This scoping study was commissioned by Sida - Swedish Environment Secretariat for Asia (SENSA) to explore issues related to food security and environment in the context of climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), in order to identify opportunities to develop the agriculture sector into a vehicle for ameliorating the negative effects of climate change and environmental degradation. The study explores trends and drivers of agricultural production (including fisheries and agroforestry) in the GMS from 1990 to 2050.
It is recommended that Sida- SENSA can contribute most effectively through targeted research programs leading to pilot implementation of new production modes; and by promoting understanding of the policy significance of emerging knowledge through regional dialogue and analysis. By working in close collaboration with national and regional research and management agencies to achieve these objectives, Sida can contribute to a third, equally important objective: building national and regional capacity to plan and manage sustainable agricultural production systems. Examples of priority projects in each arena include:
Research/pilot program on the provision of environmental services by agricultural systems, with an initial focus on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
Research/pilot program on redesigning rain-fed production systems: landscape approaches to agricultural planning to enhance production while maintaining environmental services.
Roundtable discussion and review of climate models and resulting projections of water availability for the region, to bring some consistency to the technical base for adaptation planning.
Policy dialogue on the role of agricultural development in climate change adaptation.
These programs would provide an opportunity at the regional level for Sida to invest in bringing the adaptation, mitigation and sustainability debates together and to spearhead an approach that explicitly recognizes their interaction, building from the substantial body of work already underway in the region.