Asian experience in climate-smart agriculture to be discussed in workshop

Farming communities are threatened by various climatic stresses and will thus benefit from knowledge
of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices from and for various landscapes and ecosystems.

To promote climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in Asia and get the global expertise in one place, a regional workshop on CSA technologies and climate change will be held on 2-4 June 2015 in Manila, Philippines.

CSA is an approach that helps guide the transformation and reorientation of agricultural systems so that these can support development and food security more effectively and sustainably under a changing climate. It is an important step in enabling smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change while maintaining or improving productivity and sustainability of their farms.

The workshop is being organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) jointly with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Government representatives from 16 countries in Asia and agriculture and climate change experts are expected to participate.

The workshop aims to (A) present features and costs and benefits of select CSA technologies; (B) identify cases of effective implementation of policies, tools, and mechanisms; (C) identify assistance and services needed to accelerate CSA upscaling and outscaling in participating countries; and (D) draft concept notes for submission to the Climate Technology Center Network (CTCN).

‟The workshop is also an opportunity to gather people who actually work on CSA, or climate change in general, to share their experiences on that aspect and also to raise the awareness of major challenges that we need to look into,” said Valerien Pede, IRRI economist and scientist.

The 3-day workshop includes an introduction to CSA, various climate-related topics, a panel discussion, and a tour of research facilities and demonstration trials at the IRRI headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.

Participating countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka from South Asia; Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam from Southeast Asia; and Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia from Central and East Asia.

Full program

(Written by Rezza Mae Tolinero, IRRI and CCAFS SEA intern)