Overview
Climate Resilient Farming in Pacific Islands is about strengthening inclusive climate and disaster resilience for Pacific farmers. The framework is being supported by the Australian Government with co-financing linked to the FO4ACP Program funded by the European Union and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Pacific Farmer Organisations (PFO) is the umbrella body for national farmer organisations in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) with a vision to make Pacific farmer organisations – important local civil society organisations – vibrant, viable and sustainable.
PFO is a key partner in supporting farmers and rural communities to respond to the challenges of climate change. Climate change impacts are already being felt and are likely to increase in severity over time affecting the food security, water security and livelihoods of a large number of people in the Pacific. These impacts are uneven and often more adverse for women, youth, and other vulnerable groups such as those living with disabilities.
Integrated strategies that connect resilience with livelihoods including women’s economic empowerment through to better water catchment management are needed. Building community resilience through managing and adapting to climate variability in the short term is seen as the best way to prepare for longer-term impacts. Doing so requires intensive and sustained support for farmers to build their capacity to adapt.
Objectives
The objective of the Climate Resilient Farming in the Pacific project is “to strengthen resilience, food and water security of Pacific farmers by helping them adapt to the threat of changing climate and natural disasters”. It aims to achieve this through three components:
Component 1: Climate Resilient Farming Households – Farmer centered practical adaptation responses for climate resilient farming
Component 2: Farmers’ Voices are heard – Farmers have a voice at the table of policy/international frameworks to ensure resources are allocated appropriately and generate results
Component 3: Stronger Farmer Organisations – Building resilience at organisational level; stronger organisations with the right technical expertise and tools so they will be there as a vehicle to address the future threats.
Expected Results
The Climate Resilient Farming in the Pacific is a transformational program that acknowledges the critical role farmers in the Pacific play in climate adaptation and provides resources to support local solutions.
The expected results of the five year CRF Program include new technologies that respond to the resilience and adaptation needs of small farmers reaching up to 84,190 farming households in seven countries through 23 farmer organisations; FOs with stronger capacity including new knowledge in climate change, gender, women’s economic empowerment, water security and disaster risk reduction; new and more effective partnerships and collective action to address climate change and resilience; policy, planning and climate finance accountability of governments improved through increased voice of farmers and their organisations.