Climate Change Adaptation Workbook for Tropical Agriculture and Forestry

The objective of this NRCS-funded project is to develop sector-specific guidelines to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation by understanding farmers, forest stewards, and land managers’ management goals in relation to climate impacts. 

The overall goal is to improve stakeholder access to cross-sector resources, tools, and services that support them in achieving sustainable adaptation. The activities in this project  involve new connections to improve how we communicate adaptation resources, tools, and services in culturally-appropriate ways.

Phase 1 (ongoing): Pilot assessments and draft guide development
The main objective of this pilot project is to facilitate discussion spaces where farmers, forest stewards, land managers, and other audiences of interest to this project, can share their management goals in relation to the degree of climate change-related impacts they are facing.

There are four main deliverables that are expected to be developed in this first phase:

  1. Sector-specific draft guides and factsheets to support the assessment of climate vulnerabilities and the identification of adaptation strategies. These fact sheets will also support users in identifying external resources, such as agency programs and services, that can support them in the process of completing their adaptation goals. Sectors include dairy and beef cattle, diversified farms, forestry, cacao, coffee, plantain and banana fields.
  2. An Adaptation Workbook draft to support decision-making in the identification of adaptation strategies. The Workbook will consist of a series of steps─a five-step process used and validated in other USDA Climate Hub adaptation workbooks─that will support stakeholders in (1) defining their project management goals, (2) assessing climate impacts and vulnerabilities, (3) evaluating objectives in relation to those vulnerabilities, (4) identifying and implementing adaptation strategies, and (5) monitoring and evaluating implemented actions.
  3. A Resources Facilitation Guide will be developed to help users better understand the Workbook and other available tools that complement the process. The guide is intended to help different audiences understand and facilitate Workbook activities.
  4. Synthesis reports and peer-review publications related to 1) the development of the Adaptation Workbook draft, and 2) the assessments’ methodology and Phase 1 findings, will be produced for the benefit of the public.

Do you want to be part of the process? If you would like to share with us your climate concerns in relation to your agricultural production or forestry stewardship, in order for us to better develop a product that is useful, please contact us at Luis.RodriguezCruz@usda.gov.