Integrated National and Regional Approaches to

Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Caribbean

Brussels, 27 September 2012

Carlos FullerInternational and Regional Liaison

Officer

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre

• Endorsed by the CARICOM Heads of Government in July 2002

• An intergovernmental specialized agency of CARICOM with an independent management that is guided by

The CARICOM Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on policy matters.

A board of directors with responsibility for strategic planning.

A technical secretariat headed by an Executive Director with responsibility for tactical planning.

• The Centre is mandated to coordinate the regional response to climate change and its efforts to manage and adapt to its projected impacts.

• The Centre possesses full juridical personality.

• Financially independent

Development of theDevelopment of the Centre started in Centre started in January 2004January 2004

Centre became fullyCentre became fully operational operational July 2005July 2005

Located in Located in Belmopan, BelizeBelmopan, Belize

Members● Antigua and Barbuda

● Bahamas

● Barbados

● Belize

● Dominica

● Grenada

● Guyana

● Haiti

● Jamaica

● Suriname

● Saint Lucia

● St. Kitts and Nevis

● St. Vincent & the Grenadines

● Trinidad and Tobago

Functional Organogram

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS

OTHER CARICOM SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS

UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

CARIBBEAN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE

CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCY

CARIBBEAN AGRICULTURALRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

CARIBBEAN INSTITUTE OFMETEOROLOGY AND HYDROLOGY

TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT

The Centre coordinates the regionalresponse to climate change and is thekey node on climate change issues andthe Caribbean's efforts to manage and

adapt to climate change

CUBA INSTITUTE OF METEOROLOGY

JAPAN INSTITUTE OF METEOROLOGY

POTSDAM INSTITUTEFOR CLIMATE IMPACT STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OFLOUISVILLE

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

UK MET SERVICEHADLEY CENTRE

UN INSTITUTE FORTRAINING & RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE

MACC Project

● 2004 – 2008● GEF Funded● Implemented by the World Bank● Executed by CARICOM Secretariat and CCCCC● Regional and pilot components● Climate Modelling● Vulnerability Assessments and Policy Interventions

Pilot vulnerability assessment in agriculture in Guyana

Rice, sugar & livestock

Modeling Activities

• The GCM’s resolution of 300 km cannot resolve the small islands of the Caribbean.

• The Centre is collaborating with other institutions in the use of downscaling regional models (25 & 50 km resolutions) to look at future climate scenarios.

• Collaborating Institutions include:

– Hadley Centre – University of the West Indies– INSMET in Cuba– CATHALAC in Panama

Belize: Sept 25-29, 2006

Cuba: Dec 4 – 10, 2006

Network of Downscaling Activities

Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre

Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET)

University of the West Indies – Mona (Jamaica)

University of the West Indies – Cave Hill (Barbados)

CATHALC - Panama

University of the West Indies – St. Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago)

(25 km)

No.

Driving conditions

Domain Resolution Period

GHG Scenario

LBCs Data

1 ERA15 Big Caribbean 50 km 1979-1983

2 ERA40 Big Caribbean 50 km 1979-1993

3 HadAM3H Big Caribbean 50 km 1961-

1990

4 SRES A2 HadAM3H Big Caribbean 50 km 2071-

2100

5 SRES B2 HadAM3H Big Caribbean 50 km 2071-

2100

6 SRES A2 ECHAM4 Big Caribbean 50 km 1961-2100

7 SRES B2 ECHAM4 Big Caribbean 50 km 1961-2100

8 SRES A2 ECHAM4 Eastern Caribbean 25 km 1961-

2100

9 SRES B2 ECHAM4 Eastern Caribbean 25 km 1961-

2100

10 SRES A2 ECHAM4 Western Caribbean 25 km 1961-

2100

11 SRES B2 ECHAM4 Western Caribbean 25 km 1961-

2100

Examples of Experiments Completed

Mean changes in the annual surface temperature for 2071-2099 period

ECHAM 4 – B2

ECHAM 4- A2 HADCM3 – A2

HADCM3 – B2

Annual mean changes in precipitation (%) for

2071-2099

ECHAM4 – A2

ECHAM4 – B2

HADCM3 – A2

HADCM3 – B2

● Funded by Commonwealth Secretariat, the sub-regional office of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Barbados and UNDP’s Caribbean Risk Management Initiative (CRMI)

Biophysical principles

GCMs

PRECIS/HADCM3

MagicC/Scengen

WOFOST (4.1&7.1.2)

DSSAT

Held at the University of Guyana utilizing a “Hands on Approach”

