Synergies between adaptation and mitigation at country level: panel discussion + dialogue Austin Tibu, Land Resources Conservation Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Malawi © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Bonn, Germany
4th June, 2013
Options for Adaptation and Mitigation
in Malawi: Some Evidence
Austin Tibu
MoAFS-Malawi

2. Malawi and Agriculture
• Agriculture sector contributes 40
% of the national GDP;
• employs 90 % of the 13 mil
Malawi population;
• The sector is transforming in
order to achieve food security
while responding to the effects
of climate change;
• The agriculture sector remains
rain-fed; vulnerable to dry
spells, changes in the onset of
rains, uneven rainfall distribution

3. Synergistic Adaptation and Mitigation Focus
Areas

4. Adaptation Strategies and Food Security:
FAO/EC CSA Preliminary Findings
• Favorable rainfall outcomes affect positively the
decision to adopt short-term practices, e.g. use of
inorganic fertilizers;
• Unfavorable rainfall outcome encourages farmers to
adopt maize-legume intercropping, CA, SWC and
organic manures;
• Land tenure security increases the likelihood for
farmers to adopt long-term strategies;
• Access to extension services, social capital and
collective action also affect positively the adoption
decision.

5. Emerging Evidence: Mitigation
-300
-250
-200
-150
-100
-50
0
50
100
150
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
$/tCO2e
t CO2e abated/year
1.agronomy_dry
2.Integrated nutrient
management _dry
3.Tillage/residue
mgmt_dry
4.Integrated nutrient
management_moist
5.Tillage/residue
mgmt_moist
6.agronomy_moist
7.agroforestry_dry
8.agroforestry_moist
9.water mgmt_dry
10.water mgmt_moist
Source: FAO, 2013

8. Lessons Learned So Far
The need for adaptation and potential for mitigation in agricultural
development have implications for successful planning to support
food security and poverty reduction;
Barriers to adoption of promising agricultural practices requires
better understanding of farmer decision-making, risk management
and smart incentives;
Uptake/up-scaling of practices also requires enabling action-
supportive policies, institutions and investment - for which
greater integration and coordination will be essential;
Extended transition time to realize some productivity and
adaptation benefits of CSA. Means low/negative returns during
transition
Need for financing during early phase of transition necessary

9. Thank you!