Research Thesis

Implementation of the Climate-Smart Village Approach

The Aim of this MScCCAFS Research Thesis is to develop an instrument to support local stakeholders and practitioners in their planning and decision-making processes to promote and scale out climate-smart agriculture (CSA) among smallholder farmers in Colombia.

Specific objectives:

  • To analyse the data collected through the Climate Smart Village (CSV) monitoring system in Cauca, Colombia, and assess core pre-defined indicators. This will include:
    • Assessing which CSA practices and portfolios were implemented in the community, by whom (gender and age disaggregated; household typologies); adoption drivers/motivations and constraints, perceived effects on productivity/income/food security as well as on gender aspects (labour and control over resources).
  • To design an instrument prototype, through a participatory methodology, which will focus on the key elements that Ecohabitats Foundation and the Community committee “local stakeholders” need for planning and decision-making processes regarding out scaling of CSA.
    • To examine and discuss CSV monitoring system results to explore their direct use and /or further analyses required to generate relevant and actionable information for local stakeholders planning and decision-making processes.
  • Assess and improve the instrument with Ecohabitats foundation Cauca CSV planning process for 2019.

Methodology

The data analysed is from a Gender-sensitive Smart Household Monitoring instrument to assess CSA performance and outcomes. These surveys took place on March 2018 in seven locations (El Danubio, La Mota, Las Mercedes, Los Cerrillos, Los Tendidos, San Antonio, and San Rafael) in Cauca-CSVs. Data were analysed through different indicators tracked at the household level (gender disaggregated) and in relation to CSA implementation/ adoption trends.