AgMission™ Grant Aims to Improve Climate-Smart Farming Adoption

Climate change is threatening agriculture globally, and small-scale farmers in low and middle income countries are particularly vulnerable. To strengthen their resilience, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) awarded a $300,000 competitive grant to World Vision through AgMission, an initiative co-created by FFAR and the World Farmers’ Organisation to unlock agriculture’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. World Vision is providing additional funding for this project. The joint investment will enable in-depth examination of small-scale farmer adoption of climate-smart agriculture in India, Kenya and Bangladesh.

Climate-smart agriculture aims to increase productivity, adapt crops and livestock to changing climates and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. A variety of climate-smart farming practices and technologies exist; however, their adoption by farmers is believed to be low, particularly in low and middle income countries.

“Barriers to small-scale farmer adoption of climate-smart agriculture include poor access, limited knowledge, inability to take risks, weak financing mechanisms and lack of rapidly attractive value propositions,” said Yuan Zhou, SFSA head of agricultural policy.

Through a series of assessments, World Vision is validating suitable practices and strategies for farmers, with a particular emphasis on gender equity and social inclusion. The study focuses on the poorest farmers, women-led farming households, young farmers and those with very small farms.

In collaboration with researchers at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex (IDS) and ODI, World Vision technical specialists will evaluate farmers’ access to inputs, resources and education within and across the three countries and examine how access varies between small-scale groups. This research will be complemented with an assessment of the enabling environment for climate-smart innovations and their adoption, including policies, regulations, the contribution of the private sector and farmer and civil society organizations.

While the research specifically assesses climate-smart practices in India, Kenya and Bangladesh, it is possible that valuable insights can also be applied elsewhere. The World Vision, IDS and ODI team will analyse trends in climate smart farming and its financing, and identify successes in promoting climate-smart agriculture especially in low and lower middle income countries.

AgMission is connecting farmers, ranchers and scientists to increase collaboration, accelerate adoption of climate-smart solutions and create impact. Identifying what programs, policies and incentive strategies are successful at advancing climate-smart practices is a foundational part of mobilizing greater adoption globally. Collaboration is another central part of the work. World Vision’s experience working with local farming communities in India, Kenya and Bangladesh will be key to unlocking the opportunities for climate-smart agriculture adoption. Allison Thomson
AgMission Program Director

As a mission-driven global organization, World Vision has a long history of working with private sector, local civil society and governments, to catalyze transformational development through sustainable, resilience-driven efforts that grow and sustain agricultural livelihoods,” said Serena Stepanovic, associate vice president of food security & livelihoods at World Vision. “We are delighted to have won the competitive grant provided by FFAR and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. This project is an exciting opportunity to further our work in resilience for those most impacted by increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather.

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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

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