Climatelinks Photo Gallery

Encouraged by leaders of a new, farmer-focused enterprise called Sesame Farmers Development Association in Magway Township in Myanmar's Central Dry Zone, producers in July and August 2019 began experimenting with new methods of dealing with erratic and extreme weather aimed at preventing crop losses. The Association teamed up with USAID's Value Chains for Rural Development project and the local Land Use Department to brainstorm ways they could better conserve water and control erosion in their sesame fields. By using small, easy-to-build, earthen "check dams" in shallow trenches around their fields, farmers developed new ability to prevent their fields from being inundated during periods of torrential rain. They also began planting wild almond saplings as windbreaks around their sesame fields to stem erosion and provide a second source of income (the trees produce sterculia gum that can be exported to Korea.) The new practices are working, farmers say, and sesame plants are healthier than in previous seasons, with "extra" stems flowering beautifully in advance of the coming harvest.

Limón Province, Costa Rica, November 2014. Pineapples are by definition unsustainable, requiring high use of agrochemicals and replacing large swaths of land with a single, spiny crop. However, pineapples are also extremely popular, so in spite of their inherent unsustainability, they’re not going anywhere. To meet increasing global demand for sustainably produced crops, companies in Costa Rica are investing in improved agricultural practices, certifications, and better conditions for laborers.

Chirripo Volcano, Costa Rica, 2014. Agroforestry is gaining popularity worldwide as a method of sustainable land management. At AsoProLa, an agricultural cooperative high in the mountains of Costa Rica's Puntarenas province, coffee is grown in the shade of banana trees. Coffee grown in this manner requires less agrochemicals, provides habitat to animals, and tastes better than non-shade grown varieties.

Mangroves are a salt-tolerant species that can grow in warm water, and are frequently planted to help adapt against climate change impacts, such as reducing the impacts of shoreline damage and alleviating seawater intrusion. In Zanzibar, a local NGO called ZACEDY is committed to empowering local citizens to build their adaptive capacity by planting mangroves along the coast. Part of ZACEDY’S mission is also to uplift members of the community by creating local job opportunities. These are some of the women involved in the mangrove planting project. At the national level, the United Republic of Tanzania is engaged in a National Adaptation Planning process to scale up the country’s adaptation efforts—such as building coastal resilience through planting mangroves—focused on improving cross-sectoral coordination, integrating adaptation into development planning, and expanding access to climate finance.

In the arid regions of northern Kenya, groundwater boreholes are providing increased climate resilience and water security. In this picture, nomadic pastoralists and their camels access groundwater.

Kusor, Palawan, Philippines, June 20, 2019.
By Jessie Cereno, Talakatha Creatives.

In Kusor, southern Palawan, Philippines, women farmers plant cassava to help augment their livelihood and get less resources from the forest. The USAID-funded Protect Wildlife Project, together with partners like Lutheran World Relief and Sunlight Foods Corporation, is teaching and helping communities in southern Palawan to grow high-value crops, such as ube and cassava, and improve their farming practices. Together with local government partners, Protect Wildlife trains beneficiary communities in sustainable farming of high-value crops as an alternative to livelihood practices that adversely impact our natural resources and wildlife habitats. The project partnered with ECLOF, along with local governments and the private sector, to help communities get started on farming high-value crops and connecting them with buyers who can guarantee sustainable purchase of those crops, while redirecting farmers’ activities away from forests to help conserve natural resources and protect biodiversity. By enhancing their livelihoods, these farmers, many of whom are from upland indigenous communities who rely on traditional slash-and-burn farming, exert less pressure on their land, forests, water, wildlife and other natural resources, particularly in the Mount Mantalingahan protected landscape where they live.

Kusor, Palawan, Philippines, June 18, 2019.
By Jessie Cereno, Talakatha Creatives.

In Kusor, southern Palawan, Philippines, an indigenous tribal woman tends to her farmers’ group purple yam (ube) plot. Through diversified and sustainable farming of high-value crops, upland communities have less reason to expand their slash-and-burn further into forests or hunt for wildlife just to make a profit. The USAID Protect Wildlife Project is focusing on activities that promote more sustainable farming practices, particularly for upland indigenous peoples' communities that are farming in or around forests and protected areas. Aside from improving the farming of usual crops, Protect Wildlife is also leading these farmers to plant high-value crops, such as cassava and the tuberous purple yam popularly known as “ube.” The project hopes that with this livelihood approach, upland communities will practice sustainable and environmentally conscious agriculture that puts less strain on forests and other natural resources so they can function well to help slow down and fight climate change.

Trail expert Matt Woodson, left, directs the team creating a new trail up Nyiragongo Volcano in Virunga National Park in April 2018. The U.S. Forest Service International Programs, supported by USAID’s Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment, is working with Virunga National Park and local communities to improve tourist hiking trails as well as create a more accessible trail up the volcano. This trail has a low gradient, which will allow local school groups to climb the volcano, and due to its route, will help rangers dissuade illegal charcoal and poaching operations in the park. Building capacity of national park staff to promote ecotourism not only improves visitor experience and creates economic opportunities for neighboring communities, but also puts the park on track for long-term financial stability, an essential step in the long-term protection of these landscapes, and the preservation of the forests within them.

