Climate Change and Climate Change and Agroforestry Management Agroforestry Management

in Sri Lanka: in Sri Lanka: Adverse Impacts, Adverse Impacts,

Adaptation Strategies and Adaptation Strategies and Policy ImplicationsPolicy Implications

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Mangala De ZoysaUniversity of Ruhuna

Sri Lanka 

and 

Makoto InoueThe University of Tokyo

Japan

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Background

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Increased rainfall intensity, amount per day and average per spell

Mean rainfall projected decrease by 4% in quantity and distribution

Increase mean air temperature by 0.9 to 4 0C by 2100

Projected sea level rise Sri Lanka falls under ‘vulnerable’

small island nations

Farming and forestry threatened by weather-related phenomena

Agroforestry adapt climate change through:

– Diversified land-use practices, livelihoods and sources of income

– Enhancement of agricultural productivity

– Buffering weather-related production losses

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Agroforestry are numerous and found in all climatic zones in Sri Lanka

The paper reviewed literature and discusses:

– Impacts of climate change on forest and agriculture in Sri Lanka

– Agroforestry adaptation to climate changes and

– policy implications required to promote the agroforestry adaptation

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Adverse Impacts of Climate Change on

Forest and Agriculture

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Endangering Natural Assets 3.5 m drought affected people

given emergency supply 2000 and 2005

Drought in 2001 worst hit water for agricultural and domestic needs

Irrigation sector affected by drought Forests reduced 36% to 29% (1990

~ 2006) affecting water for agriculture, power generation and drinking

Sea level rise affected coastal ecosystems

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Prevalence of Pests and Diseases

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RRDI urgently producing rice resistant to pests and diseases

Increased pest and disease on coconut increased investment in pest control

Invasive Alien Species affecting agricultural lands

Livestock with increased temperature more vulnerable to pests and diseases

Famers susceptibility to dehydration, fatigue, hepatitis, typhoid etc

Crop Failures and Affect Livestock

Monsoonal change fall paddy production by 20-30% in 20 to 30 years

Reduction of rainfall by 100 mm reduce productivity of ‘made’ tea by 30-80 kg per ha

Dry spells and cloudiness loss coconut production

Increased sea water affect agricultural lands Livestock under pressure with competition

over land and water10

High Levels of Food Insecurity Decrease agricultural productivity in 15% by

2080 Dry Zone highly vulnerable to drought while

Wet Zone at risk of recurrent floods Production in major and minor irrigation

schemes has frequent shortfalls Sea water intrusion in coastal areas affect

agriculture Farmers in vulnerable areas have lower

adaptive capacity with:– Poor infrastructure and socioeconomic assets

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Risk of Migration into Forest Areas

Prolong droughts push chena (Slash and burn) into forest reserve to find livelihood

Farmers affected by Tsunami south, north and east have moved to forest lands

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Adaptation of Agroforestry to Climate

Changes Impacts

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Increase Tree Cover Outside Forests

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Homegardens in 22% of land increase forest cover and connectivity

Kandyan Home Gardens cover 40% of District

PFP established 9,000 ha homegardens, 4,000 ha FWL, 1,500 ha PWT and 250 ha miscellaneous plantings

Gliricidia as fourth plantation increase forest cover

Green villages and Dayata Sevena promote agroforestry enhanced canopy cover

Enhance Forest Carbon Stocks 2 m ha of forest store 21 tons of CO2 per

ha Homegarden is important carbon sinks for

REDD+ Program– Tree density from 338 in DZ to 2108 per

ha in WZ Agroforestry ensure fertile soil in long-run

reduce emissions Biomass Energy comes from agricultural

lands, and woodlots is cheap and less emissions

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Conserve Biodiversity Most species in homegardends are

indigenous with multi-purpose uses Kandyan Home Gardens contain

more than 30 different crops, perennial trees, shrubs etc.

