NWPStaging

Overall, the results indicated that rain-fed agriculture is highly exposed to climate change, with physical factors such as water flow and crop yield sensitive to changes in key climatic variables including temperature and rainfall. In light of this climate variability, the sensitivity of ecological systems translates into high exposure for smallholder farmers who rely on rain-fed agriculture. Financial capital, technology, and education were identified as key contributors to improving adaptive capacity and reducing vulnerability amongst farmers in general, especially amongst female farmers. Recommendations The research culminated in a technical report and an executive summary featuring key recommendations on strengthening localised climate awareness, investment in climate research and information services, promotion of open data and information sharing, and mandatory and enhanced inclusion of women and girls in decision-making through appropriate strategies as we have identified in our key recommendations: 1. Localised climate awareness. Relevant ministries and stakeholders should promote campaigns and workshops for farmers communicated in Setswana, English, and Kalanga (with more languages to be added) to inform the farming community about transitioning to more climate-resilient practices. Inclusivity should be ensured by involving all relevant stakeholders such as men, women, the elderly, and youth in the consultation and implementation processes. 2. Investment in climate research and information services. This includes expanding existing infrastructure (i.e., regional weather stations) and personnel training on monitoring monthly rainfall, temperature, climate resilient crops and consecutive wet and dry days at regional and national scales and subsequent translation to actionable knowledge accessible by farmers. Example: https://www.seacrifog.eu/seacrifog-tool 3. Open-source data portal for farmers. To be facilitated by the government ensuring that local weather stations gather reliable data to provide farmers with up-to-date information (in English and local languages) to inform adaptation practices better. 4. Establishment of Botswana National Strategy for Women and Girls with action points for each sector, for example, establishing a gender quota in environmental decision-making at all levels beginning with greater (improved) women’s representation in farming groups and local committees. 5. Microfinancing e-platform, such as the WoFarming described in the final project report, would provide farmers with support systems, relevant knowledge, and access to funding mechanisms to aid in transforming existing farming practices. The microfinance platform would be initially set up by a small team and would incorporate development partners, county government and civil society. Prototyping To improve farmers’ adaptive capacity, we developed a prototype for a microfinancing e-platform dubbed WoFarming with the intention to operationalise it should relevant resources be identified. We aim to build a digital infrastructure connecting smallholder farmers with resources and financing for sustainable agriculture. For smallholder farmers, the platform will offer microfinancing opportunities that allow them to make the investments they need to support transforming agroecological practices. Special focus and priority will be given to women farmers due to the lack of representation within the farming community. We also provide private sector companies and microfinance institutions (MFIs) the opportunity to invest in farmers and receive progress reports for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. By bringing together different stakeholders within the agricultural value chain, we aim to create a mutually beneficial ecosystem that helps to promote the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices and increase adaptive capacity to climate change. Through our digital infrastructure, we can connect smallholder farmers with the resources and support they need to succeed. It also provides companies with a way to contribute to the sustainability of our food systems and has a positive impact as it relates to various SDGs.