Translating Climate-Smart Agriculture into Action

What do we see on the project photo?
The photo shows a workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Syngenta Foundation team and stakeholders from various sectors are using the newly developed climate-smart agriculture decision-support framework to evaluate their work. This aims to inspire the development of new projects and the adaptation of existing ones to ensure that they develop climate-smart outcomes for farmers

How would you explain to a child what the project is doing?
Farming must deliver on many outcomes: Affordable and nutritious food, protect local ecosystems and resources, and avoid emissions. At the same time, farmers need to make a living from what they do. This requires a prioritization of what they want to achieve and do. This work aspires to help them do so.

What is the project’s main objective?
To create a concept specific and farmer centric decision-support system for Syngenta Foundation country teams to implement climate-smart, resilient agriculture projects by understanding local priorities and realities.

Why is the project important?
Many projects in agricultural development promote a solution without appreciating the context of the targeted farming system. The hereby presented framework aspires to serve as a simple decision-support tool to include the assessment of the local farming context in project design and execution.

What has been the most positive moment during the project?
The high level of energy of local country teams and their desire to thoroughly understand the local farming context and needs of farmers they want to support.

What have been the biggest challenges encountered in the project?
The continuous ideological bias of (mostly Norther hemisphere) donor and implementer communities in “knowing what is right for farmers” without necessarily consulting them or trying to understand their context.

What is the most important lesson learned from the project?
Engage as early as possible with local communities and eventual beneficiaries and involve them in project design. Understanding their challenges can be very surprising, revealing (we often do not get their priorities right) and can positively influence the approach taken to improve their livelihoods. Also, to reach this understanding of the context of a project, it is critical to involve many stakeholders from different areas.