Ottawa—An international survey of agriculture organizations has found farmers everywhere need financial assistance to be able to adopt climate friendly production practices.

That was the key conclusion of research during 2023 by the World Farmers’ Organization (WFO) on Climate-Smart Agriculture. Tight economic margins impose a burden when it comes to adopting new practices to increase carbon storage and decrease emissions. Farmers are ready to adopt measures that make sense economically.

The development of climate-smart frameworks and guidelines does not usually involve farmers, WFO said. “Numerous participants mentioned a lack of recognition for the climate-smart practices and techniques that farmers have already adopted but are not acknowledged in formal climate-smart agriculture guidelines.

“In addition, they said that farmers often consider climate-smart agriculture guidelines to be inaccessible and/or unfair, with inadequate steps named for farmers to make to transition to climate-smart agriculture.”

The survey concluded that nearly three quarters of producers already adhere to climate-smart agriculture principles. It also found that including farmers and others in the food chain “in the development of climate-smart agriculture frameworks and guidelines would help ensure a transition to climate-smart agriculture that is socially, environmentally, and economically viable.”

Farmers need commitments of at least four years of financial support for transitioning to green farming practices and that 10 years of backing would be even more productive.

With climate-smart agriculture gaining attention, the survey was part of an initiative to elevate “farmers’ voices and perspectives into the global conversation that will inform research and action.”

AgMission, a partnership of researchers, farm organizations and the supply chain led by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) played a leading role in the survey.

AgMission aims to enhance collaboration among producers and researchers, produce practical science-based solutions and empower faster and more widespread adoption of climate-smart agriculture, WFO said.

“We recognize that no two farms or ranches are alike, and climate resilient practices therefore must be both diverse and scalable to meet producers’ needs.”

The survey results will help shape the future AgMission research agenda, “ensuring our efforts are responsive to practical needs and emerging evidence from direct observations of producers. The insights from this approach and report are critical for all stakeholders to understand.

“Only by directly engaging with producer communities in the earliest stages of research can we co-create solutions that will scale rapidly enough to address the climate change challenge.”

While many producers around the world are implementing formal and/or informal adaptation strategies, long-term financial plans are needed to create viable and sustainable agricultural business models,” WFO said.

This news report was prepared for National Newswatch.