AGILE4Climate

Lead Organization:

Soils, Food and Healthy Communities Organization

Partner Organizations:

Mzuni, LUANAR, Western University, Australian National University, Ministry of Agriculture (Malawi), Soils, Food, and Healthy Communities (SFHC), Illinois State University, St. Lawrence University, University of Denver

Community of Practice:

East & Southern Africa

Countries:

Malawi

Overview:

Smallholder farmers in east and southern Africa are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts on food and nutrition security, health and livelihoods, due to increasingly intense droughts, heatwaves, pest outbreaks and floods, which are predicted to worsen in the coming decades.1 Smallholders rely on rainfed agriculture for food security in Malawi, and often are marginalized in terms of access to knowledge, resources, markets and political support for climate change adaptation.1,2 Gender and generational inequalities are also key underlying issues to address with climate change adaptation strategies.3, 4 Women are constrained by heavy and unequal workloads, which include agricultural labor, household tasks, and childcare.3, 4 In addition, women and rural youth have lower decision-making power and access to resources such as land, seed and knowledge for climate change adaptation.5 

Our previous farmer-led participatory research on agroecological climate change adaptation in Malawi has shown that agroecological practices (such as legume intercropping, compost use, and agroforestry) have improved food security, dietary diversity, livelihoods, sustainable land management and biodiversity.6-20 We also found, using a gender-transformative approach, that women’s autonomy and empowerment improved, with evidence of greater equity between men and women in relation to various household tasks.21-24 We have yet to test, however, the impact of agroecological practices for specific climate-related extreme events, such as dry spells, floods and pest outbreaks. While the broader literature provides evidence that agroecological practices can reduce climate risks,1 there is less scientific evidence about how agroecological strategies are adaptive to climate risks in low-income countries.1,24 Furthermore, inclusive, gender-sensitive methods to effectively share knowledge about agroecological strategies for extreme climate risks across a broader scale while respecting Indigenous and local knowledge are limited.7

We propose establishing territorial-based Agroecology Gender-transformative Living labs (AGILEs) in Malawi, to ensure that rural women and youth are at the forefront of co-designing and co-implementing strategies to adapt to intense drought, heat waves, intense storm events, pest and disease outbreaks and other associated climate hazards. To the best of our knowledge, there is limited research that has characterized which agroecological practices provide resilience to increasingly prolonged dry spells, heatwaves, floods, pests and disease outbreaks, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is also limited knowledge about how to promote agroecological transitions from agroecosystems to food systems levels. Our research questions are: 

  • Do agroecological practices increase crop resilience to climate risks such as dry spells, heat stress and pest/disease damage?
  • Can integrating indigenous local knowledge, climate and weather forecast data and agroecology enhance farmers’ social learning and decision-making and facilitate climate adaptation?

This research team includes members from Mzuni, LUANAR, and international researchers which have ongoing agroecology research underway in Malawi. While there are known research teams in North and West Africa, India and the Caribbean explicitly studying agroecological approaches to climate change adaptation, some using a living lab approach, we are not aware of any research projects underway that are trying to work with farmers to measure crop response to climate risks, comparing agroecological/non-agroecological systems.

Grant Aims:

  1. Assess agroecological resilience: Investigate which agroecological practices offer resilience to climate risks such as dry spells, heatwaves, and pest/disease outbreaks.
  2. Integrate indigenous knowledge and climate data: Develop climate services that combine indigenous knowledge with modern weather forecasting to improve farmers’ decision-making for adaptation.
  3. Improve gender equity in climate adaptation: Use gender-transformative methods to ensure that adaptation strategies are inclusive and address the needs of marginalized groups, particularly women and youth.
  4. Foster community-based climate adaptation: Engage local farmers in the co-design and co-implementation of climate-resilient practices and interventions.

Outputs and Outcomes:

Outputs:

  1. Agroecological Practices Assessment: A detailed characterization of which agroecological practices provide optimal crop resilience to climate risks like dry spells and heatwaves.
  2. Pest and Disease Management Strategies: Practical strategies to improve crop resistance to pests and diseases, especially in maize, legumes, and other food crops.
  3. Co-developed Climate Services: Tailored climate services using climate forecasts, indigenous knowledge, and weather data to help farmers make informed decisions.
  4. Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building: Gender-sensitive strategies to share relevant climate adaptation practices and build local capacity for adaptation, focusing on marginalized groups.

Outcomes:

  1. Enhanced Climate Resilience: Improved understanding of which agroecological practices provide resilience to climate risks, leading to more adaptive farming strategies.
  2. Improved Farmer Decision-Making: Empowered farmers using integrated climate services and knowledge, leading to better decision-making and adaptation strategies.
  3. Increased Gender Equity: Greater gender equality in access to climate adaptation resources, empowering women and youth to actively participate in decision-making and adaptation strategies.
  4. Sustainable Farming Systems: A stronger, community-led approach to agroecological practices that enhances long-term resilience and sustainability for smallholder farmers in Malawi.