbon payment schemes, yet de- forestation in Indonesia is contributing to the country’s status as the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses,� he reports, referring to the United Na- tions Framework Convention on Climate Change Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degrada- tion in Developing Countries (REDD). “If carbon payment schemes such as REDD “Tropical giants,� such as this Moabi are to succeed in Indonesia, they must tree (Baillonella be based on accurate assessments of the toxisperma) in Gabon, are collectively amount of carbon stored in the country’s absorbing up to a �fth of the carbon dioxie forests. These calculations need to be released by based on local and realistic �gures.� The fossil fuels. reported implications for future carbon Credit: payment schemes are echoed in the Terry Sunderland, CIFOR comments of another of the report’s co-authors, Lee White, Gabon’s chief climate change scientist. undisturbed forests trap carbon and shows where some of the “missing� 17 “The removal of nearly 5 billion tons of thus constitute a globally signi�cant billion tons per year has gone. carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by carbon sink. intact tropical forests, based on realistic One of the report’s co-authors, Douglas prices for a ton of carbon, should be According to the report’s lead author, Sheil of CIFOR and Uganda’s Institute valued at around US$21 billion per year,� Simon Lewis of the University of Leeds, of Tropical Forest Conservation, says he White asserts. “This is a compelling ar- “Tropical forest trees are absorbing was previously unconvinced of the role gument for conserving tropical forests.� about 18% of the CO2 added to the that forests play in removing CO2 from atmosphere each year from burning fos- the atmosphere. Rich polluting countries can assist sil fuels, substantially buffering the rate with conserving forests by, Lewis says, of climate change.� The reason why the “Prior to working on the report, I was like “transferring substantial resources to trees are getting bigger and absorbing many scientists who used to dismiss the countries with tropical forests to reduce more carbon is unclear. A leading sus- campaigners’ slogan that forests are the deforestation rates and promote alter- pect is the extra atmospheric CO2 itself, lungs of the world,� Sheil recalls. “We native development pathways.� which may act as a fertilizer. However, believed that forests were basically in Lewis warns, “Whatever the cause, we equilibrium with the atmosphere, neither Sunderland cautions that any invest- cannot rely on this sink forever. Even if adding to nor subtracting from its gas- ment in REDD or similar carbon pay- we preserve all remaining tropical for- eous composition. Our �ndings give the ment schemes must �rst formalize and est, these trees will not continue getting lungs metaphor a basis after all.� enforce land rights for forest dwellers. bigger inde�nitely.� “It’s absolutely essential that a signi�- CIFOR colleague and fellow co-author cant proportion of any payments for The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Terry Sunderland adds that, while there environmental services, such as REDD Change reports that human activity is no question rainforest trees are getting payments, are made to those who rely emits 32 billion tons of CO2 each year bigger and storing more CO2, it is vital on forests for their well-being,� he says. globally, but only 15 billion tons actually that more carbon uptake studies like “After all, up to a billion of the world’s stays in the atmosphere and contributes those in Africa and South America be poorest people rely on forests in one to climate change. The new research carried out in Asia. way or another for their livelihoods.� 12 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H Agriculture is a leading driver of Agroforestry and conservation agricul- Credit Where deforestation, linked in one way or another to almost 80% of deforesta- ture practices such as minimum tillage increase carbon stocks both above it’s Due tion globally. Susan Chomba, consul- and below ground. Traditional parkland tant to the African Biocarbon Initiative systems in the West African Sahel can Including agriculture in the market for with the World Agroforestry Centre, store up to 87.3 tons of carbon per carbon offset credits is key to ensuring says agriculture must be viewed as hectare in their biomass and soil, 10 Africa a fair deal regarding incentives to part of the solution, not just part of times the 9 tons stored in degraded mitigate climate change. the problem. lands. Improving soil carbon increases productivity and improves livelihoods Drawing on more than 15 years of re- “In working with COMESA, we’re and local food security, helping to search, the World Agroforestry Centre is synthesizing extensive research alleviate poverty and making African providing evidence that, while agriculture carried out on ecosystem services smallholder farmers more resilient to contributes signi�cant amounts of green- and livelihood benefits under the climate change. house gases, it can also mitigate climate ASB Program at sites across the change, sequestering an estimated 5.5- tropics and reviewing existing scienti�c While evidence continues to mount that 6.0 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per literature,� Chomba says, using the agriculture can mitigate climate change, year by 2030. It must therefore be part abbreviation for alternatives to slash current mechanisms of the United Nations of any post-Kyoto climate agreement. and burn. “What is becoming clear is Framework Convention on Climate that agriculture can reduce its own Change deal only with afforestation and Seeking to ensure that African nations emissions and offset significant reforestation. A signi�cant step forward are not excluded from carbon markets, emissions from other sectors by would be for nations to agree to the the 19-member Common Market for removing CO2 from the atmosphere Reducing Emissions from Deforestation East and Southern Africa (COMESA) and storing it in plant biomass and and Forest Degradation (REDD) scheme and the World Agroforestry Centre are soils. Agriculture can also reduce during the UN Climate Change Conference collaborating to provide the science to emissions from other sectors by in Copenhagen in December. However, support the African Biocarbon Initiative. replacing fossil fuels with biofuels.� World Agroforestry Centre scientists believe REDD alone will not be enough. “The current version of REDD fails to deal with agriculture and other drivers of deforestation,� says Peter Minang, global coordinator for the ASB Partnership at the World Agroforestry Centre. “Payments alone won’t address those causes, because most of the people who depend on agriculture for food H I G H L I G H T S and a livelihood won’t receive the REDD payments.