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The document argues that while climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can enhance food security and climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa, its adoption is hindered by physical input shortages and institutional failures. It recommends improving tenure security, expanding financial instruments like crop insurance, and strengthening local governance and scientific research to scale these practices.

The CAMBio II programme, implemented by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), focuses on enhancing the climate resilience of agricultural MSMEs in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. The initiative employs a three-pronged approach: providing innovative financial mechanisms through intermediary financial institutions (IFIs), offering capacity building and technical assistance, and implementing an incentive scheme called 'Adapt-Award' to promote ecosystem-based adaptation. The programme leverages a Global Credit Line (GCL) to distribute loans for sustainable resource management. A previous iteration of the project (CAMBio) demonstrated that while financial intermediation is successful, reaching the most vulnerable small-scale farmers remains a challenge due to conservative banking practices and high perceived risks in rural areas.

The report finds that while voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) are increasingly adopted in key agricultural sectors, they remain a marginal force globally, covering less than 1% of global agricultural area as of 2014. VSSs show strong alignment with habitat conservation, with 87% prohibiting production on recently converted forestland, but are poorly equipped to address climate change, with no standards requiring strict GHG emission reductions. The analysis reveals that standards typically mandate practices rather than performance outcomes, and their impact is often limited by a reliance on developed-country demand and a tendency to be adopted where compliance is least costly. The report suggests five policy options, including supporting biodiversity-driven implementation and developing integrated data systems, to better leverage VSSs for biodiversity protection.

The Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and Kenya have lost approximately 70% of their original forest cover due to deforestation and degradation. Despite a comprehensive legislative framework and significant donor funding—including $75 million for REDD+ activities in Tanzania between 2009 and 2014—governance remains ineffective. Key drivers include high population growth and a heavy reliance on biomass for energy, with Dar es Salaam residents using over 1,900 tonnes of charcoal daily. The document argues that while participatory forest management through Local Authority and Village Land Forest Reserves shows promise, success is hindered by poor land tenure, lack of economic alternatives to charcoal, and insufficient state capacity. It recommends strengthening the science-policy interface, promoting climate-smart agriculture, and increasing resource allocation for state forestry agencies.

The document outlines a strategic process for landscape restoration leaders to transition from a reliance on public finance to attracting private investment. It details four essential steps: identifying and engaging the right investors based on risk tolerance and growth stage; developing a comprehensive business plan focusing on the business model, management, finance, and deal structure; establishing a legal investable entity to channel funds; and tracking financial and operating performance to provide proof of concept. The guide emphasizes that private investors, except for impact investors, prioritize financial returns over environmental benefits and compare restoration ventures against opportunities in other industries.

In 2015, Côte d’Ivoire's financial flows for REDD+ were significantly lower than the investment needs required to reach its 2030 goal of 20% forest cover. While 16.8 billion FCFA was aligned with REDD+ objectives, a much larger sum of 84.2 billion FCFA was spent on 'grey' activities—primarily agricultural intensification—that could potentially drive further deforestation without stronger safeguards. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that the minimum annual cost for reforestation and agroforestry is estimated at 173 billion FCFA. It argues that the government and international partners have a major opportunity to 'green' existing agricultural investments and calls for the creation of a National REDD+ Fund and improved land-use planning to leverage finance more effectively.

In 2015, Côte d’Ivoire received FCFA 16.8 billion in REDD+ aligned finance, a small fraction of the estimated FCFA 173 billion needed annually to reach its 2030 forest cover target. The report highlights a significant gap between ambition and means, noting that 87% of relevant international finance (FCFA 80 billion) was 'grey'—meaning it lacked safeguards to prevent deforestation. Key institutional bottlenecks include SODEFOR's inability to execute its reforestation budget and a lack of mainstreaming of forest protection in national planning. The report argues that 'greening' existing agricultural finance could increase aligned funding five-fold. It recommends creating a National REDD+ Fund, improving land tenure security, and leveraging the success of the OIPR's debt-swap funding model.

The Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, held in Rotterdam, convened over 1,700 experts to address the urgency of climate adaptation. The synthesis highlights a critical gap where risks are being created faster than they are reduced, calling for more radical and experimental adaptation strategies. Key findings emphasize the necessity of diverse partnerships, the integration of the private sector, and a shift in monitoring from measuring process to measuring progress. The report details thematic outcomes across ten areas, including urban infrastructure, food security, public health, and the Arctic, while advocating for a reinforcing relationship between research 'on' and 'for' adaptation.

The SLMCRN project, implemented by WWF GEF Agency and executed by WWF Nepal with five Government of Nepal ministries, aimed to reduce degradation in 2,500 ha of agro-pastoral lands and 5,000 ha of forests. The terminal evaluation rated the project as 'Overall Satisfactory', noting strong output delivery but weaker outcome integration. Key successes included the establishment of 'open grazing free zones', the introduction of income-generating activities like Sal leaf plate making and milk chilling centers, and the use of bio-engineering for riverbank protection. However, the evaluation identified significant gaps in district-level coordination, a 'top-heavy' governance structure, and the failure of certain technologies like Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) due to insecure land tenure. The report recommends transitioning to longer project cycles (at least 5 years), integrating climate resilience into all activities, and reforming the National Land Use Policy 2012 to ensure nationwide implementability.

