Author: rpuri

Strengthening the Model of “Adaptation Clinic” through Data-Driven Local Level Adaptation Planning in Bangladesh

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in Feature.

Driving climate resilience through locally-led adaptation supported by data-driven local level agricultural planning

By Tausif Ahmed Qurashi, BRAC, Bangladesh, and Md. Abdus Salam, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces multifaceted climate challenges, including rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, increasing temperatures, and erratic rainfall patterns. These factors, compounded by frequent climate-induced disasters, threaten food security, with potential crop yield declines of up to 30%. This risk is underscored by the UN World Food Program’s report, which highlights that approximately 25% of the population, largely in disaster-prone districts of Bangladesh, remains food insecure. The challenge is further intensified by 455,000 hectares of fallow land, whose cultivation is hindered by limited access to stress-tolerant technologies, irrigation, and effective extension services.

To address these pressing challenges, BRAC—a Bangladesh-based international organization renowned for its integrated development approach—has implemented innovative programs to enhance the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities. Through its climate change program, BRAC has reached over 36,964 agricultural households and established climate-resilient farms in at-risk districts. Central to these efforts is the Adaptation Clinic model, a one-stop agricultural service center that serves over 50,000 households by providing stress-tolerant crop varieties, training, and resources to build agricultural resilience.

The Adaptation Clinic model stands out for its holistic approach. It combines locally led adaptation strategies with science-driven technologies, ensuring community acceptance and long-term sustainability. The process begins with profiling farmers at the local level, assessing their vulnerability, agro-ecological conditions, and market demands. With this information, participatory, year-round climate-adaptive agricultural plans are developed with inputs from farmers, government officers, local leaders, and sectoral stakeholders. Farmers are then trained in climate-adaptive and regenerative agriculture and provided with resources like seeds, bio-pesticides, rental machinery services, and soil-testing facilities.

BRAC’s commitment to creating open and inclusive community spaces is reflected in its co-creation approach, making Adaptation Clinics accessible and participatory. Farmer groups, trained and equipped as change agents, help transform agricultural practices in their regions.

In its mission to strengthen the Adaptation Clinic model, BRAC has partnered with BISA-led ACASA to leverage its cutting-edge climate data platform. This collaboration enables Upazila (sub-district) level data analysis and mapping, providing precise insights for planning and decision-making. The ACASA platform is instrumental in training officials and stakeholders on its application, ensuring the integration of data-driven solutions into local adaptation strategies.

Together, BRAC, BARC, and ACASA aim to create informed, localized agricultural adaptation plans that align with broader Upazila development strategies. This alignment will streamline efforts to bolster the resilience of farming communities, enhance productivity, and mitigate climate risks.

The synergy between BRAC’s grassroots outreach and ACASA’s scientific insights exemplifies the potential of collaborative, data-driven approaches to climate adaptation. By empowering communities and fostering cross-sectoral partnerships, this initiative not only strengthens resilience in Bangladesh’s agricultural sector but also serves as a scalable model for other climate-vulnerable regions. Through the Adaptation Clinic model, BRAC and ACASA are creating pathways to sustainable livelihoods and food security in the face of evolving climate challenges.

ACASA for Empowering Women-Led Social Entrepreneurs in Nepal: Building Climate-Resilient Forage for a Sustainable Livestock Ecosystem

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in News.

Strengthening women-led cooperatives and entrepreneurs to tackle climatic risks, ACASA and Heifer International, Nepal, collaborate to develop resilient forage systems for sustainable livestock ecosystems.

Bhola Shrestha, Heifer International, Nepal, and Sunita Sanjyal, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Nepal

*Image credit: Heifer International, Nepal*

Livestock forms a crucial pillar of Nepal’s agricultural ecosystem, contributing 24% to the agriculture GDP. However, Nepal’s diverse and fragile geographical ecology places it at significant risk from climate change. Rising temperature and erratic precipitation patterns threaten livestock productivity, with notable impacts such as declining forage production, pastoral degradation, and the proliferation of invasive species. These changes severely challenge rural livelihoods, especially for women farmers who form the backbone of Nepal’s livestock sector.