� George Wamukoya of COMESA adds that 70-80% of rural Africans depend on agriculture, livestock and forests for their livelihoods. If climate change R E S E A R C H Continued on page 16 Agrofestry systems, such as these fodder trees on a farm near Mount Kenya, increase carbon stocks both above and below ground. Credit: Vanessa Meadu, World Agrofrestry Centre 13 Honoring the Legacy of an Extraordinary Scientist & Leader Norman Borlaug 14 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H The CGIAR joins the many friends, research, Borlaug played a key role in CGIAR as a whole. He also inspired colleagues and admirers of Dr. Norman establishing the World Food Prize in and supported younger scientists in Borlaug, who passed away on September 1986, which is now considered the all of the CGIAR-supported Centers 12 at the age of 95, in mourning the “Nobel Prize� for food and agriculture. and in many partner institutions as loss of this truly extraordinary agricul- About 25 men and women have been well, nurturing scienti�c excellence tural scientist and leader and in paying awarded the prize for outstanding as well as a genuine passion for tribute to him for a lifetime of indefati- contributions to boosting the improving smallholder agriculture gable effort to alleviate the suffering of quantity, quality and availability of through problem-solving research. the poor and hungry. global food supplies. One of the hallmarks of Borlaug’s A tribute appearing on the website of approach was his unwavering, lifelong the International Maize and Wheat Though Borlaug is commitment to bringing up new Improvement Center (CIMMYT) generations of scientists for the �ght recounts many highlights of Borlaug’s no longer with us, his against hunger. Over six decades, he work, particularly his innovative traveled to more than 100 countries, approach to the development and achievements continue visiting thousands of farmers and promotion of high-yielding, disease- agricultural scientists in their �elds. The resistant wheats. First developed by to inspire redoubled task of strengthening national research HONORING THE LEGACY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY SCIENTIST & LEADER NORMAN BORLAUG Borlaug and his team in Mexico during capacity is today more necessary than the 1950s, the new varieties, along commitment to research ever, as agriculture confronts many with improved farming practices, were introduced and widely adopted in for the ongoing �ght daunting challenges, including the reemergence of food price inflation and South Asia during the 1960s.Varieties based on Borlaug’s pioneering work against hunger. the unprecedented threat to agriculture posed by global climate change. are now grown on 80 million hectares around the world. Coping effectively with those challenges, Borlaug’s own achievements conveyed as Borlaug did in the face of last century’s Borlaug complemented his scienti�c an unmistakable message to the world pressing demands on agriculture, will work with bold advocacy for the policy about the power of agricultural research require that the CGIAR complete the and institutional changes needed to as an indispensable tool for achieving reform process now under way and go bring improved wheats and other agri- global food security and defeating rural on to achieve new rounds of impact. cultural technologies within the reach poverty. That idea proved so compelling of small farmers in developing countries. as to give rise to the CGIAR and to The success of that effort will take all His tireless efforts on both the scienti�c the comprehensive program of research of us, doing the best work of our lives, and policy fronts made possible a revo- in which it is engaged across the globe inspired by the enduring spirit and lutionary transformation of agriculture with many valued partners. ideals of our irreplaceable friend and in Asia and elsewhere, which rescued colleague. We can best honor Borlaug’s millions from hunger and earned him Though Borlaug was associated most memory by redoubling our own the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. closely with CIMMYT, as a plant efforts to advance the tasks that fully breeder and leader of the Center’s absorbed his attention and energy Well aware of the need for further wheat research, he offered critical and that now command our full recognition of excellence in agricultural guidance over the years to the commitment as well. 15 Continued from page 13 mechanisms deal only with forest forests, such as cocoa agroforests in mangroves take up carbon dioxide, emissions, he says, many African Cameroon, can store up to 180 tons. making the mangrove forest ecosystem nations will be effectively locked out a net store for carbon. Conserving and of carbon markets. Results such as these support the restoring mangrove forests may therefore development of an AFOLU mechanism play an important role in mitigating “African countries without tropical (REDD phase two or REDD plus) that climate change. Mangroves further forests would have little to gain from would offer Africa incentives to mitigate provide �rewood, building materials REDD,� he observes. “There will be no climate change. The World Agroforestry and food for humans, as well as habitat incentives for them to adopt sustainable Centre has released, in cooperation and spawning grounds for �sh. agricultural systems that store carbon.� with COMESA, two policy briefs on this issue: Policy Brief 4 — The case for Yet mangroves are being cleared or The data studied by World Agroforestry investing in Africa’s biocarbon potential degraded at the alarming annual rate of Centre scientists support an approach and Policy Brief 5 — Africa’s biocarbon 1-2% annually, their area declining by a that considers greenhouse gas emis- interests — Perspectives for a new third since the 1980s. Multiple pressures sions from agriculture, forestry and climate change deal. threaten the world’s remaining 15-18 other land uses (AFOLU). million hectares, including pollution, fuel wood collection, land clearance for Minang says agriculture in developing aquaculture and coastal development, countries is one of the world’s largest, and natural disasters. most ef�cient storers of carbon, but until now there has been no reliable method Coastal Resilience The ability of terrestrial forests in the to veri�ably determine how much carbon tropics to sequester carbon has spurred they remove from the atmosphere or By conserving and restoring mangrove the quanti�cation of this ecosystem calculate incentive payments. forests, Solomon Islanders diversify service and the trading of carbon offset their livelihoods while addressing credits, through which buyers offset The recently launched Carbon Bene�ts climate change. their own carbon emissions and owners Project — involving the World Agrofor- of forested land are rewarded for the estry Centre, United Nations Environ- Mangrove forests furnish ecosystem carbon their trees sequester. Offset ment Programme, Colorado State Uni- services made all the more valuable by projects either protect existing forests, versity, World Wildlife Fund and others climate change. They protect coastal regenerate lost or degraded forests by — combines the latest remote sensing communities from storm damage, planting trees, or both. technology and analysis with infrared which may become even more important soil carbon spectroscopy, ground-based as the effects of climate change become Mangrove restoration at the community level in the measurement and statistical analysis to increasingly evident. Like all plants, Western Province of Solomon Islands. measure and predict more accurately Credit: Anne-Maree Schwarz, WorldFish carbon storage in all land uses. “We now know enough not to use un- certainty as an excuse for not including all types of land use in a climate change strategy,� Minang asserts. Current research is investigating the biocarbon potential of different African countries and landscapes. In the humid tropics of Africa, well-managed systems combining trees and crops can store 29-53 tons of carbon per hectare, and agro-ecosystems that mimic natural 16 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H The project “Poverty alleviation, mangrove is adjacent to a community-run conser- conservation and climate change: Carbon offsets as payments for mangrove ecosys- vation area that encompasses a terres- trial forest. A third site in Malaita Prov- Whither Wheat tem services in Solomon Islands� explores ince is heavily utilized by the residents whether mangroves can be included in of the country’s most populous island. As climate change makes tropical wheat