Climate Change and Development Learning Platform Regional Workshop

Location: Lusaka, Zambia

Date: 19 -21 June 2014

Field Visits: Kasisi Agricultural Training Center (KATC) and Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART)

Scoping Visit: Irish Aid Local Development Programme – Self Help Africa - Luwingu District, Northern Province.

Participants: Mission and local staff and Government and NGO partners from Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and Uganda; HQ staff from TSSP: Environment and Climate Change Unit and Hunger Unit, PP&E and Africa Section; facilitated by IIED, and WRI and 3 partners attended from the Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative.

The second regional Climate Change and Development Learning Platform workshop was held in Lusaka from the 19th to 21st August 2014 and was attended by Irish Aid staff from five country programmes and HQ, together with representatives of partner organisations and IIED facilitators. More than 40 participants attended the workshop which focused on the climate resilience of smallholder agriculture and household energy systems.

Ambassador O’Brien opened the workshop emphasising the impact climate change is having on the lives of the most vulnerable. He stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen work on climate resilience across Irish Aid programmes and to use local knowledge to inform Ireland’s engagement with global climate change policy dialogue. The regional workshop was facilitated by Simon Anderson and Barbara Adolph of IIED. Naomi Campbell of the Environment and Climate Change Unit in Irish Aid set out the objectives for the workshop and the learning platform. Simon Anderson recapped on the work completed in Tanzania on integrating Climate Change into development programming. Bronagh Carr of Policy Planning and Effectiveness Section, presented on the OWOF Policy, the Framework for Action and the Irish Aid Research Strategy.

Presentations were made by Vincent Ziba of Community Based Natural Resource Management network and Mwiya Mundia from Irish Aid on Climate Change in Zambia. Each country group presented on Climate Change and their country programmes and Pieter Terpstra of the World Resource Institute (WRI) presented on the role of the private sector in adaptation to climate change. Barbara Adolph presented on Climate Smart Agriculture and on Household Energy in Smallholder Contexts. Aidan Fitzpatrick presented on Malawi’s learning to date in supporting energy efficient cook-stoves. Gemma O’Reilly presented on Climate Finance Tracking and the 10 Irish Aid Country Climate Finance reports which are to be finalise before end of August 2014.

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The workshop looked at Climate Smart Agriculture and how best to integrate climate risk when planning sustainable agriculture programmes. This involved taking stock of what Irish Aid is already doing in each country programme and identifying what more could be done.

The Embassy team co-ordinated a half day field visit to the Kasisi Agricultural Training Center (KATC) and Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) to see how researchers and farmers are addressing climate adaptation.

Closing remarks were provided by Patrick McManus the Head of Development in Zambia and the workshop was followed by an assessment and coordination meeting of all Irish Aid Staff attending.

The agreed next steps and actions for the Learning Platform include:

Draft guideline on how to integrate climate into CSPs to be developed by IIED by end of 2014. An update note on climate resilient smallholder agriculture will be drafted by IIED by end of

2014. Case studies: Tigray, Ethiopia case study to start in October. Tanzania case study to be designed

by end of September. Scoping field visit to Northern Province in Zambia to immediately follow the Lusaka workshop. Discussion with Malawi programme on a longitudinal study to consider linkages between social protection (cash transfers) and climate resilience.

IIED will provide technical support to the Uganda CSP development process and the integration of climate change (October).

Briefing on Learning Platform to be prepared for Heads of Mission meeting in January 2015

A short brief on the workshop has been prepared (see attached Annex 1) and this is to be followed by a full report of the Zambia Regional workshop which will be prepared and circulated in early September 2014. A proposal has been prepared to provide Learning Platform participants (about 120 local staff and partners) with electronic information and documentation through IIED’s website before end of 2014 calendar year. A seminar for Irish Aid staff on the work of the Learning Platform will be hosted in Limerick in late October 2014 and the Senior Management Group will be briefed on the advances in the Climate Change and Development Learning Platform.

Following the workshop Irish Aid held an internal meeting with local staff from the 5 Missions. Key points raised include here and full list is in annex 2 to this report:

a) The workshop was very good at allowing the team to capture lessons for learning and consensus for the team that the workshop surpassed expectations.

b) The workshops have built one on the other since the first workshop in Limerick. They have increased personal knowledge of staff and their absorption capacity to understand the more technical aspects of the work.

c) It was important to have the work located within the framework for action to guide the event. Equally important is to locate the Climate Change and Development learning platform within the Irish Aid research strategy. An opportunity exists to develop a single M&E system for all of Irish Aid programmes based on the OWOF policy and the framework for action. The

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Climate Change and Development Learning Platform should contribute indictors to the joint M&E system.

d) There is a need for a guidance note or checklist on integrating Climate Change into CSP’ and country programmes. Also important is to prepare guidance notes on how to incorporate Climate Change into sectors particularly Governance and Agriculture.

