Looking for an agriculture proposal? you are in right place. Climate Change (CC) poses severe threat to the underprivileged and the rural masses, by reducing their access to food, energy and water. Climate -smart agriculture is an approach to guide actions to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively and sustainably support development and food security under a changing climate. The overall goal of the proposed project is to increase food security though adoption of climate smart agriculture practices. The project will provide scientific solutions to accelerate the adaptive capacities of the rural peoples and farmers with the following objectives to sensitize the farming community in village about the linkages between food security and climate change and establish a resource Centre to serve as information hub and library for the farmers to get latest information on climate change.
Introduction
Climate change poses serious threat to people worldwide, and impacts their livelihood to varying degrees. Studies reveal that the most vulnerable people belong to developing countries and more precisely rural communities. There exists a complex relationship between agricultural systems and climatic variations making it difficult for the marginalised people to adapt to uncertainty of climatic changes.
Climate Change (CC) poses severe threat to the underprivileged and the ruralmasses, by reducing their access to food, energy and water. Communities, relying on natural resources are the worst hit and often fall victims even to a slight change in weather. The huge attention being given to CC issues is evident from the fact that several international and national agreements have been signed to reduce GHG emission. Several multilateral and bilateral agencies are also routing funds for CC mitigation and adaptation. Along with international mitigation and adaptation strategies to cope with climate change, there is also a need to preserve traditional practices. There is a need to adapt to changing climatic conditions to reduce the vulnerability of rural communities to climate change. This would be possible by introduction of fundamental changes in agricultural practices. Integration of traditional knowledge with innovations in agriculture also has a huge scope to enhance the adaptive capacity of the rural communities. International organisations and research institutes worldwide have developed an approach that tackles both the issues of climate change and food insecurity.
Climate-smart agriculture is an approach to guide actions to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively and sustainably support development and food security under a changing climate (FAO). Climate- Smart Agriculture (CSA) promotes production systems that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes GHGs (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals.
About The Organisation
XYZ is a national institution engaged in developing programmes and material to increase awareness about the environment and sustainable development in Ghana. The organization was established in 2000 and since then it has worked towards creating awareness about environment and conservation. XYZs primary objective is to improve public awareness and understanding of the environment, so as to promote nature conservation and sustainable development.
Project Rationale
Rural communities in Africa are one of the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns and the increased frequency of natural disasters create challenges for the agrarian society of many African Countries. Ghanian economy is dominated by agriculture as more than 25% of the GDP comes from this sector. Climate change will therefore greatly impact the existing farming practices and thus the livelihoods of those dependent on it. The northern regions of Ghana are the poorest part of the country, with a high proportion of the population living in poverty. Most the people are dependent on farming and allied sector as the country offers limited alternatives income options. This makes the country highly susceptible to even a slight change in weather patterns, making the people severely vulnerable to climate change. Climate projections are available for the northern regions of Ghana suggest the following changes in climatic conditions.
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- Mean daily temperatures will increase by 2.5-3.2 °C by 2100.
- Annual rainfall totals will decrease by up to 27% by the year 2100, causing increasing droughts.
- Increasing desertification.
- Decreasing river flows and recharge rates.
- Potential for increased floods as a result of increasingly erratic rainfall. Through this project XYZ aims to initiate a multi stakeholder dialogue to develop a community-based adaptation strategy for the communities if Bonassaso village. The project is in line with the existing issues being faced by the local populace of the area and would focus efforts towards the following:
- Increasing awareness on linkages between climate change and food security.
- Improving food security through adoption of climate smart agriculture practices.
- Enhance adaptation and preparedness of the vulnerable communities of the area.The project will build capacities of the local populace to cope with the impacts of climate change.
Project Description
The overall goal of the proposed project is to increase food security though adoption of climate smart agriculture practices. The project will provide scientific solutions to accelerate the adaptive capacities of the rural peoples and farmers. The project will provide a set of agronomic practices to suit the agro-ecology of the area and ensure food security and better productivity. The goal will be achieved through the implementation of the following objectives:
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- To sensitize the farming community in Bonsaaso village about the linkages between food security and climate change.
- To promote adoption of climate smart farming practices suitable for the agro-ecological region of Bonsaaso through capacity building and training of 500 farmers.
- Establish a resource center to serve as information hub and library for the farmers to get latest information on climate change.
Timeline: The proposed project will be implemented over a period of two years. The first six months will serve as preparatory phase during which data collection, research analysis, and communication material will be developed. The latter part of the first year will be dedicated in organizing multi stakeholder dialogues and awareness campaign.
The second year will be dedicated to large scale promotion of suitable practices through training and capacity building workshop and establishment of the resource center.
Project Area and Beneficiaries
Project will be implemented in Bonsaaso village, Amansie-West District of Ashanti Region of Ghana. The area is characterized by hot, humid tropical climate conditions. 80% of the population practices agriculture, and the farmers mainly rely on small scale cash crop farming. Most farmers have small plots of lands and use traditional farming practices.
