In 2012, Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-Smart Agriculture (EPIC) and the European Union launched the project ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture: capturing the synergies between mitigation, adaptation and food security’ (press release). The project looks at the interrelations between climate change and food security and works with governments, local institutions and universities in some of the poorest regions of Malawi, Viet Nam and Zambia.

The purpose of the project is to support these countries in securing the necessary policy, technical and financial conditions. Such conditions enable the countries to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes, and the capacity of agricultural and food systems to adapt to climate change. It also helps countries to find ways of reducing and removing GHGs in order to meet their national food security and development goals.

In Zimbabwe, Conservation agriculture (CA) proved to be an appropriate and well accepted practice to improve yields of crop production and increase resilience to the effects of climate change. About 300 000 farmers have already adopted CA.

FAO launched a USD 40 Million project financed by the United Kingdom to build on this achievement. Using a CSA approach the project developed the productivity and climate resilience of smallholder farms with the final objective to improve food security and nutrition. The project uses traditional, innovative and participatory agricultural extension techniques to support farmers on issues such as water and moisture conservation, crop and livestock diversification, crop-livestock integration, agroforestry and access to markets.