Can countries bankroll climate adaptation without undermining development?

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Climate change threatens one of the most important sectors of countries’ economies: agriculture. In some parts of Africa, agriculture directly employs nearly 80 percent of the population. Most countries are aware of this and are taking steps to prepare themselves for climate change impacts.

Nevertheless, developing a plan for policy action and intervention measures across various economic sectors is a complex, multi-step process. It’s also a brand new process for most countries, with every country finding themselves at different stages and with varying levels of success. As with most things related to climate change, however, we’re all in it together – so shouldn’t we check in and see how everyone is doing?

In an attempt to take stock of the status National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process in the agricultural sector of developing countries in East Africa, West Africa and South Asia, a new report from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) brings together evidence from 12 countries in these regions. The report’s messages formed the centerpiece for a CCAFS-hosted side event at the 19th session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP19) on 15 November.

For the full story by Vanessa Meadu and Caity Peterson, see the CCAFS blog.

Photo credit: C. Schubert (CCAFS)