Climate change is threatening agricultural production, food security, and nutrition in many regions of the world. As temperatures continue to rise, and droughts and floods become more frequent, the production of food is expected to decline, and climate-related disasters will further undermine livelihoods.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and small island developing states (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to climate variability and change. Agriculture has been identified as the sector most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in these countries, yet it is also essential for ensuring food security and reducing poverty among vulnerable groups such as smallholder farmers, women, and youth. Given these multiple challenges, it is necessary and urgent to highlight coherent approaches to reduce the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sectors, build inclusive and effective adaptation strategies, and strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable. Despite the urgent needs communicated by developing countries to plan and develop adequate adaptation responses, international support remains limited.

Since 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) "Food Security: Climate-Smart Agriculture" (SAGA) project has been supporting two Francophone countries, Senegal and Haiti, in implementing the adaptation component of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and integrating agriculture into the national adaptation planning process (NAP). Made possible through a technical and financial partnership with the Government of Quebec, this project aims to strengthen the resilience of agricultural sectors and populations in these two countries for food security and nutrition.

Through a multi-scale, multi-sector, and multi-stakeholder approach, the SAGA project has developed partnerships with government, research, and civil society actors for adaptation planning that fully considers the potential of agricultural sectors. The project is organized around four complementary components:

1. Policy: Improving national adaptation planning policies and programs to implement priorities expressed in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) for the agricultural sector
2. Civil Society: Implementing pilot interventions at the community level to strengthen the resilience of small farmers, particularly in natural resource management and socio-economic empowerment of women and youth in rural areas
3. Research: Generating data and scientific evidence on vulnerability and adaptation options in agricultural sectors.
4. Awareness-raising, advocacy, and dialogue: Enhancing existing coordination mechanisms on climate change to facilitate dialogue among local, national, and international partners concerned.