Climate adaptive approaches to food security using experiences of Dutch farmers organisations Climate change is likely to impact negatively on food production and security worldwide. In order to reduce poverty and maintain social stability in agricultural or semi-agricultural societies, it is vital to create circumstances where the natural environment and social resources are not drained, and will provide income and economic sustainability for larger groups of people for longer periods of time. 

LTO-Noord together with WUR and other parties have identified a climate adaptive approach to food security in the Northern part of the Netherlands. In 2010 various farmers organisations from development countries were identified that were also searching for climate adaptive approaches to food security. Out of a total of 14 cases 7 have been selected from farmers organisations  and with 2 farmers organisations action research will be done till the end of 2012 in order to see whether the cases bring new knowledge on climate adaptive approaches to food security from farmers perspectives.

Climate change affects the lives of farmers. Their lands and crops are under pressure from draught, floods, eroding, new animal diseases or plagues, and increasingly their livelihoods will depend on how they adapt in the face of these new conditions.

The logical response is to develop a sustainable agricultural practice – where environmental, economic and social concerns all come into play. By mapping the problems that small, local farmers experience and giving them access to the knowledge and networks that exist on local, national and international level, it should be possible to work towards structural improvements.

Several goals are defined at the start of the project: discussing and promoting forms of sustainable agriculture, sharing scientific knowledge on a practical level, creating and improving farmers networks, creating integral (economic) approaches.  Farmers organizations will play a big part in these transfers and exchanges, and their participation must warrant the bottom-up approach.

LTO-Noord started a project Climate and Agriculture Noord Nederland in 2006 which ended in December 2010 (5549). The steering group is enthusiastic about their work and wants to exchange experience with colleague farmers' organisations from the developing countries and has decided to expand the project with another 2 years (till December 2012).

These 2 years will be used to implement action research, using 2 selected cases of involved farmers organisations as point of departure.  Contributions from 14 farmer organisations were received in 2011 through a contest on climate change adaptation. Out of these, 2 will be selected for starting a programme on action research in 2012. LTO-Noord, WUR and MWH will support these selected farmer organisations in implementing the action research on adaptive agriculture practices to  climate change. 

In order to involve global players in climate change in this particular agenda, will LTO-Noord attenda workshop in October 2011 in Wageningen, The Netherlands.  LTO-Noord will liaise with participants from various organisations allover the world, including World Bank. The intention is to get them interested and supportive in follow up of the action research programme at farmers' organisations' level.

Farmer led action reseach on climate adapted agriculture practices using methods tested by Dutch farmers