CBA14 day 2 – B3: Building multi-dimensional resilience to scale up nature-based solutions
Channel: IIED
Date: 15/12/2020

This is a recording of a session from the 14th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change (CBA14), which took place online from 21-25 September 2020.

With their ability to mobilise millions of smallholder farmers, Indigenous and local communities, Forest and Farm Producer Organisations (FFPOs) can help drive a paradigm shift towards production systems that protect and promote interlinked biodiversity and cultural (biocultural) heritage. 

A survey carried out by the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) together with 41 FFPOs in Africa, Asia and Latin America found that most FFPO members engage in mixed agroforestry production systems as a strategy to reduce economic and climate risk and increase their socio-economic resilience. Within the context of COVID-19, these adaptation strategies remain highly relevant, but even more so the importance of FFPOs' collective action and need for support to scale up these adaptation strategies at the community level. 

Their democratic business ownership requires them to pursue a diverse set of goals and often also opts for additional investments into solutions that support people and nature. One example of this is the investment into a range of social and cultural services that are central for people’s wellbeing, empowerment, and sustainable development. These include the channelling of income from product sales to: i) support the collective management of natural resources and build resilience against disasters; ii) create affordable financial services for social and production purposes; iii) support members through training and extension services to make the shift from chemical to organic inputs and methods of production, and; iv) advocate for natural resource tenure rights and representation in important policy and trade forums. 

These are just a few examples of the many ways in which FFPOs support local communities champion nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change and economic risk.

For more information about CBA14, follow this link: www.iied.org/cba14