Women in Nepal play a pivotal role in livestock management, from feeding and breeding to disease prevention and product marketing. However, climatic stressors—ranging from feed shortages to the rise of vector-borne diseases—directly affect their responsibilities and incomes. Women-led cooperatives, such as the Social Entrepreneurs Women Cooperative (SEWC), bear the brunt of these challenges. Beyond the immediate impacts on animal health and production, climate-induced risks exacerbate social vulnerabilities, making adaptation strategies all the more critical for ensuring sustainable livelihoods.

Heifer International, Nepal, guided by its Values-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) framework, has been instrumental in empowering women farmers. Through targeted programs, Heifer is committed to helping rural women of Nepal to enhance income to meet the living income benchmark. . A critical focus is building resilience, and one such effort involves working with SEWC to develop drought-resistant forage for a sustainable livestock ecosystem.

In collaboration with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) under the ACASA project, Heifer is planning to take significant steps to sensitize women farmers to climate risks and equip them with adaptation strategies. This partnership will integrate ACASA’s digital tools and resources with Heifer’s programs to map climate hazards and adaptation options. Women farmers will benefit from enhanced training on climatic risks, hazards, and access to innovative adaptation technologies, enabling them to better prepare for climatic uncertainties in livestock production.

A major highlight of this planned partnership is piloting adaptation technologies in a model dairy village identified as a high-risk climate zone. With women farmers leading these efforts, this initiative promises to strengthen community preparedness and improve the sustainability of livestock systems. Maps from the ACASA portal and Heifer’s geographic data will help identify spatial hazards and link adaptation measures through platforms like Geo-Krishi, ensuring targeted interventions.

Heifer also envisions long-term collaboration with ACASA to improve livestock productivity and secure year-round forage supply. By working with regional and global institutions such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Bioversity International-CIAT, Heifer plans to localize climate-resilient forage varieties for Nepal. Women farmers will play a central role in testing and adopting these solutions, supported by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and feed-expert companies.

This proposed partnership between ACASA and Heifer International underscores the importance of placing women at the heart of climate-resilient agricultural strategies. By empowering women with tools, knowledge, and technologies, this collaboration not only enhances livestock productivity but also secures livelihoods against the uncertainties of climate change. Together, we move closer to a sustainable and equitable future for Nepal’s agricultural communities.

Building Capabilities of Medium and Large-Scale Sri Lankan Maize Growers in Agricultural Risk Management

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in News.

Fostering agribusiness resilience: Equipping Sri Lankan maize farmers to tackle agricultural risks

By ASM Roshan, Agribusiness Development Centre, Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, and WMUK Rathnayake, Natural Resources Management Centre (NRMC), Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka

Maize, ranked second only to rice, plays a critical role in Sri Lanka’s agricultural landscape. In addition to its significance in terms of cultivated area, foreign exchange, and agro-industrial applications, maize has become indispensable as a primary input for the growing livestock feed industry, particularly the poultry sector. Furthermore, maize-based food items such as Thriposha and Samaposha have seen a rise in local consumption, underscoring the crop’s increasing demand. However, only 60% of the country’s maize requirement is met through local production, presenting a vast opportunity for maize to contribute to food, feed, and nutritional security, while improving the incomes of cultivators. Encouraging local investors to enter maize farming is, therefore, a strategic priority.

To support this vision, the Agribusiness Development Centre (DoAgBIZ) of the Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, has initiated agripreneurship development programs targeting medium and large-scale investors. These programs aim to transform farming businesses into commercially oriented ventures by enhancing productivity, efficiency, and quality through the introduction of advanced technology, entrepreneurial skills, and improved management practices.

However, despite maize’s potential, many local investors are hesitant to enter agriculture due to the heightened risks posed by climate change. Unpredictable weather patterns, rising temperatures, and erratic rainfall have created barriers to investor confidence. Although current extension programs cater to medium and large-scale commercial farming, they fall short of addressing climatic risks adequately, largely due to the lack of reliable, accessible, and user-friendly climate data.

