Granted GCP projects scaling up Climate Smart Agriculture
WOTRO Science for Global Development, in collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP), granted eight projects in the fourth call within the Global Challenges Programme (GCP). The call focuses on contributing to business models, incentives and innovative finance for scaling Climate Smart Agriculture.
The focus of the fourth call has been identified by the F&BKP Steering Committee in consultation with experts, including those from CCAFS. Transdisciplinary proposals were submitted by consortia of research organizations, a public and/or private organization from an LMIC, and CCAFS.
Please find below a short description of the eight projects which have received funds. Click on the link to go to their project page, including a summary; a description of the CCAFS project alignment; and details of the main project leader, CCAFS project leader and consortium partners.
Business models Ethiopian and Kenyan dairy chains
This research aims to describe business models of chain actors and supporters to identify opportunities for scaling up good climate smart practices. It is linked to “Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions” (NAMA) in Kenya to reduce GHG emissions from dairy production. Six dairy value chain case studies will be purposely selected, three in Kenya and three in Ethiopia, with varying degrees of market-orientation. Three PhD students will be lead investigator, each in two selected chains.
Understanding and scaling Organizations for SMAllholder REsilience
This project seeks to understand when and how the organization of new business models linking farmers to markets leads to resilience of smallholders, in particular youth and women. Resilience will be assessed in terms of development of farmers’ adaptive capacity and their engagement with other stakeholders in the system. During and after the investigation, personal and group trainings will provide spaces for smallholders, their representatives and stakeholders to exchange knowledge and reciprocally foster their capacities.
Upscaling climate smart agriculture via micro finance
The small-scale agriculture sector and food systems in rural Tanzania are in critical need of investment towards Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) that satisfy criteria of sustainability, profitability, equity and resilience (SuPER). This project will provide practical and conceptual insight in the appropriate combinations of business training (through Farmer Field & Business Schools – FFBS) and financial services (through Village Savings & Loans Associations – VSLA) that support community-based adaptation (CBA) action plans.
Inclusive Low-Emission Development (i-LED): East African dairy
Reducing emissions intensity of livestock is high on the agenda in East Africa. This research analyses institutional conditions for scaling inclusive Low-Emission Development (i-LED) interventions that account for the diversity of practices, development pathways and interests in the Kenyan and Tanzanian dairy sectors. The project engages governments, leading dairy firms, service providers and male and female livestock keepers in research-driven dialogues to design a portfolio of context-sensitive LED-approaches reducing emissions intensity while enhancing socio-economic inclusivity.
Scaling climate-smart nutrient management tools in Africa
This project aims to improve the delivery and uptake of nutrient management advisory tools that aim to increase African maize production while avoiding increases in greenhouse gas emissions. Working directly with different types of farmers and advisory services, the project examines the ‘user logics’ and institutional environments that affect the large-scale uptake of these climate-smart nutrient management advisory tools by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Citizen’s Science for climate smart nutritious varieties
Traditionally new varieties of crops are being tested by agricultural scientists, with farmers, in controlled trials. In ‘citizen science’ samples of candidate varieties are send to a large group of farmers. They test the candidate varieties and provide simple feedback on its performance. This project will bring ‘citizen science’ into use in variety testing and registration in Ethiopia and Uganda. Focus will be on selection of varieties with high nutritional value adapted to climate stress.
Promoting climate resilient maize varieties in Uganda
The uptake of certified maize seed by smallholder farmers is persistently low despite the fact that this seed has much higher yield potential and is often more tolerant to drought than the varieties traditionally grown by farmers. This project investigates the main sources of risk for smallholder farmers, and whether offering appropriate insurance products together with maize seed will increase their willingness to pay for drought tolerant maize varieties.
Climate-Smart Financial Diaries for Scaling in Kenya
Nyando Basin in western Kenya experiences agricultural stagnation, environmental degradation and deepening poverty, aggravated by climate change. Previous CCAFS-projects identified the combination drought-resistant breeds of goats/horticulture/agroforestry as a promising strategy that is climate-resilient and climate smart in closing nutrient cycles. This project will support upscaling this business model addressing three challenges: (1) designing a conducive financial environment, (2) identifying additional value chain partners, and (3) identifying constraints, opportunities and required policy interventions at landscape level.