The Better Life Alliance (BLA) project in Zambia's Luangwa valley reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 902,531 tCO2e/yr, primarily through the prevention of savanna degradation and conversion. The project utilized a business model linking conservation to market incentives and promoted agro-ecological soil management and reduced postharvest losses for crops including groundnuts, maize, rice, and soybeans.

The document details a screening process to identify champion Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices in Nepal, utilizing a combination of on-farm trials, household surveys, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The methodology evaluates technologies based on three pillars—food security, adaptation, and mitigation—alongside Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI). The process resulted in a final list of 17 champion CSAs, with specific allocations for the high-hill, mid-hill, and Terai regions. Findings indicate that farmers prioritize food security above all other criteria, and that packaging multiple technologies is more effective for building resilience than standalone practices.

The report assesses 13 'champion' climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies in Nepal, including plastic houses, drip irrigation, and solar-based irrigation. It identifies systemic barriers to scaling, such as a lack of skilled service providers, inadequate scientific evidence for diverse agro-ecological zones, and a reliance on project-based rather than sustainable implementation. The document proposes three scaling models—knowledge-transfer, commercial business, and policy-push—and recommends transitioning from scheme-based to performance-based subsidies to better support poor smallholder farmers.

The document introduces agent-based modelling (ABM) as a bottom-up approach to study complex social and environmental systems by simulating the interactions of autonomous agents. It argues that ABM is particularly useful for problems involving decentralized interactions and non-linear dynamics where traditional top-down models fail. The authors highlight ABM's potential as a stakeholder engagement tool and its ability to be integrated with qualitative and quantitative methods like GIS and social network analysis. Four case studies are presented: disaster resilience in Turkey, agroforestry adaptation in Cameroon, biodiesel transitions in Malaysia, and artisanal fisheries management in Kenya.

The project developed a 2012 base year emissions inventory and projections to 2030 for Pakistan, identifying that emissions are expected to grow significantly without additional intervention. It analyzed mitigation options across agriculture, forestry, energy, industry, transport, and waste, concluding that implementing these measures could reduce emissions by over 100 megatonnes. A sensitivity analysis highlighted that GDP growth is a primary driver of future emissions, with higher growth rates leading to substantially higher GHG levels.

The 'Sustainable Landscapes in Eastern Madagascar' project is a cross-cutting mitigation and adaptation initiative requesting US$53.5 million from the Green Climate Fund. It employs a three-pronged financial approach: a US$15.3 million grant for public sector capacity building and sustainable agriculture, a US$35 million equity investment in a US$50.5 million private sector Investment Fund managed by Althelia, and a US$3.2 million grant to establish a national Climate Change Trust Fund. The project targets the Ankeniheny-Zahamena (CAZ) and Ambositra-Vondrozo (COFAV) forest corridors, aiming to reduce 10 MtCO2eq of emissions, provide 33 MW of renewable energy capacity, and benefit 562,000 direct beneficiaries. Key innovations include the use of a first-of-its-kind EIB Green/Climate Bond to mobilize private capital for a least developed country.

The Resilient Integrated Food Systems (RIFS) project in Lao PDR aims to improve food security and nutrition for 200,000 direct beneficiaries across six vulnerable provinces. The project employs a 'farm-to-fork' value chain approach, combining climate-smart agricultural inputs, diversified farming systems, and watershed management to mitigate the impacts of floods and droughts. Key interventions include the establishment of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) for gender-responsive extension, the introduction of solar-powered irrigation, and the restoration of 60,000 hectares of land per province annually through agroforestry and reforestation. The project is structured as a 100% grant of approximately 40.79 million USD, focusing on both adaptation and mitigation through carbon sequestration.

The World Resources Institute developed Global Forest Watch Water (GFW Water) to provide a public database and mapping tool for 230 major global watersheds. The tool assesses watershed health by scoring four primary risks—recent forest loss, historical forest loss, erosion, and fire—within the context of baseline water stress. It aims to support downstream beneficiaries, financing institutions, and researchers in implementing natural infrastructure, such as forest protection and restoration, to enhance water security and quality. The document details the underlying hydrologic science, the specific spatial data sets used (including Landsat imagery and the RUSLE erosion model), and the normalization process used to generate risk scores from 1 to 5.

The proposed programme aims to transition Rwanda's agriculture sector toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient model by mainstreaming adaptation and mitigation into national policies and the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA-4). With a requested grant of 30 million USD, the initiative focuses on implementing climate-smart pilots, building institutional capacity, and creating an enabling environment to overcome economic and policy barriers. The programme targets the agriculture sector, which is responsible for 78% of Rwanda's total greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate variability, including floods and droughts.

The document argues that current development and climate policies in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru often conflict, particularly where biofuel and hydropower expansion undermine forest conservation and water security. It advocates for a 'security agenda' based on the water-energy-food nexus to better manage resource trade-offs and improve coordination between national and subnational governments.

The proposal seeks USD 20,546,756 in grant financing to implement Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) across 10,000 hectares in The Gambia. The project aims to restore degraded forests, savannas, and agricultural landscapes to increase the supply of climate-resilient natural resources and establish community-managed businesses. It targets 11,550 direct beneficiaries, with a focus on women, and intends to integrate EbA into national policies and local land-use planning to catalyze a paradigm shift toward a green economy.