such carbon offset projects. If replanting The contrast among the study sites will environments less favorable, new varieties mangroves and using them sustainably maximize the applicability of project and conservation agriculture will help can qualify poor rural communities along �ndings to other threatened mangrove wheat beat the heat. tropical coasts to link into the global ecosystems in the Indo-Paci�c. carbon market, the income they earn may Excess heat hurts wheat yields on be invested for educational, health and WorldFish’s key partner in the project is more than 9 million hectares globally. conservation uses. the Ministry of Environment, Conserva- This number will increase, as the tion and Meteorology, which is support- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate As trading and registry procedures are ed by nongovernmental organizations Change predicts that global tempera- not yet well established for the nascent vol- working on complementary projects. tures will rise by 1.8°C to 4.0°C untary carbon offset market — especially The partners speci�cally work to by the end of the century. Current for mangroves — local communities, non- determine the ecosystem services heat-stressed areas, which include governmental organizations and govern- that mangrove forests provide to rural some of the world’s poorest regions, ments need a roadmap to show the way Solomon Islanders, will likely suffer yield losses. from identifying the ecosystem services build stakeholder and community that their mangroves provide to quantifying awareness and capacity through “To maintain food security, we have to carbon sequestration, registering for credits workshops and the preparation of increase the yield potential of staple and managing trust funds. The goal of the educational materials, crops by 1.5% to 2% a year,� says project is to provide that roadmap. estimate the carbon storage potential Matthew Reynolds, a wheat physiologist of the sites using remote sensing at the International Maize and Wheat Funded by the Australian govern- data and ground truthing, Improvement Center (CIMMYT), add- ment through AusAID and led by the review offset market case studies and ing that crop productivity is currently WorldFish Center, the project is the assess the potential for mangrove increasing annually by around 1%. �rst of its kind in the Indo-Paci�c. The forests’ inclusion in trading schemes, “Climate change reduces yield potential, clear title that Solomon Islanders often and so not only do we have to go from less have to mangroves through customary work with the Solomon Islands than 1% to at least 1.5%, but climate marine tenure and long-standing chiefly government to determine policy change is making that much more systems potentially ensures strong local about engaging communities with the dif�cult to achieve.� mechanisms and procedures to support international carbon offset market. this pioneering approach to establish- South Asia’s Indo-Gangetic Plains will ing a system of payment for coastal Tropical mangrove forests connect be among the areas hardest hit by environmental services. sea and land and play a critical role warmer temperatures, water scarcity H I G H L I G H T S in the health and productivity of coral and heightened soil salinization. A The project studies contrasting sites in reefs and inland forests. As such, their productive wheat-growing area that three of the nine provinces of Solomon conservation and restoration extends includes India, Pakistan, Nepal and Islands. A site on the island of Ranonga environmental bene�ts to these neigh- Bangladesh, this region is home to more in Western Province suffered a major boring ecosystems. than 1.2 billion people, many of whom earthquake and tsunami in 2007 that are farmers growing annual rotations of severely damaged previously intact By offering a hand up instead of a rice and wheat. By 2050, over half the R E S E A R C H mangroves. The project reinforces com- handout, the project aims to empower region is expected to suffer heat stress munity mangrove restoration already Solomon Islanders to climb out of and possible deserti�cation. If wheat begun. A second site in Choiseul Prov- poverty even as they adapt to climate yields fall as a result, the situation for ince possesses one of Solomon Islands’ change and contribute to mitigating this the region’s 480 million poverty-striken larger intact tracts of mangroves, which global challenge. people will become even worse. 17 developing countries deal with climate Agronomic practices play an important change, researchers in an international role in the ability of wheat to withstand network that includes CIMMYT and climate change. Conservation agricul- the International Center for Agricultural ture encompasses a set of cropping Research in the Dry Areas are develop- practices that includes reduced soil ing new varieties suited to warmer, tillage, the retention of crop residues drier environments and promoting and crop rotation. This optimizes the Mathew Reynolds, wheat physiologist at resource-conserving farming practices. root environment and the availability CIMMYT, explains that At CIMMYT, scientists have been of essential nutrients and water, permit- the yield potential of staple crops needs to breeding for heat-stressed areas for ting cultivars to achieve their genetic increase by up to 2% a several years, and these resources can potential. The adoption of conservation year to maintain global food security. Climate be deployed to newly heat- stressed agriculture has been slow in develop- change is making this harder to achieve. regions. However, regions that are ing countries, but it is key to solving the already hot and dry will require tougher climate change puzzle. Credit: CIMMYT varieties. Targeted breeding and strate- gic physiological characterization used “You need different strategies to improve to select varieties that display traits agriculture productivity, especially in associated with heat and drought toler- terms of climate change,� said Reynolds. ance (such as cooler canopies and the “You need to think about other species, Climate change brings more than heat ability to store starch in the stem) will about the soil, about genetics, about and drought. Variation in precipitation help these areas. The varieties can be economic imperatives — everything. In patterns will likely dry out some places crossed with landraces that are particu- the end, we must look beyond our own while flooding others. Hotter and more larly heat tolerant to increase wheat’s expertise and focus on how different humid conditions will encourage pests, genetic diversity. Wild relatives are technologies can be complementary to diseases and weeds. In the tropics, heat also used in wide crossing to introduce avert a major catastrophe.