As part of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)’s 20th Anniversary and 10th General Assembly event series, representatives from different farmer and civil service organizations across Asia exchanged their good practices on attaining climate resiliency in their own local communities.
Conducted last October 21 to 22, 2022, the Workshop on Pathways to Climate Resiliency was a two-day forum during the AFA’s anniversary event series where conversations on the current climate vulnerabilities that the family farmers across Asia face, as well as policies and programs on climate resilience were discussed. Breakout sessions were also facilitated to talk about spaces for collaboration and engagement. Through this workshop, a session was also hosted for consensus building for a declaration for COP 27 and UNFCCC processes.
Other than these conversations, the two-day workshop served as a platform for good practices on attaining climate resiliency to be shared, imparted, and draw inspiration from in further achieving climate-resilient communities and nations. Farmer organization representatives from Kyrgyzstan, Lao, Indonesia, Japan, and Cambodia proudly showcased their climate-resilient initiatives.
Innovation, Participation, and Capacity-building
The sharing session started with Sanatbek Iuldashev from the Krygryz Association of Forest and Land Users (KAFLU) who zeroed in on the agroforestry sector. Citing that the local communities mainly depend on forest resources that involve activities such as collecting fruits, medical herbs, cattle grazing, and beekeeping, they also play an integral role in the conservation and sustainable utilization of forest ecosystems.
Thus, the Community-based Forest Management (CFM), as Iuldashev explained, was introduced to the local communities to encourage their involvement in preserving and restoring degraded forest ecosystems and improve the socio-economic condition of the local population. [Insert speaker] emphasized that the heart of CFM is to “promote environmentally responsible, socially oriented and economically sustainable forest management and forest resource management.”
During his sharing time, Iuldashev also added the significant contribution of introducing the agroforestry systems in strengthening food and environmental security in Kyrgyzstan. Developing agroforestry in the country, as he explained, is also the most effective method for developing unproductive lands. He then narrated KAFLU’s initiative to restore floodplain forests in pilot sites along the Chu River, where 5, 000 fruit seedlings have been planted in the near road and ornamental in the near river.
Good practices on rice breeding and cultivation were highlighted next by Dewa Ayu Padmi from Aliansi Petani Indonesia (API). The Bongog seed line, as Padmi proudly shared, is a cross-breed of Kebo and Longong varieties that Mr. Joharipin, with Karya Peduli Tani Peasant Group, continuously purified and developed along with other 50 seed varieties in 2004. The said variety is resistant to fall, planthoppers, and crackle pests, while the taste and texture are fluffier and appear to be clearer in color. Padmi also said that Bongog has a potential yield of 12.8 tons of dry grain harvest (GKP) per hectare.
In addition to rice breeding and cultivation, Padmi also shared their organization’s practices in attaining Climate Resilient Agriculture. These include equipping their farmers, wherein their peasants group joined the “Green Economy and Locally Appropriate Mitigation in Indonesia” research and applied the suggestions they learned from the scientists. Padmi also shared that their local farmers do the calculation, collect, and report the results of their experimental sites themselves. They have also identified which varieties are suitable for the changing climate, putting their efforts into inputs and pest and disease management
Padmi concluded her presentation with an emphasis that the best results are rooted in these organic practices; hence organic practices are one of the pathways to climate change resiliency.
On the other hand, innovation in seed production and compost making takes the spotlight of good practices for Laos. During her sharing session, Phoutthasone Phengvilai shared that the Lao Farmer Network (LFN) has served as a bridge between their farmer organizations and the companies to support rice seed production, market linkage, and compost-making for rice production. In addition to this, she shared that they encouraged their farmers to practice self-production of seeds that are suitable for their local climate and soil. This, in turn, can reduce the exportation of seeds in their country.
After an exchange of questions and ideas on Laos’ innovative practices, Raymond Epp then walked the participants through his journey on regenerative agriculture as he collaborated with the local farmers in Japan. Contrary to the conventional farming and industrial agricultural practices, regenerative agriculture “describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle (Regenerative Agriculture Initiative & The Carbon Underground, 2017).” Hence, restorative agriculture, as Epp narrated, zeroes in on knowing your context, your soils, climate, and the system you are a part of. This specifically involves minimizing the amount of chemical disturbance and tillage, keeping the soil covered and living roots in the soil as much as possible, as well as having a diversity of plants and animals and integrating the animals into the system. Currently, he introduces the concept and practices of restorative agriculture in different parts of Japan.
Last but not least, Khuorn Sey identified the capacity-building efforts that the Farmer and Nature Net Association (FNN) has been putting into as one of its ways of pursuing a sustainable environment and agriculture. Some of their recent initiatives focused on conducting organized learning exchange visits, both locally and regionally, and supporting learning or demo farms. Through these activities, their association aspires to capacitate their local farmers with skills in agroecology practices, such as planting trees.
Hope for a climate-resilient world
As the saying goes, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” Similarly, it takes a holistic approach to pursue climate resiliency. From the innovative practices on seed production and cultivation, sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, to equipping with and strengthening the skills of the local farmers, down to the active involvement of local communities that the farmers, farmer organizations and associations across Asia had presented show that everyone – both inside and outside the agricultural sector – has a significant role in attaining climate-resilient nations.
With these good practices that have borne good fruit, hope can be seen for fostering and achieving a climate-resilient world.
Reference:
Regenerative Agriculture Initiative & The Carbon Underground (2017). Retrieved from Regeneration International: https://regenerationinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Regen-Ag-Definition-2.23.17-1.pdf.
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