businesses to build resilience: from mitigating emissions through renewable energy projects, to implementing adaptation solutions to manage water and other natural resources. We help governments and businesses manage climate finance and implement effective policies to reduce risks. Our emphasis is on supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy through projects that help protect natural resources, while also supporting employment and responsible growth.
We have developed our portfolio in North and West Africa, where the agriculture sector faces risks of reduced yields, shortened growing season and increased demand for irrigation. Two project examples highlight this experience.
CowaterSogema’s Irrigation for Fruit Tree Production in Morocco project (Projet d’arboriculture fruitière en zones irriguées) was designed to generate climate-smart growth in the agricultural sector through increased productivity, and improved processing and value addition in selected fruit tree value chains (olives, almonds, figs and dates). Through improved soil and water management practices in irrigated perimeters, the fruit tree products became more competitive on national and international markets and more resilient to climate change.
By developing both technical solutions and capacity of local producers and government, the project was able to benefit directly over 136,000 households in rural areas of the North, Centre and South regions of Morocco. For CSA to work effectively, coordination and integration among various sectors working on climate change, agricultural development and food security at national, regional and local levels was key to creating an enabling policy environment. The right incentives are required, such as payments for environmental services, or investments that encourage farmers to use climate-smart practices, to overcome initial investment barriers. It was this coordinated approach which ensured the success and sustainability of our CSA project in Morocco.
Water-use efficiency is another CSA approach that can improve soil conditions and boost production, making the agricultural system more climate resilient. In Burkina Faso, CowaterSogema’s Water and Sustainable Economic Growth in the Sahel (Eau et croissance économique durable au Sahel) project is addressing a critical need for water in this drought-prone region, a situation that greatly limits socio-economic development, especially for women. In doing so, the project is reducing the vulnerability of local populations to climate change through improved access and management of water supply. Specifically, the project is supporting climate-smart agricultural and livestock production for local producers and women’s groups.
CowaterSogema is using a demand-driven approach where local producers’ groups and associations, heavily represented by women’s groups, took an active role in designing activities in the dairy, livestock and vegetable value chains.
These value chains were selected for their potential to improve food security, revenue generating potential, and to ensure resilience to climate shocks. For example, irrigated vegetable gardening using water conservation techniques give farmers enough water for at least two market gardening growing cycles each year, when only one cycle was possible under rainfed conditions. Over 2,500 smallholder farmers have been involved and they are increasing agricultural production levels by around 30%. Climate-smart agriculture offers unique opportunities to tackle food security, address climate adaptation and mitigation objectives, and to reduce poverty. Implementing CSA requires an appreciation of how to ensure policy at the national and sub-national level provides the right incentives to support farm-level investment. It requires holistic adaption planning and av deep understanding of the priorities that men and women farmers have as land stewards. In an era of rising food and nutrition insecurity combined with climate change, a coordinated approach that takes into account the daily realities faced by farmers is essential to in o