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SponGES is a research and innovation project funded under the H2020 Blue Growth initiative. It aims at “Improving the preservation and sustainable exploitation of Atlantic marine ecosystems” and at developing an integrated ecosystem-based approach to preserve and sustainably use deep-sea sponge ecosystems of the North Atlantic. Reducing the impacts of deep-sea bottom fishing in the high seas on these ecosystems is an important element of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. States and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) have implemented a variety of measures to avoid and mitigate impacts of deep-sea bottom fishing on sponges, and have established methods for [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the food security, nutrition and climate resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which share many traits, including a reliance on international trade and imported foods; vulnerability to climate change and malnutrition. This brief highlights some of the identified and potential impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the food systems of SIDS, as well as examples of rapid response measures adopted by SIDS, regional bodies, financing institutions and FAO. It proposes a series of recommendations from policy and fiscal measures to ensure food supply chains are kept alive to actions to meet the needs of [...]

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are continuously under the threat from the adverse effects of climate change and land degradation impacts. Land degradation directly increases CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change and vice versa. The LDN Target Setting Programme (TSP) of the UNCCD has substantially contributed to land degradation receiving the policy attention and securing political commitments for addressing the obvious and immediate threats of climate change and natural disasters to SIDS. It has strengthened the availability and accessibility of data for assessing land degradation and enabled SIDS to set specific measurable science-based targets. LDN provides the framework for the [...]

Even if roots and tubers are generally tolerant to poor soils and droughts, they can be affected by climate variability and change. In order to address climate risks, value chains’ actors require timely and accurate information systems, including data on market prices, and a set of crop-specific climate risk management strategies. This policy brief indicates four main interventions to reduce risks and mitigate their impact on roots and tubers: (i) integrating climate risk management into agricultural development policies and planning; (ii) develop an inclusive strategy for the provision of climate related services; (iii) facilitate contract farming arrangements to promote climatic [...]

It is projected that climate change will affect rainfall patterns in South Asia and will contribute to a decline in water availability for rice cultivation in the region. In Sri Lanka, where rice is both the staple food and the primary crop grown by farmers, reductions in water availability for rice cultivation has serious impacts on farmers’ welfare and national food security. The Overarching Agricultural Policy in Sri Lanka recognizes the importance of adapting and building resilience to climate change in order to achieve national development and food security objectives. A key policy thrust of the agricultural policy framework is to [...]

This brief details the three functional elements of climate vulnerability: risk exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, in order to assess the interactions between participation in Malawi’s largest public works programme, the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) and three widely promoted climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. Using three waves of national panel household survey data, we find that participation in MASAF significantly increases the likelihood that farm households adopt CSA practices. This suggests that MASAF participation improves farmers’ adaptive capacity by reducing direct and indirect constraints to adopting climate adaptive farm practices. Moreover, we empirically demonstrate that the joint treatment effect of [...]

Countries have acknowledged the inter-dependency of land and water management and the multiple benefits of reversing land degradation for sustainable development, water security and resilience to natural hazards such as drought. Achieving LDN contributes towards the achievement of several SDGs, particularly SDG 6 on water. To ensure that countries reach their LDN objectives, improve synergies between LDN, water security and drought mitigation and achieve the SDGs through LDN approaches, this brifing note presents recommendations for countries, with the support of their national and international partners.

This book was prepared upon an initiative of the GEF/FAO project on “Sustainable Management of Mountainous Forest and Land Resources under Climate Change Conditions”. It is based on the international experience in implementing the principles of ecosys- tem services provision, the results of CAREC projects on the assessment of ecosystem services and PES, the report of the UNDP/UNEP Poverty and Environment Initiative on the assessment of ecosystem services of the Chon Kemin State Natural Park and the Karakol National Park, and other materials.

This case study documents insights on gender mainstreaming practices implemented in a large-scale agriculture development project with a climate change adaptation component in Western Province, Zambia. It describes the key gender issues in the project context, as well as the gender mainstreaming practices that are in place and have potential for scaling up. Recommendations for policymakers indicate a way forward to enhance the promotion of gender equality in the context of adaptation to climate change impacts on agriculture

The main objective of this report is to provide a regional synthesis of the climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments in the agriculture and land use sectors set forth in the Nationally Determined Contributions of countries in the Caribbean and to identify opportunities for enhancing mitigation and adaptation ambitions, capturing their synergies and leveraging climate finance and international support options in the region. It aims to guide FAO – and policy makers and practitioners in the region – committed to providing the country support required for accelerating progress on and scaling up NDCs in the agriculture and land use sectors, [...]