development
projects
locations China date 2010 – 2012 CABI project team Qiaoqiao Zhang Min Wan Fook Wing Chan Loke Wai Hong Feng Zhang
helping China’s farmers adapt to climate change
Climate change is likely to have a huge impact on agriculture in China and as a result, on poverty. Recent studies have predicted that by 2050 climate change could reduce China’s agricultural output by up to 37%. China’s farmers therefore need appropriate options to adapt to climate change and be resilient to it. A number of research studies have, and are, focused on tackling this difficult task. However, because of the complexity of agricultural systems, many key knowledge gaps remain.
what is this project doing? This project helps to foster closer cooperation and interaction between Chinese and UK researchers supporting the China–UK Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network (SAIN: www.sainonline.org/English), established to provide a coherent framework for development and implementation of sustainable agriculture. Through a structured programme of knowledge exchange and joint research between Chinese and UK researchers, the project aims to communicate both the impacts of climate change on agriculture and the benefits of sustainable farming systems to representatives from farming communities, researchers and policymakers.
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE
Conducting literature reviews and surveys in farming communities, the project will establish the level of awareness and current research that has already taken place on sustainable farming systems in China. From this, the project will build the capacity of Chinese researchers through training programmes and help farmers understand and adapt to climate change by raising awareness of the strategies available. To help disseminate our progress we will produce a bi-lingual website in both Chinese and English, press releases, posters, project summaries and our findings. Applying CABI’s expertise, the communication aspects of the project will be mainly down to us. Our role is to bring everyone together and help them to discuss the issues and share their ideas. By helping researchers and farmers adapt to a new landscape, the project will promote sustainable agriculture, and strengthen the capacity of researchers and farmers to respond to the impacts of climate change.
results so far So far, we’ve built and populated the website (www.sainclimatechange.org) which allows scientists to upload their project information, provides a discussion forum, caters for feedback and shares the latest news on the topic. All the key content information has been translated into Chinese and a database has been developed to capture and categorize project information. Also, a mobile version of the website has been launched to promote coverage on different technology platforms. The project will continue to encourage scientists to upload information and use the forums. In addition, materials for farmers are being produced to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change and the options available to them.
www.cabi.org/climatechange partners Walker Institute for Climate System Research, University of Reading Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development on Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IEDA, CAAS) University of Leeds Met Office Hadley Centre CABI Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP, CAAS) Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research University of Hertfordshire Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural & Animal Husbandry Sciences Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences
sponsor Defra
contact CABI, Nosworthy Way, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8DE, UK T: +44 (0)1491 829352 E: q.zhang@cabi.org www.cabi.org
ID-CCC-06-12
Qlaoqlao Zhang, CABI Project Manager