AGILE4Climate

Lead Organization:

Cornell University

Partner Organizations:

Western University (Canada), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR – Malawi), Australian National University (ANU – Australia), Mzuzu University (Mzuni – Malawi), Ministry of Agriculture – Malawi, Illinois State University (ISU, USA), St. Lawrence University (SLU, USA), University of Denver (UD – USA)

Community of Practice:

East & Southern Africa

Countries:

Malawi

Duration:

11/2024—11/2027

Overview:

This project proposes the establishment of territorial-based Agroecology Gender-transformative Living Labs (AGILEs) in Malawi. The goal is to ensure that rural women and youth co-design and co-implement strategies to adapt to the climate impacts of droughts, heat waves, intense storms, pest outbreaks, and other climate hazards. It focuses on testing the impact of agroecological practices for specific climate-related extreme events, and integrating local knowledge and climate forecast data to improve farmers’ resilience to these risks.

Grant Aims:

The primary aim of this project is to assess the resilience of agroecological practices in the face of climate risks and to improve decision-making around climate adaptation strategies. The project also aims to enhance the capacity of farmers, especially women and youth, to make informed decisions using climate services and agroecological methods.

Our gender-transformative methods will identify and develop strategies to share relevant climate information and effective agroecological adaptation practices for climate risks in rural Malawi that addresses information barriers and needs for marginalized groups, and takes into account intersectional inequalities e.g., young women, disabled older men.

Outputs and Outcomes:

Outputs

  1. Crop resilience to climate risks:
    • Measurement of crop physiological and morphological responses under agroecological practices.
    • Understanding how agroecological practices provide resilience to dry spells, heat waves, and pest damage.
  2. Climate service development:
    • Co-development of climate services with farmers, including climate hazard visualization and integrating weather forecast data with local knowledge.
  3. Gender-transformative methods:
    • Identification of strategies to address gender inequalities in climate adaptation and sharing relevant agroecological information, particularly with marginalized groups.

Outcomes

  1. Enhanced crop resilience:
    • Evidence showing the effectiveness of agroecological practices in improving crop resilience to climate risks.
  2. Improved decision-making and climate adaptation:
    • Strengthened capacity of farmers, especially women and youth, to engage with climate services and make informed decisions based on agroecological practices.
  3. Increased gender equity in climate adaptation:
    • Empowerment of women and youth through participation in climate adaptation activities and decision-making processes.