The workshop was immediately followed by a field visit to Northern Province to carry out a scoping exercise to assess how best the learning platform can support the Irish Aid Local Development Programme (IALDP) in the two Districts of Luwingu and Mbala. (See attached Annex 3)

Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are a number of significant climate related risks:

a. The lack of predictability in forecasting when best to plant due to erratic rains. Sometimes it rains in October and the farmer’s plant only for the rains to stop again and the seed dies. The initiation of planting has become trial and error and farmers now retain more seed than in previous years in case they have to replant several times. Several farmers said that they plant up to three times.

b. The CGIAR representative indicated that the water levels in the wetlands are lowering more in the dry season that in the past.

c. Changes in pests and diseases that attack crops compared to previous times.

The programme design for IALDP would benefit from a target group specific assessment of climate risks to ensure that interventions address current climate risks as well as potential trade-offs between increasing productivity (in the short term) and resilience (in the longer term). A systematic assessment of climate risks for the IALDP target groups (= LEG members, poor smallholder farmers with limited assets) would be useful to ensure that interventions both address current climate risks and likely future risks.

To address likely future climate risks: The University of Capetown developed a system for estimating possible future climate scenarios by merging the predictions from different Climate Change models, using local climate data. If this system could be applied to the two IALDP intervention districts in Northern Province, it may be able to provide likely future climate scenarios that could inform future programme interventions

The extension workers are completely overwhelmed by the large numbers of farmers and the lack of resources. It is clear that there is a need to increase supports to District Extension Officers particularly on Climate Smart Agricultural technologies.

The multi disciplinary approach adopted by the visit, including Climate Change, Agriculture and Nutrition personnel in a joint visit contributed to inform the analysis and the dialogue with partners and communities.

Environment and Climate Change UnitTSSP28 August 2014

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Annex 1.

Summary of Irish Aid Climate Change and Development Learning Platform Regional WorkshopLusaka 19th to 21st August, 2014.

The Learning Platform was initiated in April 2014 at the Limerick Inception Workshop where a range of themes and learning objectives of interest to Irish Aid were identified. At the first Regional Workshop in Tanzania (June 2014) the focus was on methods to integrate climate change into development programming. The second Regional Workshop in Zambia focused on the climate resilience of smallholder agriculture and household energy systems.

The scope of the second regional workshop was to: Build on the training and learning started in Limerick and Tanzania on household food and

energy systems Focus on climate resilient, sustainable smallholder agriculture Introduce pro-poor climate mitigation & ‘green’ energy access Contribute to the development of guidance notes on integrating Climate Change into

Development programming and Climate Smart Agriculture Agree Case Studies

The meeting was attended by Irish Aid staff and GO and NGO partners from Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Uganda and Mozambique, plus staff from Irish Aid HQ and IIED facilitators.

The workshop programme included sessions on:

Recap on learning from previous meetings Review of experiences to date of addressing food security through climate-smart / climate

adapted agricultural programming Climate finance – tracking and reporting Identify Learning Platform case studies on climate and development Smallholder household energy and carbon credits Visits to Kasisi Agricultural Training Center (KATC) – about 45 km from Lusaka. Training of

famers in climate smart agriculture (including agroforestry and organic farming). http://kasisiagriculture.com/ ; and, Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) – about 60 km from Lusaka. Research on Conservation Agriculture. http://www.gartzambia.org/

Conclusions and next steps.

Ambassador Finbar O’Brien in his opening address pointed to the need to draw out lessons on how to protect the most vulnerable people. He indicated that Irish Aid will continue to strengthen its work on climate resilience across its programmes. And that this will help inform engagement with global climate change policy developments.

The workshop was a good opportunity to identify how and how well Irish Aid and partners are addressing the climate resilience of smallholder agriculture. Several areas were identified where more work is required to effectively integrate climate into Irish Aid’s agricultural development

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programming including screening portfolios, revision of CSPs and assessment of CSP delivery. The initiatives of Irish Aid Malawi on improved cook stoves, carbon credits and links with social protection served as an example for an activity addressing multiple objectives (reducing emissions, saving money, improving health and reducing the labour burden on women)that other programmes might integrate into their support of poor rural families facing climate change challenges. The work led from HQ on reporting climate finance flows was discussed and draft country reports reviewed.

