Climate-smart agriculture’ (CSA)—agriculture and food systems thatsustainably increase food production, improve resilience (or adaptive capacity) of farmingsystems, and mitigate climate change when possible—has quickly been integrated into theglobal development agenda. However, the empirical evidence base for CSA has not beenassembled, complicating the transition from CSA concept to concrete actions, andcontributing to ideological disagreement among development practitioners. Thus, there is anurgent need to evaluate current knowledge on the effectiveness of CSA to achieve its intendedbenefits and inform discourse on food, agriculture, and climate change. This systematicreview intends to establish the scientific evidence base of CSA practices to inform the nextsteps in development of agricultural programming and policy. We will evaluate the impact of73 promising farm-level management practices across five categories (agronomy,agroforestry, livestock, postharvest management, and energy systems) to assess theircontributions to the three CSA pillars: (1) agronomic and economic productivity, (2)resilience and adaptive capacity, and (3) climate change mitigation in the developing world.The resulting data will be compiled into a searchable Web-based database and analyticalengine that can be used to assess the relative effectiveness and strength of evidence for CSA,as well as identify best-fit practices for specific farming and development contexts. Thisrepresents the largest meta-analysis of agricultural practices to date.
Publication year
2016
Authors
Rosenstock, T.S.; Lamanna, C.; Chesterman, S.; Bell, P.; Arslan, A.; Richards, M.; Akinleye, A.O.; Champalle, C.; Cheng, Z.; Corner-Dolloff, C.; Dohn, J.; English, W.; Eyrich, A-S.; Girvetz, E.H.; Kerr, A.; Lizarazo, M.; Madalinska, A.; McFatridge, S.; Morris, K.S.; Namoi, N.; Poultouchidou, A.; Ravina da Silva, M.; Rayess, S.; Rioux, J.; Ström, H.; Tully, K.L.; Zhou, W.
Language
English
Keywords
climate change, agriculture, food security, adaptation, mitigation, farming systems, agronomy, agroforestry, livestock, soil
