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INNOVATIVE FINANCIAL ADVISORS PVT. LTD. CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE: A LOCATION

SPECIFIC APPROACH
Climate change is not a dream, or only the problem of our future generations, it is
already happening. Inadequate and traditional methods of food handling causes more
than 30 per cent of food to be lost before reaching consumers and forces many to sleep
hungry every night (FAO). In addition, climate change is forcing shifts in the agricultural
development agenda across the globe. Changes in temperature and precipitation and the
rising frequency of extreme climatic events are projected to significantly reduce global
food production during the current century. However, effects are expected to vary
substantially across even relatively small regions. Sustainable development in agriculture
must become climate smart. The approach enhances food security while preserving the
natural resource base and vital ecosystem services. It is achieved through a combination
of agricultural practices suited for a specific site, with supporting policies, technology and
finances.
Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach to achieving food security in
the face of climate change. CSA confronts on three dimensional approaches to achieve
the objectives of increasing productivity and incomes, enhancing resilience of livelihoods
and ecosystems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. But as a
matter of fact, it is yet, just a concept and needs much elaboration and demonstration
especially for developing economies. The promoters of REDD+ hope that COP20 in Lima
will establish the bases for inclusion of CSA in the next international climate agreement.
A warm welcome to CSA may result in sustainable increase in agriculture productivity,
resilience and capacity building of agriculture making them more adaptive towards
climate changes.
Climate-smart agriculture initiates interdisciplinary interactions that are energy smart,
crop smart, nutrient smart, water smart and weather smart, livestock forming an integral
part of the system, location specifically. It is important to realize that a centralized model
developed to strengthen agricultural systems shall not be replicable and hence the nature
of interventions will vary both spatially and temporally.
Agricultural production is directly linked to complex food chains and requires many
stakeholders to participate in solving the daunting problems of agriculture, food
insecurity and climate change simultaneously. Therefore, ensuring stakeholder
participation towards climate resilient agriculture is unavoidable to address climatic

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variability at both micro (local) and macro (global) levels. Working from farm to
landscape level and local to regional level with an ecosystems approach, combining
forestry, fisheries, crops and livestock systems is crucial for responding to the impacts of
climate change and contributing to its mitigation.
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. complaints that the present CSR livelihood projects
on agriculture have not been directed towards climate change agricultural practices.
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. believes that corporate funding in India can ensure
that CSA is promoted and farmers need to be encouraged to take up these initiatives for
their betterment. Ensuring that the entire country works towards implementing CSA is
going to be daunting task, but it is definitely the need of the hour as the world look
towards India, after US and China agreed upon reduction of greenhouse emissions.

By Prachi Kathuria
Programme Manager Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.