Building an evidence base and leveraging support: Day 2 of the NAPs workshop
Building an evidence base was central to discussions throughout the workshop on Wednesday and was highlighted as essential in the effective planning and implementation of adaptation measures. Zambia and the Philippines made presentations related to this topic and gave examples of building evidence on Climate-Smart Agriculture from FAO’s EPIC programme in Zambia and carrying out vulnerability needs assessments.
Evidence-based adaptation argues that evidence should be gathered and analysed to guide decision making and planning at all stages of the adaptation process. Building an evidence base before implementing national adaptation plans advocates a more rational, rigorous and systematic approach to decision making. The argument is that adaptation based on this framework produces better outcomes.
The approaches include:
-In depth research to understanding the Impacts and vulnerabilities in agriculture e.g. sectoral and national level studies;
-the application of rigorous techniques to appraise adaptation options e.g. Cost Benefit Analysis;
-carrying out impact evaluation techniques to understand the benefit of a project; and
-linking lessons learned and results to the global question of climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Actions for National Adaptation Plans require working across sector and administrative boundaries
Le Minh Nhat, Director of the Climate Change Adaptation division in the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, Vietnam, explained that drought and sea water intrusion were among the main climate change impacts currently facing his country. He reflected on how vital it is for the agriculture sectors to be part of NAPs and the ways in which the process can be put in place effectively: “Viet Nam’s preparation of a National Adaptation Plan with specific actions by line ministries and sectors is a good starting point but natural disasters do not respect administrative boundaries. Climate change adaptation requires effective cross-provincial, cross-sector coordination, joint planning and dedicated regional plans to fully address climate change challenges.”
“Kenya has made great strides in the NAP process, we already have a detailed adaptation plan waiting to be launched,” said Lucy Ng’ang’a, Agriculture and Climate Change Expert with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in Kenya. She highlighted how the workshop has helped her to appreciate the effort that Kenya has made and the technical support they have been receiving from FAO and UNDP, through this current project.
Both interactive activities and presentations throughout day two were valuable in enabling the host agencies, FAO and UNDP, as well as the Representatives of Ministries of Agriculture and the Ministries of the Environment in the eight partner countries to guide one another by sharing knowledge and experiences.
The workshop closes on Thursday 7th April identifying available sources of financial and technical support, the next steps to implement country workplans, and the NAP.
For further information:
http://www.fao.org/in-action/naps/news/detail/en/c/409515/
http://www.fao.org/in-action/naps/en/