FAO’s Strategy on Climate Change recognizes that actions on climate change are key to eradicate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition as well as promoting rural development and improved sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and FAO Strategic Objectives (SO), the innovative concept of low carbon agriculture has been developed, which aims at transforming current producing systems while enforcing entire agricultural value chains by reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and increasing the resilience to climate change hazards.

On this basis, and under the low carbon agriculture approach, the concept of Low Carbon Rural Communities has been created, to promote food security and enhance climate resilience, well-being and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in rural communities, through actions that enable the adaptation and mitigation to climate change. The promotion of a low carbon development approach in rural communities includes providing access to renewable energy, aside of improving agricultural production practices through agroforestry and sustainable management of natural resources. These actions allow the quantification and certification of GHG emissions reduced or avoided, which will mark a first step towards access to carbon markets and new sources of income.

The first case study of the concept of Low Carbon Rural Communities has been carried out in a rural community in Honduras. The results, impacts and achievements of this experience provided evidence-based data that will serve as a foundation for its replication in rural communities around the world through climate actions.