� is expected to shorten the grain-�lling exotic traits not found in wheat. The period for wheat, damaging product resulting synthetic wheats have been quality, according to the recent CIMMYT bred for disease resistance and more publication Wheat Facts and Futures. stress-adaptive root systems. But there is some good news. Wheat is Breeding and crop management research Shadow of a Drought planted on 240 million hectares world- under the Cereal System Initiative in wide. As some areas become hostile South Asia (CSISA), a large collaborative A drought-screening facility for to wheat, others will become more project led by the International Rice transgenic plants promises further receptive, such as the high latitudes, Research Institute and funded by the gains as drought-tolerant rice varieties where a temperature increase of a few United States Agency for International begin to emerge. degrees is expected to boost wheat Development and the Bill & Melinda yields. Cool, high-latitude spring wheat Gates Foundation, should also help Since the dawn of agriculture, drought environments, as in Canada and Siberia, farmers cope with climate change. The has been the bane of farmers, especially will bene�t most, as farmers will be able goal of CSISA is to use new science and those who grow rice, a crop with special to plant earlier and replace current cul- technologies to boost cereal production water requirements. Most rainfed areas tivars with high-yielding winter wheats, and productivity, particularly for rice receive a reasonable amount of rain according to the report. And higher at- and wheat, in South Asia’s most during the growing season, but its mospheric carbon dioxide can enhance important grain baskets. Physiological erratic distribution and de�cits at photosynthesis, which will likely boost approaches are incorporated with con- such critical stages as flowering and plant growth and yields. ventional breeding to increase genetic grain-�lling can seriously curtail diversity, even as the CSISA target area productivity. In Asia alone, 23 million However, areas with shaky food security suffers dramatic temperature increases hectares, or 20% of the continent’s rice are unlikely to bene�t. To help farmers in and constricted water resources. land total, are prone to drought under 18 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H current climatic conditions. Climate and I’m very happy to see recent transgene on plant growth and yield change is likely to worsen water scarcity progress in developing drought-tolerant performance,� explains crop physiolo- in many rice-growing areas. lines at IRRI.� gist Rachid Serraj. “IRRI is able to gener- ate large numbers of transgenic lines, so Most farmers in drought-prone rainfed To support and expand scientists’ it is more ef�cient to select and discard areas grow varieties bred for irrigated development of drought-tolerant rice plants early on, keeping only those that conditions. As irrigated varieties are varieties using genetic modi�cation, IRRI show promise. highly susceptible to drought, farmers established a drought-screening facility are lucky to harvest even half a ton per and a protocol that mimics drought con- “We assess the impact of water hectare when droughts occur. ditions in lowland rice �elds. In the past, de�cit on plant growth and use non- genetically modi�ed drought-tolerant destructive measurements to analyze To help farmers cope with water scar- breeding lines were tested mostly under crop performance,� Serraj continues, city, the International Rice Research arti�cial conditions using pots, as �eld adding that plants’ flowering, tillering, Institute (IRRI) has developed several trials would violate biosafety require- grain formation, transpiration, canopy new breeding lines that yield as well as ments. The drought-screening facility temperature, photosynthesis, leaf roll- other varieties under normal conditions allows scientists to better predict the ing, tillering ability, root biomass, and and have a yield advantage of up to 1 yield these lines would have in the �eld. spikelet fertility are other parameters ton per hectare under drought. Two of that are measured. these drought-tolerant lines have been The facility has a flooded control plot recommended for of�cial release, one in of genetically modi�ed rice to allow Sometimes a transgenic plant performs India and the other in the Philippines. scientists to compare the performance better than others under drought but of the tested varieties under different yields less under normal conditions. “IRRI has intensi�ed efforts to develop conditions and ensure that any selected IRRI looks for candidate genes that are drought-tolerant and aerobic cultivars to material would perform well under a activated by drought to avoid any yield cope with the looming water shortage,� variety of conditions. penalty under normal conditions. says David Mackill, leader of IRRI’s rainfed program. (Aerobic rice is cultivated During the dry season of 2007, the �rst “The drought-screening facility has intensely in the lowlands for high yield drought-screening experiment using greatly helped in our transgenic re- but in dry paddies, not flooded ones, the facility was carried out to test the search, so we plan to establish a similar to save water.) “Drought-tolerance has effects of a gene for drought tolerance and bigger facility in the future,� states been a complex trait to improve, provided by the Japan International Serraj. “This will allow us to test more Research Center for Agricultural candidate genes.� Sciences. Scientists were pleased to observe that the data on yield under irrigated and drought conditions inside the drought-screening facility were similar to those obtained from Capitalizing on H I G H L I G H T S non-transgenic �eld experiments at IRRI. The drought-screening facility Cassava was thus found to succeed in creating realistic drought conditions. As the global climate changes and the going gets tough for other staple crops, “The facility allows us to assess a large tough but neglected cassava may �nally population of plants to take into account get going. R E S E A R C H possible variation in the effects of a Cassava may be about to experience something of a heyday. With climate With advances in technology, both farmers and change expected to take its toll on scientists can look forward to more climate-resilient varieties of rice. Credit: IRRI staples like rice, wheat and maize, the 19 become the cornerstone of climate Cassava Research and Development change adaptation to protect food (CLAYUCA by its Spanish acronym), for supplies and livelihoods. This is ensuring that new technologies reach particularly true in Latin America — farmers quickly. The CIAT-coordinated cassava’s center of diversity — which network, which celebrated its 10th has much to gain from improved anniversary in July, has members varieties. While some parts of the from the public and private sectors region are likely to see increases in in 16 countries, all working to improve cassava suitability, models show large the generation and exchange of new areas where suitability is expected to cassava-related technologies. fall. It is at these frontiers that improved The initiative has been responsible cassava could have the greatest impact. for the development, adaptation Improving cassava varieties to make more resilient and transfer of several technological to climate change could result in an additional According to Andy Jarvis, a climate platforms for cassava production, 60 million hectares of land becoming suitable for production of this crop. change expert and the leader of CIAT’s processing and utilization that are Credit: Neil Palmer, CIAT Decision and Policy Analysis Program, helping farmers increase yields and it is essential to develop cassava lines incomes and improve livelihoods. with improved tolerance to heat, cold, drought and flooding. “Collaboration and dissemination are potential of cassava — famously hardy essential for climate change adaptation,� when the going gets tough — is growing “The message coming out of the says Jarvis. “Networks like CLAYUCA by the day. modeling is that there is no single trait are vastly improving the impact of cassava that provides global gains for cassava,� research. They enable high-speed links Climate change models run by the Inter- says Jarvis. “Instead, breeding must between laboratories and farmers’ �elds.� national Center for Tropical Agriculture tackle multiple constraints.