scholarly journals Understanding and Changing Farming, Food & Fiber Systems. The Organic Cotton Case in Mali and West Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian L. Nicolay
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agricultural Science ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sciences

Abstract Science should be capable of covering issues as diverse as farming systems, technology, innovation, climate change adaptation, poverty alleviation, extension, policy and practice, as they all relate to sustainable agriculture and development. Some years ago, the call for a new farming systems approach was raised to accommodate the principles of interdisciplinary, systems thinking and participatory research. Society calls for systems performance that provides stability and sustainability (SDGs!), multi-scale and territorial approaches and looks for solutions for critical issues such as employment, migration and inclusion/exclusion at the global level (World Society). We propose here a way in dealing with this complexity by addressing the mentioned problem from the communication and symbolic perspective, i.e. to consider the "object" within agricultural science but mainly observe the dedicated systems of communication. By using the concept of social systems, we can accommodate under it systems as diverse as farms, extension organizations, innovation patterns, (agricultural) sciences, policy and politics, farmer and indigenous knowledge, markets and value chains, but always in the form of communication. As such, we remain within a discipline with the potential to evolve towards a promising sub-discipline of agricultural sciences (or of sociology?). The relatively new farming approach of certified organic in combination with agroecology is relevant for family farms and small-scale entities. It depends much more on societal support for extension, technology development and policy coherence than commercial farms. Organic agriculture, with its standards, technological requirements and consumer preferences is nested in socio-economic and political networks, which makes it challenging for researchers to integrate the various components. This challenge applies particularly to countries with poorly developed institutions, weak organizations and within the context of poverty and rural exodus. We therefore use a unified approach under a single scientific system. This system observes, analyses and reports on communication aspects of involved (observed!) social systems (including networks and interactions) within the society of any given nation, including the realities of globalized markets. We are developing a case study based in Mali, in which we apply this method. The case is describing a planning process involving cotton farmers from the Sikasso region, the cotton industry, public and private extension systems, farmer organizations, local governments, the NARS (IER), FiBL, donors and the national institutions involved in climate change adaptation and food security. Various technological options of production (conventional, organic) and farming systems are available. The reflexive use of science dealing with human behavior may facilitate the pragmatic participation of researchers from various disciplines in addressing the uncertainties and opportunities that lie ahead of us and achieve the required impacts together with the practitioners.

scholarly journals Drivers, Barriers and Success Factors in Climate Change Adaptation for Smallholder Farmers: A Case Study in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-462
Author(s):  
Tuan M. Ha ◽  
Tuyet Truong ◽  
Huong Hoang ◽  
Bac Ho
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Local Farmers

This paper aims to identify appropriate approaches and interventions of local governments and extension services through identifying the most potential adaptive measures in agricultural production of local farmers in Thai Nguyen province (Vietnam) and analyses of key drivers, barriers and success factors for climate change adaptation (CCA).The study was conducted during October 2019 – April 2020 in Thai Nguyen and two selected communes with 92 smallholder farmers and relevant stakeholders from the provincial to commune levels using both quantitative and qualitative methods.Results showed a highly vulnerable situation of the local farmers under the context of climate change with 60.9% and 44.6% of the interviewed farmers stating reduced crop/livestock productivity and crop losses, and reduced arable production land and number of crop seasons/year respectively.Ten most potential livelihood models and production practices were identified. For example, animal husbandry (pigs, cattle) combined with biogas digester installation; intercropping between fruit crops and annual crops; use of drought and disease resistant maize varieties; changes of crop patterns and calendars; water saving production techniques, etc. Driver, barriers and success factors for CCA suggestguiding actions for the local government and extension services to plan adequate approaches and interventions for embracing and upscalingthe CCA initiatives towards climate resilient farming communities.The guiding actions include:strengthening capacity of extension staff; providing update market information to farmers for their decisions of crops and livestock; disseminating new and locally appropriate CCA models and practices together with on-field demo-plots and farmer field schools; and building capacity for community organisations, production groups/cooperatives to promote community learning for wider adoption and thus sustainability of their farming systems in response to the changing environment.

scholarly journals Adaptive Planning and Climate Focused Evaluation in an Era of Evolving Local Governance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Coates
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New York ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Adaptive Planning

The interconnected relationship between cities and global climate change has led to the creation of a growing number of municipal climate change adaptation plans. Currently, there exist relatively few well known criteria on the best ways to evaluate these documents following their implementation. This study begins with a review of evaluation literature and policy reports drawn from four principle agencies considered to be at the forefront of climate change adaptation planning in Canada. Findings are then used to explore how the Cities of Toronto and New York have successfully incorporated evaluation criteria into their adaptation plans. Lessons are presented for both planning practitioners and local governments concerning the implementation of successful climate-focused evaluation criteria. Overall findings suggest that numerous tools exist for evaluating adaptation plans including important performance-based approaches. Agency commitment and persons assigned to conduct the evaluation as well as integration into an ongoing planning process were also found to be key success factors while evaluation outcomes were found to reflect the resources and expertise available given the present voluntary nature of climate plans.

scholarly journals Adaptive Planning and Climate Focused Evaluation in an Era of Evolving Local Governance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Coates
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New York ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Adaptive Planning