The project will benefit the farming communities of Bonsaaso village through the awareness campaign and will directly benefit the 500 farmers who will be trained on aspects of climate smart agriculture.
Project Activities
Mapping and Situation Analysis: The purpose of this activity is to understand the current situation in the Bonsaaso hamlet. This would include mapping of socioeconomic, political, and environmental aspects of the area. To develop a suitable strategy for climate change adaptation, it is essential to first understand the current level of knowledge that the local communities possess. Based on the knowledge lacunae and gaps, communication material will be developed. Most often farming communities observe changes in weather conditions, crop productivity, soil fertility etc. during the exercise such perceptions and observations on climate change will also be recorded.
Data collected during the mapping exercise will help in identification of major problems associated with climate change.
Development of awareness tools to suit the local communities: Audio- Visual material will be developed to sensitize the local communities on climate change risks and threats. Leaflets, booklets, flashcards will be developed in vernacular to create greater impact. Documentaries made by international agencies on climate change will also be translated.
Awareness campaign: Awareness generation is a key activity towards achieving project success. Farmers will adopt climate smart agriculture practices only after they understand the implications of climate change on food security. Following sub activities will be undertaken to sensitize the communities.
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- Community Meetings: Project team will initiate community meetings to discuss about the project and also share information on climate change risks and food security threats.
- Distribution of leaflets and pamphlets: Communication material developed in vernacular language will be distributed. Use of easy language will help in developing a better understanding of the issues.
- Documentary screening: A documentary will be screened in a community hall, to showcase the threats of climate change.
- Mobile Information Centre: For dissemination of information a mobile van will be used. This will serve as an information center and people who could not attend the awareness camp will also benefit from it.
Promotion of area specific agricultural activities: Area specific technologies that are aligned to agro-ecological principles will be promoted in the villages. Adoption of such technologies will help in improving the biological, social and economic systems resilient to climate change. Training will be given to the identified 500 farmers on various aspects of climate smart agriculture practices.
Batches will be made to accommodate 50 farmers in a class. Training will be a combination of theory and on field demonstrations.
Trainings will be imparted on following aspects of climate smart agriculture
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- Crop and nutrition management
- Conservation Agriculture
- Livestock management
- Agroforestry
- Aquaculture
- Diversified energy systems
- Soil and water management
- Risk insurance
- Weather forecasting
- Technological interventions
Training sessions will also be given on some traditional agricultural practices like – mulching, inter cropping and manure production. All the training sessions will be given in vernacular so as to facilitate easy learning and understanding amongst the farmers.
Demonstration fields will be set up on a community land or a plot of land will be taken on lease from a farmer. The theory classes will be supplemented by conducting demonstrations in the demoplot.
Establishment of Resource Centre and Weather Forecasting Centre The resource centre will serve as an information hub for farming related activities. Apart from educational material, quality seeds, cropping material, organic manure, pesticides, insecticides etc. will be made available to the farmers at lower prices.
Demonstration and training will also be conducted in the center so as to equip the farmers with the latest technology and innovation.
As weather forecasting plays a vital role in cropping success or failure, the resource center will also serve as a local weather station. Weather forecasting will be done in the morning so that farmers can plan their activities accordingly.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Project will undertake monitoring and evaluation, at all levels as per the Monitoring & Evaluation plan.
Monitoring will be carried out right from the project inception, so as to ensure that processes and results are documented regularly. This would in turn allow steering decisions and modifying the project processes to meet the deliverables in a timely manner.
Data gathered during monitoring will help in evaluating the project progress at the end. Quarterly activity reports will be submitted to the donor agency which would help in project evaluation.
All guidelines given by the donor agency will also be adhered.
Expected Outcomes
- Increased awareness among the community on linkages between climate change and food security.
- Enhanced learning of various aspects of climate smart agriculture.
- 500 farmers adopt the climate resilient practices and supplement their income.
- Resource center established in the village becomes an information hub for neighboring villages and farmers gain knowledge about various new technologies and agriculture practices.
Project Staff
Project will be implemented by a team of five staff members and will comprise of the following:
- Project Manager: One project manager will be hired who will be responsible for managing the project.
- Community Mobiliser: two community mobilisers will be hired who shall be responsible for conducting the survey and mobilizing the community to attend the awareness camps etc.
- Trainers: Two agriculture experts for training on various aspects of CSA will be hired for a period of two years. They will be responsible for imparting training initially and then will be responsible for managing the resource center.
Sustainability
The project will ensure financial, institutional and environmental sustainability. To ensure long term impact and sustainability following strategies are in place.
- Training and capacity building of the farmers will help in meeting the project objectives. The trained farmers will help in transferring the knowledge to their peers.
- The project will build a sense of ownership amongst the farmers, to ensure this, farmers will have to devote a few hours in the resource center and hell in its management.
- As the material will be in vernacular it will be easy to understand and share the knowledge.
- Establishment of the resource center in the area will help in the long run. After the project completion, trained farmers will take charge of it and our NGO will support them with updating information.