� (CIAT by its Spanish acronym) show that Uncertainties remain about the impact by 2050 almost one �fth of cassava- If this happens, new technologies could of climate change on cassava’s sus- growing land is expected to bene�t bene�t one third of current cassava ceptibility to pests and diseases and, from rising temperatures and changes �elds in Latin America by 2050 and therefore, the extent to which increases in rainfall. This is good news for one of nearly triple the area suitable for in area planted to the crop will mean the world’s most important sources of cassava production. But, Jarvis adds, higher production. Tropical whitefly — carbohydrates, and improving cas- there is no time to lose. infestations of which have wiped out sava varieties to make them even more entire plantations in Asia and Africa — resilient could result in an additional 60 “The scienti�c community must make have been reported in southern Brazil, million hectares of land becoming suit- these decisions now,� he says. “It takes where cassava starch processing is able for cassava production. a minimum of a decade from beginning about to boom. work on crop improvement to getting Grown across the tropics for its energy- the new variety into farmers’ �elds. So Jarvis recognizes the limitations packed tuberous roots, cassava is of par- we need to look closely at what the of climate models but stresses the ticular value to smallholders because of models tell us about the future need for action. its remarkable ability to tolerate drought challenges and tailor our research to and poor soils. Cassava is predominantly match. With the right science and the “There’s simply no time to wait grown as a food crop in Africa and Latin right priorities, cassava could become a and see,� he says. “With the right America, while Asia leads in the indus- super crop, but we have to move now.� research combined now with the trial production of the crop. Processing right partnerships and the right cassava starch is a major employer. Jarvis stressed the importance of methods for dissemination, cassava research-and-development networks, can ful�ll its potential as a crop Improved cassava varieties that capitalize such as the Latin American and capable of thriving in the face of on the crop’s inherent resilience could Caribbean Consortium to Support climate change.� 20 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H conference at Oxford University on food farmers on marginal lands within a day’s Animal Attraction security and environmental change. travel of urban areas, where growing demand for meat and dairy products Thornton and colleague Peter Jones of fuels lucrative markets. Thornton and A report predicts that many African Waen Associates in the United Kingdom Jones point out that looking to livestock farmers will shift from crops to hardier sought to identify farm-dependent areas as a bulwark against challenging livestock as temperatures rise and rainfall of Africa that might be most vulnerable climates is not novel, as across Africa patterns shift under climate change. to climate change. They focused on livestock is a crucial coping mechanism the arid and semi-arid regions where for poor people trying to survive in A new study has found that, by 2050, scant precipitation routinely causes dif�cult environments. hotter conditions and shifting rainfall crops to fail in at least 1 out of every patterns could render 500,000 to 1 6 growing seasons. Thornton says the research goal is million square kilometers of marginal to use climate change projections to African farmland that is home to 20- The researchers then considered the pinpoint areas in Africa where it is 35 million people unable to support impact of climate change in these appropriate to promote livestock even subsistence agriculture. This may regions and found that, even if climate ownership on smallholder farms and make livestock production an attractive change is moderated by global reductions to help farmers deal with the inherent alternative for millions of poor farmers in carbon emissions, many farmers will risks. He added that policy decisions across Africa, according to the study likely face considerably worse growing would bene�t greatly from better published in a special edition of the conditions. The key measure was local data, including projections of journal Environmental Science and Policy. whether climate change would cause temperatures and rainfall patterns. the number of reliable crop-growing “Livestock, particularly animals that days to drop below 90 between 2000 He and Jones acknowledge a mismatch are known to be tolerant of heat and and 2050. between the kind of localized climate drought, can survive in conditions that change information that is needed are far more severe than what crops can They concluded that, under scenarios and what is available. Even at regional tolerate,� explains Philip Thornton, an in which carbon emissions remain scales, different climate models International Livestock Research Institute high, the number of reliable growing sometimes disagree on how rising (ILRI) scientist and one of the paper’s days would drop below 90 for almost temperatures may affect rainfall. The co-authors. “Livestock can provide poor 1 million square kilometers of marginal researchers say that investments in households with a buffer against the risk farmland in Africa. Assuming a lower generating detailed data are warranted of climate change and allow them to emissions scenario, they project that by their potential to bring new take advantage of increasing demand for 500,000 square kilometers would fail precision and efficiency to aid animal products in Africa.� to maintain the 90-day standard. programs for alleviating poverty in rural Africa. “Any increase in livestock must be The researchers warn that, if reliable managed sustainably,� adds Carlos growing periods drop below 90 days, They caution that better data will H I G H L I G H T S Seré, director general of ILRI. “But our “maize cultivation, already marginal, inevitably show that, in parts of Africa research shows there are many areas in will basically no longer be possible as a where growing conditions are already Africa where farming communities will normal agricultural activity.� They add dif�cult, only so much can be done to add more livestock to their agriculture that in some places rain could become help farmers adapt to climate change. systems. We should prepare now for so scarce that even drought-tolerant It is important for development agencies this inevitability.� crops such as millet would be dif�cult to and governments to understand that, grow. Under these conditions, they say, as climates become more inhospitable R E S E A R C H The analysis, Croppers to livestock livestock could be the key to keeping to agriculture in some places, there keepers: Livelihood transitions to 2050 food on the table and earning income. may be “a point at which households in Africa due to climate change, is one and farming systems become so of several studies published in the jour- The study notes that livestock can stressed that there are few nal that emerged from an April 2008 provide a signi�cant income boost to alternatives to an exit from farming.� 21 countries, and rainfed farming is far irrigation schemes to provide water and Irrigation Revisited too uncertain, given climate change predictions.� secure their livelihoods. Today, however, many have diversi�ed to grow more fruit and vegetables in response to changing Asia urgently needs to learn how to use Compiled by lead authors Aditi Mukherji markets. Such farming methods need water more wisely to feed the additional of IWMI and Thierry Facon of FAO and more flexible and responsive manage- 1.5 billion people who will live there by funded by the Asian Development Bank, ment that delivers water on demand. 