The agreed workshop outputs and next steps are:

Early one page summary of workshop, to be followed by a full report to be circulated for participants review by Monday 1st September.

Finalise the country climate finance reports before end of August. Web-based component of learning platform

o Compile survey findings and resultso Finalise design with IIEDo Launch – before end of 2014 calendar year (ideally before UNFCCC- COP20).

Seminar for Irish Aid staff in Limerick, linked by VC to Dublin and the missions and a briefing for the SMG – date to be set according to SMG calendar, sometime late October 2014

Briefing on Learning Platform to be prepared for Heads of Mission meeting in January 2015 Case studies: Tigray, Ethiopia case study to start in October. Tanzania case study to be

designed by end of September. Scoping field visit to Northern Province in Zambia to immediately follow the Lusaka workshop. Discussion with Malawi programme on a longitudinal study to consider linkages between social protection (cash transfers) and climate resilience.

Draft guideline on how to integrate climate into CSPs to be developed by IIED by end of 2014.

An update note on climate resilient smallholder agriculture will be drafted by IIED by end of 2014.

Irish Aid will discuss how a climate oriented review of quarterly reporting from key partner countries can be established and included in the Climate Change and Development quarterly reports.

IIED will provide technical support to the Uganda CSP development process and the integration of climate change (October).

The option of holding the next meeting of the Irish Aid Learning Platform back to back with the Community Based Adaptation conference in Nairobi 23 rd to 30th April, 2015, will be assessed.

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Annex 2.Team Comments on the Climate Change and Development Learning Platform workshop Lusaka

a) The workshop was very good at allowing the team to capture lessons for learning and consensus for the team that the workshop surpassed expectations.

b) The workshops have built one on the other since the first workshop in Limerick. They have increased personal knowledge of staff and their absorption capacity to understand the more technical aspects of the work.

c) It was important to have the work located within the framework for action to guide the event. Equally important is to locate the Climate Change and Development learning platform within the Irish Aid research strategy.

d) Some members felt that the country staff should pick which workshops they would like to attend. The Uganda participant stressed the timing was very opportune as the learning platform work in Uganda will contribute to design of the CSP. The Climate Change and development learning platform workshop was timely for Lesotho also as it will contribute to planning and design of the next phase of the programme and the workshop provided the depth and details of to guide the Lesotho programme. The field work should be one full day and the workshop two and a half days.

e) The sessions on the first day at the beginning of the workshop were challenging for those not familiar with Climate Change. It might be use to provide more foundational material prior to the workshop. Support to staff to understand the basics of Climate Change. Allow more time for questions and answers particularly on the first day.

f) There is a need for a guidance note or checklist on integrating Climate Change into CSP’ and country programmes. Also important is to prepare guidance notes on how to incorporate Climate Change into sectors particularly Governance and Agriculture.

g) An opportunity exists to develop a single M&E system for all of Irish Aid programmes based on the OWOF policy and the framework for action. The Climate Change and Development Learning Platform should contribute indictors to the joint M&E system.

h) When planning CSPs a climate change risk assessment should be prepared. Understanding what expertise exists in Irish Aid and seek to compliment this by selection particular local staff to complete the competencies required to support KPCs to plan and implement CSPs.

i) It is extremely important that Climate Change is place in a higher position on the Irish Aid and KPC agenda.

Environment and Climate Change UnitLusaka26 August 2014

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Annex 3.

Observations from IA / IIED field visit to Northern Province from 22 to 25 August 2014 and Initial Ideas for IIED Learning Platform support in Zambia

Observations: How IALDP (Irish Aid Local Development Programme) aims to address climate change

The programme aims at “improving the livelihoods, health status, food and nutrition security of poor households in Northern Province, with a particular focus on women and vulnerable groups”. Climate change is mentioned in the project proposal as one of several factors affecting the rural poor and contributing to vulnerability. The SHA and CGIAR proposals do not include any analysis of climate change risks and impacts in the province.

From interactions with farmers in LEG7, it emerges that there are specific climate change impacts that are already being observed by the local population, in particular delayed and irregular rains causing a lack of predictability for seasonal planting (with initial rains followed by a longer dry spell, necessitating a second or even third planting of crops); changes in the incidence and types of pests and diseases; and comments on lower than previous levels of water in the wetlands at the end of each dry season.