This is where ACASA offers a transformative solution. By leveraging the platform’s science-driven climatic risk data, DoAgBIZ can overcome these challenges and significantly enhance its support for maize farming. ACASA provides the data required to develop high-quality materials, project proposals, and cropping plans for commercial farms. This enhanced quality can bolster investor confidence, increasing the acceptance rate of farming business proposals.

Through collaboration with ACASA, DoAgBIZ envisions profitable and sustainable commercial maize farming ventures that incorporate climate-resilient practices. This collaboration aims not only to mitigate farming risks but also to increase return on investment (RoI) for investors, contribute to the agro-food and poultry industries, and enhance the availability of raw materials.

DoAgBIZ has already begun identifying potential investors and is developing comprehensive awareness sessions to educate both its internal project proposal development teams and prospective investors on ACASA’s technical aspects. These sessions will ensure that all stakeholders are equipped to utilize ACASA’s data effectively in developing farm business proposals aligned with Sri Lanka’s district adaptation plans. Moreover, the tool will play a key role in identifying suitable geographies for implementation and creating sensitization materials tailored to investor needs.

This strategic partnership between DoAgBIZ and ACASA is a step forward in empowering Sri Lankan maize growers to tackle agricultural risks posed by climate change. By combining DoAgBIZ’s agripreneurship development expertise with ACASA’s robust data capabilities, this collaboration seeks to create resilient farming systems that benefit not only farmers and investors but also the broader agricultural sector. Together, they are paving the way for sustainable growth, ensuring that maize farming thrives amidst challenges and meets the growing demands of Sri Lanka’s economy.

Advanced Training in Conservation Agriculture: Fostering Sustainable Agronomic Systems

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in News.

Alison Laing, Mahesh Gathala and Richa Sharma Puri

*Participants attended the opening ceremony at NAS Complex in New Delhi*

CIMMYT, BISA, and ICAR conducted an international three-week training course on Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Regenerative Agriculture (RA), focusing on its potential as a sustainable farming method and a vital tool for managing agrifood system risks in both irrigated and rainfed systems. The program aimed to demonstrate how farmers and scientists can use CA/RA to tackle agrifood challenges effectively.

The training, conducted jointly by CIMMYT, the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), took place from December 3 to December 23, 2024, at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research and BISA in Ludhiana (Punjab), ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute in Karnal (Haryana), and ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), India.

Building Resilient Agrifood Systems

Conservation Agriculture and Regenerative Agriculture (RA), is an approach to cultivated-land management that focuses on ecosystems, based on three main principles: minimal soil disturbance, continuous soil cover, and crop diversification. These methods can greatly improve yields, restore natural resources, lower farming costs, and help develop resilient agricultural systems that safeguard the environment, strengthen production systems’ resilience to climate change, and improve rural livelihoods, particularly in the Global South. In South Asia rural communities depend largely on natural resources for their survival. However, they face significant challenges, such as soil fertility loss, water scarcity, environmental pollution, and the adverse effects of climate change. These challenges put immense pressure on agricultural systems, particularly in both irrigated and dryland farming areas. Despite its advantages, widespread adoption of CA is hindered by barriers such as lack of knowledge of how to implement CA practices in different agro-ecologies, access to appropriate tools, policy support, and the awareness that CA practices offer long-term benefits. Therefore, training and capacity development are essential for scaling CA technologies among smallholder farmers.

*Glimpses from the Archives of CA Training Program*

The Advanced Course on CA/RA in Asia was started by CIMMYT in partnership with ICAR in 2010 to address all the above challenges. Since then, annual advanced-knowledge workshops have been organised, this being the 13th. This advanced CA training course links cutting-edge scientific research and multidisciplinary strategies, enhancing participants’ skills in sustainable intensification, production system diversification, resilience building, and natural resource conservation. Over 220 researchers, policymakers, and development personnel from 20 countries have benefited from the CA training program to date.