Approximately 40 participants from 17 countries

Outputs of the Workshop

● Workbook on Climate Change Impact Assessment in Agriculture – Roger E. Rivero Vega, April 2008

● Vulnerability assessment of sugar and citrus sectors for Belize’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC

● Vulnerability assessment and national adaptation strategy in the agriculture sector for Guyana (MACC Project)

● Prepared by Guysuco

● Methodology developed by NOAA (Pulwarty, 2004)

Vulnerability Studies on Agriculture in Belize

● 2008● PRECIS, DSSAT4 and Cropwat● Sugarcane and Citrus● 2028 & 2050● 1 & 2.5°C rise in temp● ± 12 & 20% change in precipitation● Result: 12-17% decline in yields for sugarcane● Result: 3 – 5% decline in yields for citrus

Workshop on Use of Biophysical Models for Climate Impact Studies in

Agriculture● Objective: Train agricultural professional staff of

CARDI● Funded by UNITAR● Facilitated by staff from INSMET (Cuba)● Approximately 25 staff from 13 Member States

attended● Held in Trinidad and Tobago from 17 – 28 August

2009● Resource material: “Workbook of Climate Change

Impacts Assessments in Agriculture”

Next Regional CCCCC Activity with CARDI: Installation of Automatic Weather Stations in10 CARDI research plots in the Caribbean

Introduction of Irrigation to Milton, Dominica

● Pilot component of SPACC● Objective: Establish a pilot project to inform and encourage

adaptation measures to changing climatic conditions among farmers /producers with a consistent and reliable supply of water through the implementation of an irrigation system

● Area extensively cultivated with citrus intercropped with other cash crops such as yams, pineapples, plantains, dasheen and vegetables

● Introduction of protected agriculture within the area and in other areas in the country has begun to demonstrate the usefulness of this approach in removing the uncertainty associated in predicting production seasons

Milton Irrigation Scheme● Modification of the cropping environment

requires that key inputs such as water, be readily available in sufficient quantities, to be applied to the plant when required. Thus, irrigation system is viewed as being a very important to in maintaining food security within the current changes in climate

● The propose irrigation scheme is intended to serve 20 Ha of agricultural land in the Milton area which presently receives 100% of their crop water requirement from rainfall.

Milton Irrigation Scheme

● If 50% the total acreage to be irrigated is to be cultivated with Bananas then based on an average area yield of 9 tonnes per acre, the provision of irrigation would cause an increase of an additional 2 tonnes per acre i.e. an additional 50 tonnes.

● This would have significant impact on the level of production nationally and the viability of the Fair-trade Banana Industry.

Developments

● July 2009 in Guyana: Regional Heads of Government approved the “Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change”

● March 2012 in Suriname: Regional Heads approved the Implementation Plan Strategic approach for coping with climate change

for the period 2011-2021

Implementation Plan● Liliendaal Declaration provides the vision of

transformational change in our response to the challenges of a changing climate

● Drives the Regional Framework’s Five Strategic Elements and 20 nested goals

● Element 4: Promote Actions to Reduce the Vulnerability of Natural and Human Systems to the Impacts of a Changing Climate

● Resource mobilization to meet the challenge through the “Three Ones” Principle One plan, one coordinating mechanism, one M&E system

Sectors Identified in the Regional Framework

Actions to: Limit the effects of climate change on agriculture

and food security ● Develop and identify drought and flood-resistant and salt

and temperature tolerant varieties of staple and commercial crops drawing upon local and indigenous knowledge for commercial use by 2017

● Expand extension and support services for farmers● Research and introduce indigenous and other breeds of

cattle, pigs, goats and poultry that are heat tolerant and more fed efficient for commercial meat, milk and egg production by 2020

● Develop and make available to farmers grass, grain and forage legume species to support the production of meat, milk and eggs

Actions (continued)

● Develop and promote new and alternative food supplies and/or sustainable production systems including sustainable land management

● Implement fiscal and other policies and incentives to allow farmers and the private sector to invest in agriculture and food production in the region, without infringement of international trade regulations

● Regional public education, awareness and outreach on food, nutrition and health in the context of climate change; and create an enabling environment to facilitate behavioral change via fiscal incentives, etc.

Actions (continued)● Develop and implement strategies to secure, store and distribute

food supplies and germplasm, particularly for use during low production periods and at times of natural and other disasters

● Develop and institutionalize infrastructure and logistics to support post-harvest handling, transportation, distribution and marketing of food within and amongst individual countries, based on needs and local conditions

● Regional and emergency preparedness institutions to become an integral part of the climate change adaptation response strategy

● Develop and implement policies and other measures to promote investment in the processing of agricultural products, to add value and variety to output for food and other uses