2050, warns a new report the report draws on the work of over 700 leading experts, in-depth research In large parts of Asia, cereal crops will A comprehensive new study of irrigation and computer-based forecasting models. remain dominant. The current state in Asia warns that, without major reform Asian agriculture registered dramatic of surface irrigation infrastructure and innovation in the way water is used advances during the 1960s and 1970s provides suboptimal service, even in for agriculture, many developing nations through a combination of irrigation, large cereal-based systems; hence the will face the politically risky prospect of improved crop varieties and fertilizers. need for drastic reforms. having to import more than a quarter of The resulting Green Revolution made the rice, wheat and maize they need to it possible to avert widespread hunger With yesteryear’s large, outdated feed their growing populations. The In- and raise living standards. From 1970 irrigation schemes unable to meet ternational Water Management Institute to 1995, the area under irrigation in needs, farmers have installed millions (IWMI) and the Food and Agriculture Asia more than doubled, making it the of groundwater pumps across Asia to Organization of the United Nations world’s most irrigated continent. secure their own supplies. Since there is (FAO) recently released the report during little regulation of groundwater extraction, 2009 World Water Week in Stockholm, However, this extensive irrigation water tables have dropped dramatically attracting widespread media attention. infrastructure is not currently used to enough in some places to disrupt surface its full potential, because the conditions water flows and the habitats they Irrigation will play a key role in producing that prevailed when it was built no support. Meanwhile, the old combination food to feed the 1.5 billion additional longer exist. In the 1960s and 1970s, of large irrigation developments, people who will live in Asia by 2050. farmers mostly grew cereals such as mono-cropping and heavy fertilizer This is the main �nding of the report, rice and wheat. They relied on large, use continues to take a toll on the titled Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation: To centrally managed, supply-driven environment. The uncertainties of Sustainably Meet Tomorrow’s Food Needs. climate change and its effect on rainfall The authors use numerical modeling to and runoff complicate the question of assess the options Asian states can use how best to ensure food security in Asia to meet future food requirements. while conserving natural resources. The report outlines three such options: 1) import large quantities of cereals The authors suggest that Asia needs from other regions, 2) improve and to employ not one but several strategies expand rainfed agriculture, and for improving irrigation to achieve food 3) focus on improving yields from goals under the varying economic, irrigated farmlands. political and geographic conditions across the continent. They put forward IWMI director general Colin Chartres �ve strategies for helping irrigation says, “Of the three options, the best bet perform to its full potential and satisfy for Asia is to revitalize its vast irrigation future food needs while safeguarding systems, which account for 70% of all the environment: irrigated land in the world. Relying on 1. reengineer large irrigation schemes trade to meet much of the future food to meet modern farming needs, demand would only impose a huge 2. emulate farmers’ initiatives where and politically untenable burden on The report shows that there is scope for doubling they have successfully employed the agricultural productivity of Asia’s irrigated lands, the economies of many developing through sustained effort. Credit: IWMI their own irrigation methods, 22 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H 3. improve on existing reforms by from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. engaging the private sector in irrigation, Water Works Collaborators include two CGIAR Centers — the International Water Management 4. boost knowledge through training, Institute and the International Food Policy and A project in Africa and South Asia identi- Research Institute — as well as Interna- 5. invest in other sectors that indirectly �es promising agricultural water manage- tional Development Enterprises (IDE), influence irrigation. ment solutions to unlock the potential of Food and Agricultural Organization of the smallholder farming. United Nations, Stockholm Environment Investments in irrigation are closely Institute, and CH2M HILL, Inc. linked to food and energy prices. The Most of the world’s poor — some 1.7 bil- authors note that, with food and energy lion people according to the World Bank AWM is a promising investment costs forecast to rise in future, there is — live in South Asia and sub-Saharan option to improve the livelihoods and renewed interest in investing in irrigated Africa (SSA). Of this number, some 510 food security of the rural poor. Water agriculture. However, they warn that million are still considered food insecure. management interventions can help reversing the degradation that has In both South Asia and SSA, millions smallholders avoid yield losses during resulted from years of neglect calls for of poor farmers face water scarcity, in dry spells, enjoy enough water security innovative methods. The report shows part because they lack adequate water to invest in other agricultural inputs, that there is scope to double the produc- storage, management facilities and diversify and grow higher-value crops, tivity of irrigated lands in Asia. To achieve know-how. The anticipated effects of and improve access to water for other this, farmers need more reliable irrigation global climate change are likely to further productive uses. However, water man- systems that provide good service, help increase the number of food insecure agement often receives less attention in improving soil health and improved on both continents, unless appropriate than efforts to improve farmers’ access crop varieties that resist pests. Only interventions are undertaken. to seed, fertilizer and credit. then can they ensure that Asia’s future population does not go hungry. To address this challenge, the Agricultural This project aims to identify technological, Water Management (AWM) Solutions institutional and policy interventions Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation: To sustainably Project aims to unlock the potential of that can signi�cantly improve the meet tomorrow’s food needs is available at smallholder agriculture by focusing on livelihoods of poor women and men www.iwmi.org/SWW2009/ and investments in agricultural water manage- farmers through enhanced agricultural www.waterknowledgehub.iwmi.org. ment. The project is funded by a grant production, on-farm income and food security. It will consider a wide range of options, from rope pumps used by farmers in Ethiopia to treadle pumps in India, community-managed small reservoirs in Ghana, and multiple-use systems across Africa and Asia that provide for both domestic and H I G H L I G H T S productive water needs. Opportunities to enhance productivity of both irrigated and rainfed lands will be examined as part of the project. Research suggests that, in many parts of South Asia and SSA, doubling or R E S E A R C H even quadrupling rainfed crop yields is This farmer Ziway, Ethiopia, uses a rope pump to access water to irrigate her small plot. Credit: Nadia Manning-Thomas, IWMI, 2009, AWM Solutions Project. 