Scaling up of Adaptation in the Agricultural Sectors (SAAS)

Module 1: Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the agricultural sectors

Webinar 8: Can I Eat EbA?

Date: Thursday, November 7th, 14:00 – 15:30 CEST (UTC/GMT+2)

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Join the eighth webinar of the SAAS Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in the agricultural sectors webinar module. This webinar is organized in collaboration with the Friends of EbA (FEBA) network, where we will ask the question Can I eat EbA? The objective of the  webinar will be to promote the scaling up of nature-based solutions (NbS) to support disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in the food and agriculture sector through a narrative on the knowledge-to-table aspects of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). 

By interacting with practitioners and experts who have developed replicable solutions and learned important real-world lessons, participants will gain insights into the following questions: Do we have enough knowledge to implement EbA? Can we absorb this knowledge and turn it into a practice? If yes, can these  practices increase food and nutrition security under a changing climate?

Presentation topics:

1. Harnessing the full potential of climate and ecosystem research to sustainably support resilient food and agriculture systems: Effective EbA is based on a strong, reliable and continued understanding of ecosystems and their functioning both at the local and landscape level. Teodardo Calles, Agricultural Officer, FAO, will build on experiences from agroecological perspectives to identify opportunities and obstacles for integrating climate and ecosystem considerations into policies and strategies that target and/or can support DRR and CCA in the food and agriculture sector.
2. Building the narrative on the ground and supporting advocacy for action: Krystyna Swiderska, Principal researcher, IIED, will share experiences from community-led EbA initiatives in Peru that shed light on the effectiveness of and challenges to scaling up  traditional knowledge-based EbA for building climate resilience in the food and agriculture sector and improving food and nutrition security. 
3. Now can we eat? Our final presentation will take us to Italy, where Lorenzo Caponetti, a lecturer and olive oil producer, will share with us his experience of looking to the past and adapting traditional practices and technologies to provide present day solutions for his olive farm. “I believe a lot of what we need has already been invented, we just need to understand how to fit those features into today’s picture” – Lorenzo Caponetti. Within this frame, we will also hear about his integrated livestock-cropping system and his efforts to maintain a circular economy on his farm, where nothing goes to waste.

The presentations will be followed by a virtual panel discussion where we will invite the presenters and other panelists from the FEBA community to further build on their experiences and expertise to answer the question Can I Eat EbA?

Virtual panel discussion presenters:

Md. Liaquat Ali, Senior Fellow, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS)
Mainstreaming adaptation benefits for Bangladesh’s freshwater ecosystems: Incentive-based Hilsa Conservation Programme in Bangladesh.

Chiara Franco, The Nature Conservancy
EbA policy integration in Micronesia and Melanesia

Rachel Nisbet, The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA)
“Rain, Forests, People” – Agroforestry for drought resilient farming communities in Senegal

Moderators:

Katherine Blackwood, IUCN and Manar Abdelmagied, FAO