The National Adaptation Plan for Climate Change and Climate Variability for agriculture was launched on Thursday, 7th July in the presence of Mr. Tabaré Aguerre, Uruguay’s Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP). 

Mr. Aguerre (AUDIO), Mr Jorge Rucks, Uruguay’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (MVOTMA) (AUDIO), ministerial authorities, agricultural institutions and other related organizations marked the occasion with the opening of a workshop to initiate the preparation of the NAP-ag and to introduce the process to private and public institutions involved in the farming, forestry and fishing sectors. 

Participants included Mr Walter Oyhantcabal (AUDIO), Director of the Climate Unit from the Office of Agricultural Policy and Programming (OPYPA) of theMGAP, Ms. Denise Cook (AUDIO) Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Uruguay and Mr. Kai Bethke (AUDIO) FAO representative in Uruguay. The MGAP defined adaptation to climate variability and change as a priority for policy makers. He emphasised that through strategic action, adaptation planning seeks to reduce vulnerabilities associated with food production and to manage natural resources sustainably. 

The National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process was established by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention (Cancun 2010) as a tool to promote the integration of adaptation in policies strategies and national budgets. This year, Uruguay began the development of a National Adaptation Plan for Agriculture (NAP-Ag) with the support of UNDP and FAO through funding from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). 

The aim of the NAP is to integrate the various actions carried forward by the MGAP and to integrate adaptation to climate change and variability into policy development at national level. The NAP contributes to the achievement of the planned goals and actions established by Uruguay in its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement in December 2015. 

NAPs also aim to identify gaps to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, strengthen adaptive capacity and build resilience. The end of the formulation stage of the NAP-Ag is scheduled for November 2018. The end result will be a roadmap to guide public policies in the medium and long term. The Minister Aguerre, referred to "climate protection" and said that both adaptation and climate change mitigation in agriculture brings opportunities to be more productive. 

Mr. Rucks reaffirmed commitment to collaborate in the design and construction of a participatory strategy. Mr. Oyhantcabal explained that "the process will be successful if the institutions and participating organizations take on the NAP-Ag and are involved in its planning and management". Ms. Cecilia Jones, National Coordinator of the NAP-Ag and Ms. Julia Wolf, FAO Officer then presented an overview of the NAP project in Uruguay. 

Article from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) 

Videos from the workshop (in Spanish)