Decision support tools for strengthening family farmers’ capacity to design climate smart options in Colombia

The overall objective of this proposal was to co-design with family farmers involved in a broader participatory research conducted in Colombia and Honduras, a methodology permitting to (1) strengthen their capacities to analyze the complex impacts of climate-smart practices on their farms, and to (2) facilitate their interactions with other local actors involved in a multi-stakeholder innovation platform.

Participatory definition and delimitation of the scope of the assessment based on surveys with farmers and a typology of existing farming systems
Selection of assessment criteria according to the literature on the three CSA pillars
Selection, Design and Calculation of Indicators based on focus groups with farmers and an inventory of all production, transportation, and processing processes for representative farms
Choice of the reference value to use (relative versus normative)
Interpretation of the results of the assessment and recommendations to improve synergies between the three pillars of CSA
Drafting of scientific papers

An operational methodology called LCSA4CSA for ministry of agriculture of Colombia, partners of the broader project, based on life cycle assessment and that allows to take into account the different environmental impact of CSA practices
A scientific paper submitted on the participatory process and its effects on farmers’ knowledge and adoption of innovative practices
A scientific paper presenting the prospective evaluation of the role of climate-smart alternatives in adapting and mitigating climatic impacts and improving productivity
An oral communication to LCA AgriFood Asia 2018
Figure 2: Schematic representation of the system under consideration: at farm and crop system levels