Climate change lessons from the grassroots: In support of climate change resilient production systems

The Voices for Climate Action (VCA) project being implemented in Rufunsa district addresses food, water and seed systems, how climate change affects food systems and looks at available alternatives to support food systems through supporting seed systems. The project also addresses policy (climate finance and budgets) advocacy, to ensure that government policies, climate finance and budgets considers the needs and practices of target communities to address the climate crisis.  It also addresses gender, disabilities and youths and how climate change affects them differently in terms of food and seed systems.

The project seeks to empower smallholder farmers and communities in the target district in food production based on climate resilient production systems that consider the limitations of water, seed and the environmental supporting systems.

The project also seeks to empower smallholder farmers and communities in the target district in food production based on climate resilient production systems that consider the limitations of water, seed and the environmental supporting systems. These production systems that strengthen the community adaptation to climate change and contribute to its mitigation will require sustained government support in order to broaden the impact. The project thus seeks to strengthen the involvement of communities in awareness creation about good practices of production under climate change and to advocate for support from all stakeholders and government. The project also seeks to empower women that are in the majority of food producers and often rely on locally available resources and inputs for production and bear the brunt of climate change.

The project targets the following beneficiaries

• Youth

• people leaving with disabilities

• women and women groups

• Indigenous people and ethnic minorities