Step 2: Implementing Preventive Mechanisms by Producers and the Private Agricultural Sector at the Micro Level
At the micro level, individual producers and private entrepreneurs (SMEs) can enhance their resilience through the following preventive measures driven by the concept of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices:
Private sector: examples include setting up storage facilities, upgrading food processing sites/shops, provision of agricultural inputs (e.g. appropriate high-quality seeds, vaccination of livestock), training for improved agricultural and management practices, and use of appropriate/green technology.
Farmers: examples include improving soil moisture retention, planting nitrogen-fixing plants to promote soil generation, water conservation, using appropriate agricultural practices (e.g. drought-resistant seeds, fertilizer/compost, heat-resistant chickens), and land-use planning in drought-prone regions.
Guiding Questions and Tools
Guiding Questions
Does the government have any policy in place for incentivizing the private sector and farmers to introduce disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation measures? If so, in which ways?
Are there any priorities (e.g. subsistence farmers, commercial export-related agriculture)?
Guideline
FAO (2017): Benefits of farm level disaster risk reduction practices in agriculture − Preliminary findings
Source of information
The R4 Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) is a comprehensive risk management approach (including insurance) to help communities be more resilient to climate variability and shocks
Tools
Semi-structured interviews with the private sector and producers: Information on preventive mechanisms can be obtained primarily through interviews with members of business associations and cooperatives, and individuals.
Expected Outputs When Using the Tools
- Implementation of sector-specific prevention measures enable the government to reduce weather-related risks and enhance the resilience of the government, the agricultural private sector and producers. This will result in a range of positive implications for economic development and government income (e.g. no disruption of taxes paid by agricultural entrepreneurs, lower cost for food aid after extreme weather events).
- Investment in prevention measures is more effective and efficient than spending funds on ex post coping strategies.
- Better planning, e.g. pertaining to sustainable agricultural and green-growth policies, and National Adaptation Plans, including enhanced building codes according to the ‘build back better’10 concept, zoning and land-use plans.
- Using social protection programmes, especially public works, for preventive measures and resilience building.
- Insurance-related outputs (‘Insurance and Preventive Measures’).