Testing a new model combining micro-finance and farmer training to upscale the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices by small-scale farmers in developing countries

Climate change creates agricultural production and income losses and increases the risks to food security and nutrition for farming households. Compared to farmers from developed countries, those losses and risks are expected to be higher for about 500 million smallscale farming households in developing countries1, many of which are poor, food insecure and do not have the capacity to adapt to climate change. CSA practices (that increase agricultural productivity, enhance the resilience of farmers to climate change, and, where possible, mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture2), can help in reducing risk and losses. It is, however, challenging to upscale the adoption of CSA practices by small-scale farmers in developing countries. Farmers often lack agricultural and agri-business knowledge and finance to invest in CSA practices. Many of them are socially disadvantaged, extremely poor, women, and youth. They are usually excluded from efforts to improve access to finance and knowledge about CSA practices. We therefore need new rural development models that will enhance agricultural and agri-business