This document discusses climate-smart agriculture options for practices and systems. It provides examples of CSA options for farms and landscapes, including sustainable land management in Ethiopia and forest land use and cattle management in Brazil. CSA options also exist for crops and fields, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, food systems, and services. Overall, CSA options are often low-cost practices, achievable at large scale, best if integrated, vital for future food supplies, and already being used by farmers, businesses and governments.

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Climate-smart agriculture:
options for practices and systems
Sonja Vermeulen
Head of Research
CGIAR Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
www.ccafs.cgiar.org
Climate-Smart Agriculture Online Learning Event
FAO 13–27 May 2014
www.fao.org/climatechange/micca/79527

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CSA options involve farms,
landscapes, food systems
and services
landscape
crops
livestock
fish
food system
services
Photo: N. Palmer, CIAT

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CSA options for landscapes
landscape
Ensure close links
between practice
and policy (e.g.
land use zoning)
Manage livestock
& wildlife over
wide areas
Increase cover of
trees and perennials
Restore degraded
wetlands, peatlands,
grasslands and watersheds
Create
diversity of
land uses
Harvest floods
& manage
groundwater
Address
coastal
salinity &
sea surges
Protect against large-
scale erosion

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Led byExample: Sustainable land management in
Ethiopia
Photos: W. Bewket, AAU
 190,000 ha rehabilitated
 98,000 households benefit
 Cut-and-carry feed for
livestock
 380,000 m3 waterways
 900,000 m3 compost

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CSA options for crops & fields
crops
Crop diversification and
“climate-ready” species
and cultivars
Altering cropping
patterns & planting
dates
Better soil and nutrient
management e.g. erosion
control and micro-dosing
Improved water use
efficiency (irrigation
systems, water micro-
harvesting)
Monitoring &
managing new trends
in pests and diseases
Agroforestry,
intercropping &
on-farm
biodiversity

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Led byExample: Alternate-Wetting-and-Drying
(AWD) in Vietnam
30% water
25-50% emissions
 lower costs for farmers
 same yields
 better food security
• Keep flooded for first
15 days and at
flowering
• Irrigate when water
drops to 15 cm below
the surface

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CSA options for livestock
livestock
High-quality diets that
increase conversion
efficiency and reduce
emissions
Herd management e.g.
sale or slaughter at
different ages
Changing patterns of
pastoralism and use of
water points
Livestock diversification
and “climate-ready”
species and breeds
Improved
pasture
management
Use of human
food waste for
pigs & chickens

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Led byExample: Forest land use and cattle
management in Brazil
Photo: N. Palmer, CIAT
45% higher stocking density
no increase in pasture area
better pasture quality
40% reduction in emissions
agriculture decoupled from
deforestation

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CSA options for fisheries
& aquaculture
fish
Better physical
defences against
sea surges
Quota schemes
matched to
monitoring of
fish stocks
Greater energy
efficiency in
harvesting
Rehabilitation of
mangroves &
breeding grounds
Less dependence of
aquaculture on
marine fish feed
Reducing losses
and wastage

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Photo: Government of China
Example: Integrated mollusc and finfish
aquaculture in China
net carbon sink
(0.04 tonnes per hectare)
 diversified food supply
energy use & costs

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CSA options for food systems
food system
More creative
and efficient use
of by-products
Less energy-
intensity in
fertilizer
production
Improving resilience
of infrastructure for
storage & transport
(e.g. roads, ports)
Changing
diets
Greater
attention to
food safety
Reducing post-
harvest losses &
consumer wastage

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Led byExample: “Love Food Hate Waste”
in United Kingdom
 13 % less household food waste
 consumers saving $4 billion
 national water footprint down 4%
 3.6 million tonnes CO2eq less per year

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CSA options for services
services
Monitoring &
data for food
security, climate &
ecosystems
Early warning
systems &
weather
forecasts
Mobile phone, radio
& other extension or
information for
farmers
Research that
links farmers &
science
Weather
insurance &
micro-finance
Financial transfers &
other “safety nets” for
climate shocks

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Led byExample: Seasonal weather forecasts in
Senegal
3 million farmers get forecasts
70 community radio stations
better food security outcomes

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In summary,
climate-smart agriculture options are:
 Often based on proven low-cost practices
 Achievable at large scale
 Best if integrated, not applied one by one
 Vital for future food supplies
 Already in the hands of farmers, businesses and
governments
Thank you!
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Twitter: @cgiarclimate