INCREASING the RESILIENCE of FARMING COMMUNITIES to CLIMATE CHANGE through Shared Learning and Adaptation Decision-Making with a Focus on Gender
WHEN: Wednesday, 03 Dec 2014, 16:45–18:15
WHERE: Sipan Room, COP 20 Venue: Cuartel General del Ejército del Perú (CGEP) Av. Boulevar S/N,
San Borja Lima 41 Surco, Lima, Peru
Topic: Climate-smart technologies for agriculture have been developed for some time. However, few of these technologies have been adopted due to lack of resources at multiple levels (financial, technical expertise, personnel) and limited understanding of smallholder farmers’ priorities and needs for adaptation. Indigenous peoples’ and smallholder farmers’ knowledge of agroecosystems, seed management, and climate resilience are critical to identifying challenges and building appropriate responses at both the local and global levels. Therefore, farmers’ perceptions of climate change, traditional knowledge systems, and adaptation priorities should inform the design and
implementation of suitable adaptation strategies and climate-smart practices. Within farming communities, men and women have different perceptions of climate change, priorities, and needs for adaptation; therefore, attention to gender is essential for increasing resilience to climate change. This session explores issues regarding inclusive and gender sensitive pathways for climate change adaptation
and adoption of climate-smart technologies from the top down and bottom up. That is, how can policymakers draw on local knowledge and needs to prioritize investments that support the resilience
of smallholder farmers and indigenous peoples?
Speakers and discussants will examine these issues in the context of Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Specific questions that will be addressed during presentations and discussed during the panel include:
1. How can more inclusive adaptation programs be developed in order to support the resilience of indigenous peoples and small-holder farmers and their communities?
2. What investments are required for national governments to mobilize the adoption pathways of climate-smart technologies (e.g. infrastructure development, R&D, rural services)?
3. Why does gender matter for the climate change negotiations?
