ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO REDUCE THE VULNERABILITY OF

COMMUNITIES AND THE AGRICULTURE LIVESTOCK, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY SECTORS

LARC 12/03

VULNERABILITY

“The degree to which a system or society is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes”.

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MITIGATION

Interventions reducing the sources or enhancing the sinks of greenhouse gases.

ADAPTATION

Adjustments to current or expected climate change variability and changing average climate conditions.

Source: FAO,2011

Threats and impacts in the Subregion: Vulnerability Assessment

ANDEAN REGION: THE EL NIÑO PHENOMENON

-Drought;-Biodiversity loss;-Frost;-Glacier retreat  affecting future water supply.

CARIBBEAN: TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES

- Rising sea levels;-Coastal erosion;-Limited land resources;-Hydrology and scarce Water Resources;-Decrease in fishery resources.

CENTRAL AMERICA: FEQUENCY OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

-Excessive rains in the Caribbean coast and drought in the Pacific coast;-High vulnerability to extreme weather events (high proportion of subsistence farming on hillsides).

SOUTHERN CONE: DROUGHT

- Increment of average temperature ;- Longer period of crop growth (due to higher

temperatures);- Extensive natural ecosystems and the impact

of climate variability on natural resources.

Vulnerability to Climate Change: Agroclimatic risk 

Fuente: Maplecroft, 2012

Global levelFood Security and Global Warming

DOUBLE CHALLENGE

Increase production to meet food demand of a growing population (9.1 billion in 2050)

Addressing the impacts of climate change

MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Main areas of action for adaptation promoted by FAO

Key topics for Adaptation to Climate Change

Data and Knowledge on impacts, vulnerabilities and

adaptation assessment

Institution, Policies and Financing to stengthen

the capacity of adaptation

Sustainable and Climate-Smart

Management of land, water and biodiversity

Technologies, practices and processes for

adaptation

Disaster Risk Management

POLICY AGENDAS OF REGIONAL ORGANISMS

Central American Agriculture Council (CAC);

Southern Agriculture Council (CAS);

Climate Change Working Group in the policies network in CAS (REDPA);

The Andean Community and its Andean Strategy for Climate Change (EACC), with includes specific actions for agriculture; Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC);

The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor; The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC); The Latin American Carbon Programme (PLAC).

Topics of Action in the Region

Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change

XXIII REGIONAL CONFERENCE

1. REGIONAL COOPERATION TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE

• Promote regional meetings to define common positions on Food Production and Climate Change.

• Develop a Knowledge Sharing Platform for the agricultural, livestock, fisheries and forestry sectors.

• Seize the opportunity of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20, 20-22 June 2012).

Cooperation and Knowledge Sharing on Climate Change among the LAC countries

2. GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL  STRENGTHENING TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• Encourage capacity building to develop frameworks and sectoral plans on climate change mitigation and adaptation;

• Support the economic and social assessment of the impacts of climate variability and climate change on agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry;

• Implement a Financing Platform which includes a wide range of options, beyond the purely climate change financing;

• Design Research and Innovation Programmes on climate change adaptation for agriculture, forestry, livestock and fisheries.

Improve capacities to develop policy options and technical solutions

3. PROMOTE CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE

• Promote sustainable practices for the use and management of natural resources and reduce climate risk.

Examples:

Alternative sources of water for irrigation (reuse and harvesting)

Agroforestry systems.

• Ensure greater energy efficiency and reduce emissions of GHG in the agricultural sectors.

Agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes GHGs (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals.

Rescue and implement field practices for the sustainable intensification while being climate-smart

IN SHORT, IN THE REGION, WE SHOULD…

Promote regional cooperation to

address Climate Change

Strengthen governance and

institutional capacities to meet the challenges of Climate

Change

Promote Climate Smart Agriculture

Agriculture as a whole must undertake a significant transformation to meet the

challenges of Food Security demands and Climate Change

impacts.