Evaluation Of The Project Strengthening The Adaptive Capacity And Resilience Of Rural Communities Using Micro Watershed Approaches To Climate Change And Variability To Attain Sustainable Food Security In Cambodia

Cambodia is among the Least Developed Countries that continue to struggle with serious environmental issues, among which are climate change, water resources and land degradation. The project, implemented from 2014 to 2020, contributed to build the adaptive capacity of rural communities and reduce their vulnerability to climate change through micro-watershed management and climate resilient agriculture practices through interventions at national, sub-national and community levels. It was designed to address barriers at all levels (local to national) stemming from lack of awareness, knowledge, understanding and capacity concerning climate change adaptation and the absence of alternative livelihoods, particularly affecting rural women. The evaluation found that the project activities made some important steps in contributing to reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience for climate change adaptation in the pilot communes. While the project managed to implement many of the outputs, a number of issues and delays limited the effectiveness on-the-ground of this innovative yet ambitious project.

This evaluation assessed the extent to which FAO’s work has been relevant and effective in supporting its Members to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). Water resources management is central to any consideration of agricultural production, ecosystems sustainability, rural livelihoods and climate change adaptation and resilience, issues that lie at the heart of FAO’s mandate. The evaluation found that FAO has a comparative advantage in several key SDG 6 target areas and addressed needs and demands from Members in all SDG 6 target areas. Irrigated agriculture (target 6.4) represents an area of high demand from Members and a dominant theme in the reviewed case studies. Regional initiatives are effective in addressing specific needs and challenges of individual regions. FAO has performed well in its custodial role for SDG indicators 6.4.1 and 6.4.2. However, overall FAO’s strategic approach to water-related activities remains. The links between agriculture and water quality and pollution (target 6.3) were not adequately addressed. Despite limited evidence on full transformational changes, the evaluation highlights several activities and approaches that, if nurtured, could form the basis for transformational change.

The Resources, Partnership, Impact - 2019 report captures the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) worldwide in 2018. It reflects key results and achievements obtained thanks to its collaboration with a wide range of partners including Member Countries, institutional partners, civil society, the private sector, academia, research centres and cooperatives.

Adaptation is a process by which individuals, communities and countries seek to cope with the consequences of climate change. The process of adaptation is not new; the idea of incorporating future climate risk into policy-making is. While our understanding of climate change and its potential impacts has become clearer, the availability of practical guidance on adaptation has not kept pace. The development of the Adaptation Policy Framework (APF) is intended to help provide the rapidly evolving process of adaptation policy-making with a much-needed roadmap. Ultimately, the purpose of the APF is to support adaptation processes to protect - and enhance - human well-being in the face of climate change. This volume will be invaluable for everyone working on climate change adaptation and policy-making.

"The joint workshop on Building resilience for adaptation to climate change in the agriculture sector was organized by FAO and OECD, and was held from 23 to 24 April 2012, at FAO headquarters in Rome."--P. 5.

This publication, produced in collaboration with WWF Southern Africa, looks at how community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) can inform and contribute to climate change adaptation at the community level, specifically to community-based adaptation (CBA) to climate change. It provides a framework for analysing the two approaches at conceptual and practical levels. Using case studies from southern Africa, the publication demonstrates the synergies between CBA and CBNRM, most important of which are the adaptation co-benefits between the two. While local incentives have driven community action in CBNRM, it is the evolution of an enabling environment in the region, in the form of institutions, policies, capacity and collaboration which characterises the scaling up of CBNRM to national and regional levels.