Facing Climate Driven Challenges With Best Practice and Innovation

Enhancing Climate Resilience of the Agricultural Sector by Improving Water and Land Management in Select

Communities

MOAF –GOJ –AFP(A)

Presenter: I.W. WilsonProgramme Manager, GOJ

Adaptation Fund Programme Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Presenter: I.W. WilsonProgramme Manager, GOJ

Adaptation Fund Programme Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Building Capacity in Water Management Best Practices

1. MOAF through the implementation of programmes including the GOJ-Adaptation Fund Programme is enhancing the climate resilience of the agricultural sector by improving water and land management in selected communities.

2. Partnering to build capacity of vulnerable communities to use best practices in land management, rain-water harvesting, to fuel small scale gravity drip irrigation systems as a means of effective water management strategy to adapt to the impact of climate change.

1. Small Scale Irrigation Systems and Production & Productivity schemes:

a. Provide > 200 small on-farm drip irrigation system as a means of effective water management strategy to adapt to the impact of climate change = change from sprinkle to drip (more effective/efficient measure)

b. Provide PPP Starter Pack (Agricultural inputs) to >2067 farmers to boost domestic crop production in onions and Irish Potato to advance the import substitution strategy .

c. Using the Farmer Field School methodology in > 142 sessions train 1928 Farmers in best practices in Climate Smart Agriculture and provided with assistance to implement these best practice on their holdings.

Water Management Adaptation Strategies

Rain-Water Harvesting (RWH) Infrastructure• Collection of run-off water from

structure or other impervious surface in gutters and other structures that channel the water into storage facilities to facilitate constant supply of water for year round crop production.

• 3 RWH systems have been established with > 12 additional ones to be done in short order.

• Water Harvesting and drip systems support out-field as well as protected agriculture .

Rehabilitated Rain Water Harvesting Infrastructure supporting Drip

Irrigation – Haden, St. Ann

Rehabilitated Water Harvesting and drip out-field and Protected

Agriculture

Small Scale Water Harvesting Infrastructure

a. Roof catchment and guttering system, with plastic tanks and other structures

b. 14 systems established with another 20 or so being processed for installation

c. Construction/rehabilitation of ponds , small reservoirs (earthen Concrete or lined) and entombments)

Water Harvesting Infrastructure Cont’da. Collaborative approach to beneficiaries’

needs

b. One collaborator (project) provided lined ponds while other provide distribution network, on-farm drip irrigation kits and

PPP starter pack.• PPP impacted 2127

farmers

• established : 800 hectares (2000 acres) of crops

• 62% hectare reaped yielded >7000 MT

• Values $.09 B

Experience of the GOJ -Adaptation Fund Programme

• Recognition of the urgent need for implementation of water harvesting and efficient irrigation systems-

• Managing run off water while engaging in agricultural enterprise the hillside farming

• 5 demonstration plots established to trained farmers in best practice in improve their resilience while farming on slopes:

– 17000 hillside ditched and individual basins– <200 m Water ways, among other structures

Ballasted Water Ways

Diversion Ditches & Individual

basins

Experience of the GOJ Adaptation Fund Programme

• Impact of Partnership

a. Fuel import substitution - production and productivity in onion and Irish potato

i. Onion –Est 55 hec. reap 42 hec, = 257 MT

ii. Irish Potato – Est 780 hec- reaped 475 hec =6712.22 MT

b. Galvanized farmers within production area and facilitate organization of farmers organizations hence enabling them to take advantage of economies of scale in their approach to marketing as well as the purchasing of agricultural inputs

Early Engagement of the Young Mind to Build Capacity for Sustainability

• Heighten the awareness and manage the knowledge base of our youths

• Engaged 12 schools with total population of Approx. 15,000 youths at the primary and secondary levels to provide technical information and support in exposing them to concept of rainwater harvesting , gravity fed drip irrigation systems and learning to grow what you eat and eat what you grow

Early Engagement of the Young Mind to Build Capacity for Sustainability

• Positive response from school administrator, teachers and students Peaked the interest of the students and engage

them in discipline of climate smart agriculture Supplement the National School Feeding

Programme

Community Base Capacity Building for SustainabilityWater-Users/farmers Groups-15 A WUG can contribute to adaptation to climate change. by providing a cooperative mechanism through which they are empowered to manage local land and water resources with consideration for climate change, the environment and other technical information through consultative processes, cooperative marketing and purchasing among other functions that contribute to sustainability as a going concern

Experience of the GOJ Adaptation Fund Programme and Conclusions

• Partnering to build capacity yields the following advantages:

1. Improved or wider range of services for beneficiaries

2. Wider geographic reach or access to new beneficiaries

3. More integrated approach to beneficiary’s needs

4. Leveraging of existing resources and avoidance of duplication of efforts

5. Capacity to replicate success

6. Knowledge of best practice and information sharing

Experience of the GOJ Adaptation Fund Programme and Conclusions

7. Better coordination of Organizational Activities

One major challenge we have observed is that people collaborating with the objective of generating income can be quite challenging . It also recognized that the rewards to be accrued to farmers organization and beneficiaries can be substantial- Social intervention to promote sustainability of Farmers organization to manage water resources and maintain their livelhiood is critical.