Beverage crops successfully cultivate under leguminous and shade trees

Perennial spices are cultivated in agroforestry farming systems

Watersheds and wetland biodiversity adapt to climate change

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Reduce Risk and Intensity of Damage

“Let us grow, and uplift the nation” and “Livelihood Development program” established homegardens– Reduce living costs, enhanced

food security, and environmentally friendly agriculture

Dendro plantations in tea and coconut lands:– Reduce soil temperature 10oC– Maintain soil moisture 60 cm– Produced wood 15-30 mt per ha

Strip vegetation reduce salinity in agriculture lands

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Maintain Health and Vitality UWMP apply soil conservation with

homegardens Agroforestry in steep slopes

increase climate resiliency, and reduce land erosion

Kandyan Home Gardens prevent erosion and floods and increase carbon sequestration

Gliricidia under Coconut– Leaf litter reduces soil

temperature– Prevent soil erosion and enhance

fertility18

Scale Up ‘Multiple Benefit’ Homegardens provide alternative

livelihoods Farmers select crops considering

profitability, marketing and convenience

PFP created employment, reduced poverty and rehabilitated degraded lands

Gliricidia in mixed systems enhance soil, provide animal fodder, grass and biogas

Wood-based production meet energy, alleviate poverty, save foreign exchange 19

Policy Implications

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Amend Policy and LegislationMeeting REDD+ Expectations REDD+ based on lost opportunities Legislation on agroforestry:

– Reduce unequal treatment for forests or crops

– Compete with other forms of land useDealing with market influences Forests disappeared conversing to valued crops Legislation for agroforestry management :

– Incorporate forests and trees in production plans

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Market relations and Social responsibility Buyers looking for products meeting specific

environmental and social standards Participatory and consultative processes of

designing and implementing

Property rights Rights and tenure protected by legislation Well-defined land, tree and carbon rights:

– Prevent dispute under defined rights

– Provide poor people with legal access to land

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Awareness and Capacity Building

Improve community understanding:

– Climate change and risk

– Effectively manage agroforestry

– Improve livelihoods on sustainable basis Advisory and training programs:

– Help farmers to prepare for challenges

– Adopt innovation and technologies

– Communicate outcomes from research23

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Strengthening Capacity of Lands

Revitalize degraded and fragmented forest and farm lands

Improve capacity of species and ecosystems Strengthen agroforests to:

– Maintain, restore and enhance forest and farm area, biodiversity, health and vitality

Integrate crop and forest a hardy system:

– Capable of coping with climate change

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Planning for Climate-smart Agroforest Landscapes

Rooted in agriculture, forestry and rural development

Contribute agroforestry for Millennium Development Goals:– Reduce hunger and improved

environmental management– Support food security and boost incomes– Increase productivity and resilience of

agricultural landscapes Develop agroforestry strategies to sequester

carbon and reduce GHG emission25

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Introduce ‘No-regret’ Options Maintain benefits with or without climate

change:– Promoting crop diversity and biodiversity– Using integrated farming and forestry systems– Improving post-harvest management

Priority for options:– Providing economic and environmental

benefits simultaneously Incentives given for measures:

– Reduce GHG emissions simultaneously26

 

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Appropriate Technology Development

Needed for: – Monitoring and research– Adaptation to climate change

Vary according to:– Geographic area– Objectives of management activity– Scale and intensity of operation– Local human and financial resources

Complement conservation and sustainable use of:– Trees within agricultural landscapes 27

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Create Climate Change Adjustment Programs

Professional advice and training Agroforestry adjust to climate change:

– Access business and management practices Adjust advice and training to producers,

adversely impacted, or likely to be impacted– Set goals and develop action plans to

improve financial circumstancesIncrease smallholders’ resilience to shocks Transitional income support for agroforestry

businesses adjust to climate change New start allowance for participants of programs

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Form Agroforestry Network Formulate and implement agroforestry at

landscape scale:– Work on environmental services– Implement community agreements

Foster local governance and collaboration:– Voluntary participation of local

stakeholders Tree planting in agricultural landscape:

– Rehabilitate degraded lands– Increase yields of small holder farmers– Contribute CO2 sequestration 29

Conclusions and Recommendations

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Climate change impacts by complexity and magnitude have threatened agricultural and forest ecosystems in Sri Lanka

Agroforestry in Sri Lanka play important role in climate change adaptation and enhancing resilience

Agroforestry management with cross-sectoral and landscape approaches can help local communities adapt to new conditions caused by climate change

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