23 possible with existing technologies for strategies, the project will develop three lands are under extreme pressure to water and nutrient management. But main outputs for use by policymakers, produce more food for a burgeoning these technologies have been slow to investors, nongovernmental organiza- population amid climatic variation. At spread, and it remains a challenge to tions and smallholder farmers: the same time, the recovered lands are reach the poorest people, including platforms for policy dialogue and restoring to Niger’s largely marginalized women who in many countries make up expressing investment briefs to women their right to make a livelihood the majority of farmers. inform AWM decision-making; through agriculture. According to a tools and business models to study undertaken by the International Understanding what makes AWM evaluate the economic, social and Institute for Environment and Develop- successful for smallholders requires environmental impacts of AWM ment, some areas of Niger “are witness- looking at the factors that influence the interventions and support effective ing the emergence of a �rst generation adoption and successful out-scaling of AWM implementation; and of women who do not work.� water management interventions, from methods for selecting and applying the natural resource base to credit and appropriate AWM solutions. The report adds: “In Jirtawa, we found land-tenure systems, markets, communi- a second generation of landless women cation networks, stakeholder interaction, The project started in February 2009 who have never farmed because they and the broader policy environment. and will continue through December never had the opportunity to help their The project will generate knowledge 2011 in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, mothers in her gamana (portion of land about AWM interventions and how they Tanzania, Zambia, and the two Indian allocated to family members), as she operate in particular socioeconomic and states of Madhya Pradesh and West was landless too.� physical environments, together with Bengal. Activities are well under way successful business models for effective and can be tracked on the project website Extremely adverse weather and implementation. at http://awm-solutions.iwmi.org/ or intensifying population pressure by joining the mailing list by writing to seriously affect agricultural productivity The project recognizes that too many AWMSolutionsProject@cgiar.org. in the Sahel. In Niger, population farming systems, particularly in SSA, growth has brought progressive target AWM technologies and allo- fragmentation of farm holdings, cate irrigated land to male “heads of whose ownership and farming rights households,� ignoring the critical role are generally vested in men. This has of women in food production and their AWM preferences. Moreover, little Off the Margin systematically edged women out of farming, leaving them without the information is available concerning means to adequately care for their gender for evaluating the feasibility and Women recruited to bioreclaim families or earn an income. Likewise, impacts of water management interven- degraded lands restore farmland soils in Niger are severely degraded, tions. The project will ensure that the previously considered useless and as wind and water erosion remove needs and conditions of poor farmers, assert their right to own and cultivate it. nutrients and leave top soils that are especially women, are appropriately hard to plow. Droughts cause crop addressed in selecting AWM solutions. As climate change threatens to failure in 2 out of every 5 years. worsen deserti�cation across the Partnerships and outreach are key Sudano-Sahelian region of West and An ICRISAT research team led by components of the project. The project Central Africa, the International Crops Dov Pasternak has looked for ways to team will work with local, national and Research Institute for the Semi-Arid reclaim degraded land so that landless regional partners in project planning and Tropics (ICRISAT) has developed an and marginalized women will benefit. implementation and jointly ensure that innovative technique for reclaiming se- Pasternak reports that 3 years of the project knowledge and outputs get into verely degraded, abandoned farmlands Bioreclamation of Degraded Lands the right hands for optimal impact. and bringing them back into production. (BDL) Project have shown that, “by helping women grow indigenous To provide a menu of promising AWM This innovation is highly signi�cant in a vegetable and fruit trees, we have not solutions and supporting dissemination region where scarce and fragile arable only restored the self-worth of women 24 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H but also enabled them to provide after the rains. Zai holes also hold soil food in Africa produced in the Sahel better care for their families, besides and compost to support the growth of mostly by women and highly suitable making extra money.� locally adapted, deep-rooted and highly for growing in zai holes. These and nutritious fruit and vegetable crops other crop trees are being tested for He estimates the value of fruit and such as the Pomme du Sahel (Ziziphus their value in reclaiming West Africa’s vegetables produced at about US$1,200 Mauritania) and Moringa stenopetala. degraded farmlands, as they typically per hectare. The additional income is re- tolerate drought, high soil salinity and markable, considering that the women’s Pomme du Sahel fruit is rich in iron, waterlogging. association in the project area allots calcium and phosphorus, and it has ten only 100-300 square meters for each of times as much vitamin C as apples. The These innovations hold the promise its 50 members — and that this is the leaves of the Moringa tree, Niger’s most of greening vast swathes of degraded marginal environment of the Sahel. popular vegetable, have seven times as land to create a new horticultural much vitamin C as oranges, four times frontier for Africa — one that is The BDL system is a simple innovation as much vitamin A as carrots and four cultivated and sustained by strong, with high potential for widespread times as much calcium as milk. empowered women. adoption by farmers. It includes rebuilding the fertility of degraded soils, The BDL model has mobilized a group water management and general land of 100 women in the Dosso Region, 120 reclamation using drought-tolerant kilometers from the capital, Niamey. trees and annuals. ICRISAT scientists They successfully demanded and ob- have taught women how to create a favorable medium for planting crops tained degraded land from their village chiefs and are now reclaiming their right Dry Response that will enable effective rooting as under Nigerien land law to cultivate and well as how to manage soils to prevent own the land. Agricultural research in the dry waterlogging. areas of Asia and North Africa The World Vegetable Center and considers the many rami�cations Additionally, farmers have learned how ICRISAT have jointly identi�ed a of climate change in these to harvest rainwater on the farm by short-duration cultivar of okra vulnerable regions. using micro-catchments, or planting (Albemoschus esculentus), a favorite pits, known as zai holes, which are able Climate change is a global problem, to hold water for prolonged periods Farmers placing manure in zai pits in Niger. but some regions will be affected more Credit: ICRISAT than others — notably the dry areas of Central and West Asia and North Africa. Agriculture in these vast expanses is limited by a range of factors, including drought, land degradation, temperature extremes, H I G H L I G H T S pests and diseases. Climate change will aggravate each of these problems. For over 30 years, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has focused on dry areas and, in particular, on helping R E S E A R C H farmers cope with climate variability. ICARDA is now tackling climate change issues more broadly, with greater emphasis on adaptation, mitigation and ecosystem resilience. 