The interconnected relationship between cities and global climate change has led to the creation of a growing number of municipal climate change adaptation plans. Currently, there exist relatively few well known criteria on the best ways to evaluate these documents following their implementation. This study begins with a review of evaluation literature and policy reports drawn from four principle agencies considered to be at the forefront of climate change adaptation planning in Canada. Findings are then used to explore how the Cities of Toronto and New York have successfully incorporated evaluation criteria into their adaptation plans. Lessons are presented for both planning practitioners and local governments concerning the implementation of successful climate-focused evaluation criteria. Overall findings suggest that numerous tools exist for evaluating adaptation plans including important performance-based approaches. Agency commitment and persons assigned to conduct the evaluation as well as integration into an ongoing planning process were also found to be key success factors while evaluation outcomes were found to reflect the resources and expertise available given the present voluntary nature of climate plans.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Planning and Development: A Case Study in Northern Ireland

2021 ◽  
pp. 129-147
Author(s):  
Cathy Burns ◽  
Stephen Flood ◽  
Barry O’Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Adaptation Planning ◽  
Policy And Planning

AbstractThis study outlines the adaptation planning journey undertaken by Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) in Northern Ireland and reflects how the prevailing policy context and level of organisational adaptive capacity create the conditions for mainstreaming climate adaptation into planning and development. This chapter explores the potential of local government in Northern Ireland to integrate local authority policy drivers such as disaster risk reduction (DRR), emergency planning, risk and assurance, and community resilience. The ability to communicate risks and solutions was identified as an important consideration when undertaking adaptation planning, particularly when discussing the adaptation planning process and securing input or support from colleagues. Moreover, a significant amount of engagement was required with local government agencies to increase understanding of the relevance of climate change and DRR. Embedding DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA) within local authority policy and planning can enable a greater understanding of specific risks to local governments and act as a catalyst for further action.

scholarly journals Understanding institutional barriers in the climate change adaptation planning process of the city of Beirut: vicious cycles and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Zea-Reyes ◽  
Veronica Olivotto ◽  
Sylvia I. Bergh
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Political Interference ◽  
Poor Individual ◽  
Competing Priorities

AbstractCities around the world are confronted with the need to put in place climate adaptation policies to protect citizens and properties from climate change impacts. This article applies components of the framework developed by Moser and Ekström (2010) onto empirical qualitative data to diagnose institutional barriers to climate change adaptation in the Municipality of Beirut, Lebanon. Our approach reveals the presence of two vicious cycles influencing each other. In the first cycle, the root cause barrier is major political interference generating competing priorities and poor individual interest in climate change. A second vicious cycle is derived from feedbacks caused by the first and leading to the absence of a dedicated department where sector specific climate risk information is gathered and shared with other departments, limited knowledge and scientific understanding, as well as a distorted framing or vision, where climate change is considered unrelated to other issues and is to be dealt with at higher levels of government. The article also highlights the need to analyze interlinkages between barriers in order to suggest how to overcome them. The most common way to overcome barriers according to interviewees is through national and international support followed by the creation of a data bank. These opportunities could be explored by national and international policy-makers to break the deadlock in Beirut.

scholarly journals The Impact of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies on Income and Food Security: Empirical Evidence from Small-Scale Fishers in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7905
Author(s):  
Moh. Shadiqur Rahman ◽  
Hery Toiba ◽  
Wen-Chi Huang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

The impacts of climate change on marine capture fisheries have been observed in several studies. It is likely to have a substantial effect on fishers’ income and food security. This study aims to estimate the impact of adaptation strategies on fishers’ income and their household’s food security. Data were collected from small-scale fishers’ households, which own a fishing boat smaller or equal to five gross tonnages (GT). The study sites were the two coastal regions of Malang and Probolinggo in East Java, Indonesia, due to the meager socioeconomic resources caused by climate change. A probit regression model was used to determine the factors influencing the fishers’ adaptation. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to evaluate the impact of the adaptation strategies on income and food security. Food security was measured by food consumption score (FCS). The findings indicated that participation in the fishers’ group affected adaptation strategies significantly, and so did the access to credit and climate information. Also, PSM showed that the adaptation strategies had a positive and significant impact on fishers’ income and food security. Those who applied the adaptation strategies had a higher income and FCS than those who did not. This finding implies that the fishery sector’s adaptation strategies can have significant expansion outcome and reduce exposure to risks posed by climate change. Therefore, the arrangement of more climate change adaptation strategies should be promoted by the government for small-scale fishers in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities for Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into WaSH Development Planning in Ghana

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salley Alhassan ◽  
Wade Hadwen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Northern Regions

Climate change threatens water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) facilities and services, as these are intimately linked to the water cycle and are vulnerable to changes in the quantity and quality of available water resources. Floods and droughts, which pollute and reduce water delivery respectively, have now become a perennial issue to deal with in the northern regions of the country, including the Bolgatanga Municipality. This study aimed to assess the degree to which climate change adaptation measures are mainstreamed into the WaSH development planning process in Ghana. Stakeholders from government and non-government agencies were interviewed to gain perspectives on the threat of climate change, the inclusion of climate change in WaSH planning and the barriers preventing mainstreaming. In general, despite awareness and concern about climate change, adaptation measures have been regarded to be far away from the immediate concerns of WaSH development planning. Most of the current measures are reactive and respond to environmental issues rather than to climate change stressors. In essence, stakeholders expressed the view that the adaptive capacity of the Municipality was low and that mainstreaming has not yet occurred. Despite the lack of progress, there are great opportunities for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into planning through increasing awareness and capacity, legislative and institutional changes and the development of participatory systems to provide early warning systems and disaster risk analyses that will inform future planning.

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