The implicit assumption of the programme is that strengthening livelihoods of poor households, their climate resilience will also improve. However, the programme indicators do not currently enable testing this assumption.

Some of the interventions require a careful analysis of farming and livelihood systems, notably the promotion of a hybrid variety of “yellow maize”, and exotic hybrid vegetables – carrots, Chinese cabbage - requiring pesticide application and externally purchased seed. Supporting and improving the growing of local vegetables including cassava that are more resilient to pests and diseases and where seed can be recycled locally appears to be appropriate for local conditions.

The Policy and Planning Unit (PPU) at district level appears to be a well organised body that has already benefited from IA support. It is important that all project partners (including CGIAR) work closely with government partners, share their data and insights with them, and the PPU expressed interest in developing the local government’s capacity to better understand climate risks.

Ideas for IIED learning support: Future proofing of interventions and ensuring interventions are evidence based (learning platform longitudinal “action research”)

The programme design for IALDP would benefit from a target group specific assessment of climate risks to ensure that interventions address current climate risks as well as potential trade-offs between increasing productivity (in the short term) and resilience (in the longer term). A systematic assessment of climate risks for the IA target groups (= LEG members, poor smallholder farmers with limited assets) would be useful to ensure that interventions both address current climate risks and likely future risks. Otherwise there is a danger that interventions may not contribute sustainably to increasing the resilience (and thus the nutritional status and food security) of the target group.

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Two complementary sets activities could help address this gap:o To assess current climate risks:

Identify indicators of climate risk that can be tracked over time, using existing experiences (via the learning platform), but also including farmers’ own assessments.

Apply these indicators to assess the current climate risk of the target group, using both programme information and external sources (e.g. meteorological data from Northern Province, farmers’ own assessments, etc.). The programme already includes an environmental study and a participatory monitoring component that could be adapted to include these assessments and be coordinated with the Provincial Policy Planning Unit (PPU).

o To address likely future climate risks: The University of Capetown developed a system for estimating possible future climate

scenarios by merging the predictions from different CC models, using local climate data. If this system could be applied to the two IA intervention districts in Northern Province, it may be able to provide likely future climate scenarios that could inform future programme interventions

The emerging findings could then be used to climate-proof the interventions that are promoted.

Ensuring interventions are adapted to local conditions and respond to the needs of poor smallholder farmers

Throughout the learning platform, the need to address climate change in the wider development context has been emphasised. Climate risk assessment should not replace, but complement other assessments to ensure that interventions respond to the needs of the target group and are evidence based. Therefore the climate risk assessment needs to go hand-in-hand with an informed monitoring and assessment of local livelihoods, farming systems and socio-economic parameters to ensure that interventions are suitable for the context and do not create new dependencies.

In particular, there appears to be a need to undertake more systematic assessments of agroecological factors (in particular soil fertility), the hunger gap and existing local strategies to close it (e.g. storage of own grain or purchase of grain using off-farm employment or barter, growing of legumes and local vegetables, cassava – which appears to be low yielding but could be a significant contributor to closing the hunger gap).

The introduction of some of the current agricultural interventions (high-iron beans, yellow maize, exotic vegetables) appears to be done without a clear understanding of the extent to which these do address local priorities and concerns. It may be necessary to use a more experiential learning approach (farmer field school or similar) whereby farmers can test different varieties or methods in order to see which ones fit with their needs. These may well vary between farming households even within the same LEG, so different ‘versions’ of interventions in the same location may well emerge. There appears to be a need to sensitise partners on the merits of a more farmer participatory approach that addresses the needs of different types of households in the same location. Ensuring that technologies promoted by the project really “work” under local conditions needs to be a prerequisite for their promotion, including for moral reasons.

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Maximising opportunities for reflection and learning

There are clearly exiting opportunities for reflection and learning emerging from the programme. One of these is the approach for LEG formation, which in practice appears to be more complex and location specific than outlined in the programme proposal. It involves a combination of agreed indicators, engagement with local chiefs, and peer review on a village basis to validate that group members meet criteria. Considering that IA aims to support poor and vulnerable groups in most if not all of its programmes, lessons learnt from LEG formation (and subsequent LEG functioning) should be documented and shared.

Learning could also be derived from the use of locally available data on nutrition and health – e.g. the records kept by the local health worker on “weight for height” measures of children in the community. Participatory M&E is already part of the programme, and integrating existing local data collection processes could enhance the much needed evidence base of the programme.

IIED and Environment and Climate Change UnitLusaka26 August 2014

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