Operational Guidelines For The Design Implementation And Harmonization Of Monitoring And Evaluation Systems For Climate Smart Agriculture

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is recognized as critically important for tracking progress, whether it serves the purpose of accountability to donors, informs future improvements to CSA practices, or contributes to the aggregate global progress toward meeting the SDGs or the global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. There has been a growing chorus acknowledging the need to align the indicators and M&E frameworks of major donors with those of the three global agreements. Monitoring and reporting has begun on the SDGs, although the development of methodologies for various indicators is an evolving process. The development of specific indicators for the agriculture sector is also well underway for the Sendai Framework. The organizations conducting this work have recognized the need to streamline these processes. For example, they have already attempted to align several of the indicators between the SDGs and the Sendai Framework.These operational guidelines aim to address the core constraints and needs of FAO Member States on both the design and implementation of M&E systems that can simultaneously address CSA and sector reporting requirements for the 2030 Agenda, the Sendai Framework and the UNFCCC Paris Agreement. First and foremost, the guidelines acknowledge the principal need expressed by Member States that M&E systems and indicators be simple and not onerous. The challenges that have always existed with regard to M&E for CSA are still present, and are particularly pronounced for pillar 2, adaptation and resilience. These challenges to the development of indicators for pillar 2 have exhibited the greatest need for attention.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2020 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a comprehensive system that requires thorough consideration of local climate, natural environment, market demand, economic and cultural environment. FAO introduced CSA at the Hague Conference on Agricultural, Food Security and Climate Change in 2010 and has been strongly supporting it since then. The development of CSA in China contributes to reaching its carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality in China by 2060. This publication introduces China's CSA development and provides policy proposals. It contains four sections: the background and development status of China's CSA; practices and achievements of China's CSA, including analysing case studies such as the China Climate-Smart Staple Crop Production project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF); opportunities and challenges facing China's CSA; and national policy proposals and investments that include local schemes and smallholders for China's CSA.It is critical for China to strengthen its cooperation with international organizations to explore innovative, efficient, resilient, and sustainable climate-adaption technologies for the transformation of agrifood systems.This publication is part of the Country Investment Highlights series under the FAO Investment Centre's Knowledge for Investment (K4I) programme.

This publication describes climate-smart agriculture (CSA) case studies from around the world, showing how the approach is implemented to address challenges related to climate change and agriculture. The case studies operationalize the five action points for CSA implementation: expanding the evidence base for CSA, supporting enabling policy frameworks, strengthening national and local institutions, enhancing funding and financing options, and implementing CSA practices at field level. The publication provides examples of the innovative roles that farmers, researchers, government officials, private sector agents and civil society actors can play to transform food systems and help meet the Sustainable Development Goals; it also demonstrates how these actors can collaborate. The case studies discuss context-specific activities that sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes, adapt and build resilience of people and food systems to climate change, and reduce and/or remove greenhouse gas emissions where possible.

This analysis aims to summarize the views submitted on KJWA topics 2(b) and 2(c) that were discussed during the SB 50 in June 2019, namely: Topic 2(b) - Methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits and resilience; and Topic 2(c) - Improved soil carbon, soil health and soil fertility under grassland and cropland as well as integrated systems, including water management. The analysis intends to make the wide range of views submitted more easily accessible to those interested, including to Parties and observers to the UNFCCC, but also experts working on climate change more generally, as well as interested members of the public.

This new guidance document provides updated guidelines and tools for development practitioners and researchers on the features and use of SHARP+, describing the tool as it is today. This document does not replace the previous “Self-evaluation and Holistic Assessment of climate Resilience of farmers and Pastoralists” methodological document published in 2015 which encompasses all the theoretical grounds of the tool. This guidance document also presents the latest version of the questionnaire, SHARP+ 2020, scoring system and tablet application based on the two technical reviews mentioned above. This document walks the reader through a step-by-step process to set up the SHARP+ assessment, adapt it to the local context, and use it to collect and analyse information about household resilience in the context of climate change. The new material presented is for use by practitioners in the future implementation of SHARP+ in the field.

FAO and the Global Alliance of Geographical Indications (oriGin) have been collaborating since 2016 to develop the Sustainability Strategy for Geographical Indications (SSGI). This strategy for sustainable GIs aims to highlight and strengthen the relationship between GI systems and sustainability, raise stakeholders’ awareness of their role in GI sustainability and boost the sustainability performance of GI systems. Geographical indications (GIs) are signs used on products that originate from a specific territory and possess qualities or a reputation related to that origin. Through their establishment and management, GIs can stimulate endogenous development when ensuring leadership by local producers, product specifications that are tailored to local conditions and recognition by buyers of products’ origin-linked qualities. This guide provides a practical step-by-step roadmap for GI organizations that wish to engage on their own sustainability journey. The roadmap consists of three key stages: 1. prioritize sustainability topics for the GI system and engage with public and private stakeholders; 2. assess needs and establish a baseline for each priority topic; and 3. monitor and improve the GI system’s sustainability performances, and regularly review the roadmap in collaboration with allies. Communication is the fourth crucial and transversal component of the roadmap; it improves efficiency during the process and allows stakeholders to share and celebrate the results. By following the eight steps outlined in this guide, with detailed guidance, examples and models, GI practitioners will be able to design a sustainability roadmap for their GI system, together with stakeholders.

The Working Group II contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides a comprehensive assessment of the scientific literature relevant to climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. The report recognizes the interactions of climate, ecosystems and biodiversity, and human societies, and integrates across the natural, ecological, social and economic sciences. It emphasizes how efforts in adaptation and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions can come together in a process called climate resilient development, which enables a liveable future for biodiversity and humankind. The IPCC is the leading body for assessing climate change science. IPCC reports are produced in comprehensive, objective and transparent ways, ensuring they reflect the full range of views in the scientific literature. Novel elements include focused topical assessments, and an atlas presenting observed climate change impacts and future risks from global to regional scales. Available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.