South Asia is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions in terms of climate change impacts. Though much of its population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, estimates show that South Asia could lose between 10 to 50 percent of crop production by the end of the century due to global warming.
To integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies with the overarching goal of ensuring food, nutrition, and livelihood security, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and SAARC Development Fund (SDF) have collaborated to establish the Consortium for Scaling-up Climate Smart Agriculture in South Asia (C-SUCSeS).
The project will focus on promoting sustainable and resilient agricultural intensification in South Asia through enhanced capacity and evidence-based strategies to scale up climate-smart technologies. This will include accelerating the identification and scaling-up of viable CSA interventions, and setting up efficient mechanisms for knowledge-sharing, policy dialogue, and cooperation in R&D programs on these technologies among SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member countries.
The activities under this partnership will directly benefit 7,500 smallholders, as well as researchers, extension workers, and policymakers in SAARC countries.