Under the first component, activities were implemented to reinforce the existing evidence base and develop tools to support policy and decision-making on CSA practices and sustainability transitions. The tools were developed to: (i) increase understanding of global trends in sustainability and productivity in agriculture; (ii) assist national decision-makers and local technicians in understanding the sustainability of existing systems and to guide them on increasing their sustainability; and (iii) to improve the collection and provision of data for carrying out assessments nationally and locally. Under the second component, multistakeholder and policy dialogues were carried out to encourage the adoption and upscaling of sustainability practices and CSA in the targeted countries. A policy sourcebook was also prepared.

Capacity development and training activities were critical elements of the subprogramme to ensure that the tools that were developed and the methodologies that were introduced would be utilized. Sessions were carried out on a smart agriculture platform in North Macedonia, the “Khamari” app for farmers in Bangladesh, and in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, workshops were held to facilitate the formulation of storymaps on cassava, coffee, banana and maize to guide policy development for these important crops, which have been prioritized by the government. Overall, more than 2 300 stakeholders, including approximately 1 500 farmers, benefited from these activities.

Through the strengthening of the evidence base and the development and refinement of existing tools for policy and decision-makers, the project results are expected to contribute to sustainability transitions and the implementation of CSA, ultimately making agriculture, forestry and fisheries more sustainable and resilient in the targeted countries.

ACTIVITIES

• An assessment on trends and drivers towards transitions to sustainable agriculture was carried out to support the creation of enabling environments.
• To identify suitable CSA and sustainable practices in agriculture that are consistent with SDG commitments, local frameworks were developed and tested.
• The subprogramme facilitated the development of (i) three thematic desk reviews and a needs assessment; (ii) one policy sourcebook; (iii) one farm sustainability assessment framework; (iv) a checklist of sustainability indicators for project development; (v) guidance on core indicators for agrifood systems for the private sector; (vi) one decision-making tool for sustainability practices; (vii) two functional mobile applications; (viii) one upgraded app; (ix) one country-customized EarthMap application; and (x) one central smart agriculture web platform.
• Data provision was enhanced to improve sustainability assessments of existing systems and to foster the identification of suitable options for increasing the implementation of sustainable practices.

Click here to see key results of this Subprogramme.