25 ICARDA is tackling the problem of land degradation and deserti�cation by researching soil and water harvesting techniques and grazing management. Credit: CGIAR With drought becoming more frequent, and minimizes the temperature effects productive even on degraded rangeland. it is important that countries respond of climate change. The Center has bred ICARDA and its partners help document proactively by integrating drought barley varieties that mature early without this diversity to facilitate targeting management into long-term development losing yield. It combines conventional breeds to speci�c environments and plans. ICARDA was a partner in the breeding with biotechnology to improve designing breeding programs. European Union’s project Mediterranean wheat’s heat and drought tolerance, and Additional research using phenotypic Drought Preparedness and Mitigation a number of wheat varieties are now and molecular characterization helps Planning, which developed guidelines being tested in farmers’ �elds. identify adaptive traits that enable for managing drought risk using indigenous breeds to thrive under preparedness plans and early warning Pests and Diseases. Past experience in harsh conditions. systems. Subsequently, ICARDA and dry, hot environments and new modeling its partners — the Mediterranean methods help ICARDA scientists Water and Land Management. Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza, Food understand how climate change may Climate change will restrict river flows and Agriculture Organization of the affect the distribution or severity of and groundwater recharge, accelerating United Nations, and national research pests and diseases. Higher temperatures land degradation in dry areas. ICARDA centers — established the Network on will favor some insect pests, which and its partners have developed Drought Management for the Near East, are likely to expand their ranges. One technologies such as supplemental Mediterranean and Central Asia, which example is the Hessian fly, a major pest irrigation, water harvesting and enables institutions in 38 countries of wheat. Until recently it was con�ned conservation agriculture that to work together on predicting and to North Africa. Now it is threatening conserve water and increase the responding to drought. Climate change wheat production in central and southern quantity of grain or biomass produced creates multiple challenges, which Europe and is expected to move per unit of water used. ICARDA actively addresses. further north. ICARDA research has found water Crop Resilience. More than 900 crop Livestock. Climate change will likely productivity per cubic meter as high varieties developed using ICARDA cause signi�cant livestock losses. As as 2.5 kilograms of wheat grain under breeding materials and adapted to dry conditions change, it becomes ever supplemental irrigation, which is much areas have been released worldwide. more important to have breeds that higher than the 500 grams under ICARDA has developed cold-tolerant can cope. Central and West Asia and rainfed conditions and 1 kilogram varieties of chickpea that can be planted North Africa have a very wide diversity under full irrigation. It has quanti�ed in winter rather than spring. This allows of animal breeds, many of which tolerate the bene�ts of combining supplemental the crop to escape terminal drought temperature extremes and remain irrigation, zero tillage and adapted 26 C O N S U L T A T I V E G R O U P O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L A G R I C U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H cultivars. Crop models have been June, dealing with CGIAR research and validated and used to better allocate other activities that are relevant to global water in irrigation basins. climate change. The blog is hosted on WordPress, a free, open-source platform. Climate change is likely to accelerate land degradation and deserti�cation In the �rst instance, the blog is intended in many areas. ICARDA is tackling the to serve CGIAR staff and stakeholders problem through water harvesting, soil as an up-to-date resource on relevant and water conservation techniques, and research and other developments. grazing management. Experiments have In the run up to the 15th Conference of shown that 40-50% of the rainwater Parties (COP15) to the UN Framework specialists are that would otherwise be lost as runoff Convention on Climate Change subscribed); collaboration or evaporation can be harvested and (UNFCCC), which will be held this with other blogs dealing with climate used to grow tree cash crops, restore December in Copenhagen, Denmark, change and related issues; and “live� biodiversity, and improve plant cover it is especially important that such blogging from major events, which taps and forage availability in rangelands, as work and its implications for the into the immediate interest of event well as to reduce soil erosion. COP15 negotiations be made as readily participants and others. accessible as possible. Carbon Dioxide Modeling. In the short time since it was launched, The interaction of high carbon dioxide Increasingly, the blog should also help the blog has shown good potential for levels, high temperatures and water feed story ideas to international media, enhancing CGIAR communications on de�cits is complex and not well further raising the pro�le of CGIAR climate change. The Communications understood, partly because it is dif�cult research. Colleagues at Burness are Team in the CGIAR Secretariat invites to study in the �eld. ICARDA uses promoting it heavily for this purpose, suggestions about ways to improve simulation modeling to measure the with good signs of interest from wire the content, promotion and use of effect of supplemental irrigation on services, like the Associated Press, the blog, and encourages readers wheat yield and water productivity and others. of CGIAR eNews to participate in under different carbon dioxide, any of the following ways: temperature and rainfall scenarios. Considerable effort has gone into Visit Rural Climate Exchange and creating content for the blog, resulting offer comments on the posts. in an average of three to four posts per Let others know about the blog and week. Communications colleagues at include links to it on your Web site. the Center for International Forestry Subscribe to the climate Rural Climate Research (CIFOR), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center communications listserve for regular updates on blog posts Exchange: A New (CIMMYT), International Food Policy by sending an email CGIAR Blog Research Institute (IFPRI), World message to Barbara Eckberg H I G H L I G H T S Agroforestry Centre and WorldFish (beckberg@worldbank.org), Center have contributed importantly with the subject line “Subscribe A collaborative communications initiative to this effort. to climatecomms@cgiar.org. strives to better connect international As a listserv subscriber, contribute agricultural and environmental science Rural Climate Exchange currently receives blog posts actively. For this purpose, to the climate change agenda. an average of just over a thousand send an email to Amelia Goh visits per month, and the �gure is rising (agoh@worldbank.org), requesting R E S E A R C H In a new effort to promote dialogue steadily, as a result of several measures. a username and password for the and information sharing, the CGIAR Among these are regular updates on blog site, so you can post materials Secretariat, with support from private- recent posts to a climate communications yourself, or seeking Amelia’s sector partner Burness Communications, listserv (to which about 35 CGIAR climate assistance in posting material launched a new institutional blog in late change scientists and communications for you. 27 LEARN MORE & ENGAGE IN A DIALOGUE