The 13th edition in India welcomed mid-career researchers from Uzbekistan, Morocco and India. The course was coordinated by Dr. Mahesh Gathala, Cropping Systems Agronomist, and Dr. Alison Laing, Agroecology Specialist, both from CIMMYT, Dr Madhu Choudhary, Senior Scientist at ICAR-CSSRI, and Dr Raj Kumar Jat, Senior Scientist at BISA.

Key Highlights of the Advanced CA Training Course

*Participants experiencing hands-on training at the BISA farm in Ludhiana.*

The advanced course was inaugurated on December 4, 2024, at the NASC Complex in New Delhi, with an address by Dr. S.K. Chaudhari, Deputy Director General for Natural Resource Management at ICAR, who underscored the importance of CA in addressing climate challenges and managing agronomic risks. Dr. Chaudhari emphasized CIMMYT’s leading role in the dissemination of Conservation Agriculture in India and shared his thoughts on the training program. He said, “I have been observing this course for many years. A lot of young scientists have benefited from this course.” He fondly recalled the inaugural training session held 13 years ago and extended his best wishes to all the participants. Watch his complete statement here.

During the course, participants explored a wide range of CA topics, including conservation and regenerative agriculture across different agroecologies, the emerging role of drones, carbon credits, soil fertility, testing, nutrient management and crop modelling to inform policymakers. Various experts from different scientific fields shared valuable insights into cutting-edge research on irrigated and dryland systems. Participants also had the opportunity to gain practical experience at BISA’s research station in Ludhiana, where hands-on training sessions were led by the expert guidance of Dr HS Sidhu and Dr Manpreet Singh (both Punjab Agricultural University) with the able assistance of Dr Pardeep Sangwal (BISA).

*Participants learning new techniques at CSSRI, Karnal.*

The training also included field visits to ICAR-CSSRI in Karnal, where the Director Dr. R.K. Yadav, Madhu Chaudhary and Dr. Kailash Prajapat highlighted the Institute’s long-term CA experiments, practical demonstration on soil biology and their role in generating evidence to guide policy decisions. Dr. Gathala also led hands-on training in critical soil physical & chemical analytical techniques at joint ICAR- CIMMYT field trial sites in Karnal. Special visits were arranged to innovative farm machinery manufacturers, including Landforce and National Agroindustry, where participants witnessed advanced manufacturing techniques and gained insights into the latest farming equipment. In addition, participants also had the opportunity to visit and interact with the manufacturing association at the platform of the 5^th India International Agri Expo at Ludhiana.

Participants also participated in a village visit outside Karnal, where they engaged with farmers who shared their experiences of implementing CA practices on their fields. This practical exchange allowed participants to observe firsthand the real-world impact of CA on farming communities.

Cultural Immersion: Visits to the Golden Temple and Wagah Border

A cultural extravaganza was organized for the participants, giving them a chance to experience a taste of the rich cultural heritage of India. They visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where they witnessed the spiritual atmosphere and profound cultural significance of the site. Additionally, the group travelled to the Wagah Border, where they observed the iconic flag-lowering ceremony, symbolizing the enduring spirit of cooperation and patriotism between India and Pakistan. These cultural excursions provided participants with a deeper understanding of India’s traditions and history.

*A visit to Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab*

The program concluded with a ceremony at ICAR-CSSRI in Karnal, where Dr. R.K. Yadav, Rajbir Singh (ADG-ICAR), Dr. Raj K Gupta, Ex-CIMMYT Country Representative, and Dr. H.S. Jat (Director, ICAR-IIMR) addressed the participants, followed by reflections on the advanced training course from participants. Key feedback highlighted innovative aspects of the training, including hands-on practical demonstrations of CA machinery and drones, as well as an understanding of emerging carbon credit systems, and the opportunity to exchange ideas with fellow researchers from Morocco, Uzbekistan and different agro-ecologies across India, all of which greatly enhanced participants’ confidence and technical expertise in CA practices.

The success of this program underscores the critical need for ongoing collaboration and training to promote sustainable agricultural practices. These efforts are essential in strengthening food security and enhancing climate resilience across the Global South.