The Annual General Assembly of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development is currently gathering in Rome where they will discuss the Comprehensive Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). While not a programme intended for adaptation to climate change, the linkages of adaptation to climate with the four pillars of the Programme and make an important place to try to capture synergies. As discussions unfold, it is important to take step back and consider what has worked and what has not. Promoting agricultural practices out of context and out of the national means in countries particularly impacted by climate change won’t work- CAADP should support the work and research on agroecological practices that make sense in the social, cultural, and ecological context. An important place to start might be considering the contribution of Wall and Smit (2005) in ‘Climate Change adaptation in light of sustainable agriculture’ Unfortunately, this meeting, like many of this nature, seeks to set the agenda for agricultural development for the poor, but in rooms far away in the exclusive streets of Rome.
The Oversear Development Institute published an interesting blog that gives more insight into this meeting. You can find it here