The economic advantage assessing the value of climate-change actions in agriculture

This report (PDF) by IFAD contributes arguments and information on economic assessment for agriculture under climate change. It is aimed at readers who seek to build economic evidence in support of the inclusion of actions on agriculture in climate change plans and programmes. The focus is particularly on the national level under the umbrella of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the December 2015 Paris agreement, which aims to restrict a rise in global temperatures and manage risks. Agriculture is a sector especially sensitive to climate change. It also accounts for significant emissions and is, therefore, a priority for both adaptation and mitigation plans and actions at global, national and local levels. The majority of NDCs to the Paris Agreement express national-level intentions for action on adaptation and mitigation in agriculture. However, the authors state that economic assessment and financial analysis of agriculture in NDCs, and in related plans like national adaptation plans, are weakly developed to date. The authors conclude that credible economic and financial proposals with a high likelihood of delivering meaningful returns are needed to unleash large-scale public and private investment in agriculture under climate change.