Post Copenhagen - Where Now?

Whatever we think of the ‘outcomes’ of the Copenhagen climate summit, the fact that agriculture was included in the negotiations texts can only be seen as a positive development. The link between food security, poverty reduction and climate change has finally gained official recognition.

However small and marginal farmers were only mentioned once in the texts. This is despite the fact that the needs and demands of poor farmers and richer farmers on issues such as insurance, risk, financing, intellectual property rights and technology transfer are very different.

In the aftermath of Copenhagen there is a need to continue highlighting a mantra that became an integral part of policy discourse in the lead up to Copenhagen: "business as usual is not an option."

What this means for us at Find Your Feet is an answer to a very specific question. It means considering the impact that climate change will have on poor rural families, particularly those dependent on agriculture, and prioritising key areas for action accordingly:

• Greater investment in agricultural research that links agricultural and the environment – agroecological systems that can sequestrate carbon.

• Early warning systems to alert farmers to expected climatic variability.

• More appropriate participatory farmer support.

• Plant breeding for resilience rather than yield.

• Promotion of ‘minor’ crops which are ‘major’ crops in the eyes of the poor

• Protection for the agricultural markets of the poor.

• Agrarian reform which promotes the rights of smallholder farmers

• A greater acknowledgement of the role of women in agriculture.

• Greater awareness of the multifunctionality of agriculture. Agriculture is not just about production, it is also about culture, resource (biodiversity) conservation and livelihoods.

A version of this piece by FYF Director, Dr Dan Taylor, first appeared on the Evening Standard blog.

What we are doing to make sure that small farmers' voices are heard

In collaboration with four other NGOs (Concern Universal, FARM-Africa, Self Help Africa and the Development Fund,) Find Your Feet has produced Climate Frontline.

Other reports demonstrate the scale of the problem at the global and regional level, and the choices open to the international community. Climate Frontline is different: it allows the voices of men and women in African communities to be heard directly.

Climate Frontline shows that there is a lot of knowledge and good practice to share and learn from, but much more support is needed - in the form of sufficient, fair and reliable funding for adaptation that is spent in a coordinated, responsive and cost-effective way.

Through Climate Frontline, we hope that policy-makers, NGOs and frontline communities can learn more about adaptation, and work together to develop new strategies for survival.

 Download a copy of Climate Frontline or visit the Climate Frontline website