Employees of the Central African Satellite Forest Observatory (OSFAC), a regional remote sensing NGO, complete exercises during a training on analyzing LIDAR data to estimate biomass carbon in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in October 2017. This training, held in Kinshasa, hosted by the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, and supported by USAID’S Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment, is part of a larger effort to support governments, universities, and non-governmental organizations in Central African countries to develop and implement sustainable forest management approaches. The Democratic Republic of the Congo covers over 900,000 square miles and contains 60 percent of the Congo Basin’s forests, the second-largest tropical forest in the world after the Amazon. While there are many initiatives being put in place to sustainably manage these forests, the ability of national and regional actors to map and monitor them is an essential step in identifying critically threatened areas and developing effective resource management solutions to combat climate change.

Basil Mpati, second on the left, works with the National Center for Forest Inventory and Zoning in the Republic of the Congo (CNIAF) and teaches workshop participants how to identify peat soils versus mineral soils in Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo (January 2018). This training, held by the U.S. Forest Service International Programs and the FAO and supported by USAID’s Central Africa Program for the Environment and the SilvaCarbon program, was an opportunity for technicians from the DRC Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development's Department of Forest Inventory and Zoning to learn about inventory sampling methods in peat forests so that they will be able to more accurately calculate how much carbon is currently stored in the country's forests. The Democratic Republic of Congo covers over 900,000 square miles and contains 60 percent of the Congo Basin’s forests, the second-largest tropical forest in the world after the Amazon. While there are many initiatives being put in place to sustainably manage these forests, the ability of national and regional actors to map and monitor them is an essential step in identifying critically threatened areas and developing effective resource management solutions to combat climate change.

This photo was taken on May 10, 2019 in Leyden, a small village in the Waterberg district in Limpopo province, South Africa. Rainfall is scare in this village and the rest of the province is faced with water scarcity. Hence small scale vegetable cultivation is rarely practiced in this village. This all changed through a smart agriculture initiative implemented by a national NGO, Humana People to People in South Africa (HPPSA). With funding received from Global Water Challenge, HPPSA mobilized community members in Leyden and trained them on how to manage water and grow vegetables on dry land through mulching. The results were so amazing so much so that more than 375 family members in the community to day benefit from vegetables harvested from their backyard gardens irrespective of the water scarcity in the community. This as they employ smart agricultural practices.

Gokwe North, Zimbabwe, June 12, 2019.

A meeting of the Kushinga Village Savings and Loan Association group at which the participants (all women) participate in group sharing activities, giving small loans to each other for economic improvement, and support each other with social needs, all of which contribute to group and individual resilience. VSLA groups such as this one are encouraged to invest in activities and resources that are adapted to the changing climate, including drought-resistant agriculture items, animals and agricultural and husbandry techniques. This also crates a type of social cohesion and resiliency that helps the participants adapt as their surroundings change.

Relevant Program: Gokwe North Food Security and Agricultural Response (Go-FAR) Project
Partner Organizations: ADRA, as well as District Government staff and extension officers
Photo Credit: Debra Olson, ADRA

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; April 2018

Edna, ZEN II Beneficiary and Lead Farmer in her community, is showing ADRA the additional chickens she has now, thanks to the ones she was originally enabled to purchase with her vouchers during the DiNER Fair. While the chickens do not directly affect climate change, Edna was trained in climate smart techniques for farming in this area and, as a Lead Farmer, she was responsible for passing that knowledge on to other farmers in her community.

Relevant Program receiving USAID support: Zimbabwe El Nino South Project (ZEN II)
Partner Organizations: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)--they were the prime. Caritas was another sub like ADRA.
Photo Credit: Helena Souders, ADRA

The photo shows a tap stand from the Majhigaun Sisnari Multiple Use Water System (MUS) in Sisneri Surkhet District. MUS are designed to provide water for domestic and agricultural use, helping community’s cope with climate change caused erratic rainfall and drought. This MUS was facilitated by the The Anukulan Project (2015-19) implemented by iDE, supported by UKAID’s flagship global BRACED climate program. The MUS serves 20 families (81 people), the cash cost was $3,000 ($150/HH) 60% was from local government through a climate adaptation fund and 40% by Anukulan. The community also provided $4,200 in labor and local materials. The MUS has increased average household income from agriculture by $328/year, improved nutrition, improved sanitation/hygiene enabling families to use latrines. It has also greatly reduced the time women and girls need to carry water, more than compensating for the time needed to grow crops and enabling girls time to attend school. Kalasha Rawal (far left) from a disadvantaged group increased her income by $700/year. Before the MUS she produced only enough food for 3-4 months. Now Kalasha’s husband has returned from working in India to help producing vegetables and taking care of their young daughter. Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, February 2, 2018.

Kalasha Rawal is a poor small farmer from the Sisnari, Surkhet District. The farm provides enough cereals for 3-4 months a year, forcing Kalasha’s husband to leave the village to work in India. The Anukulan Project (2015-19), implemented by iDE, is supported by UKAID’s flagship BRACED climate program. The project helped Kalasha to improve her family’s nutrition, food security, income, and resilience. Using the Commercial Pocket Approach (CPA), Anukulan developed a collection center for market access and services and last-mile Community Business Facilitators (CBFs), plant doctors marketing climate-smart agricultural technologies. Through the local adaptation plan, Anukulan facilitated a Multiple Use Water System (MUS) designed to provide sufficient water for domestic and agricultural use, helping the community cope with climate change caused by erratic rainfall and drought. The photo shows Kalasha growing vegetables using climate-smart agriculture technologies, including drip irrigation to conserve water, a safe yellow sticky trap protecting from increased pest problems caused by climate change, and a tunnel. Kalasha was able to increase her annual income by $700, enabling her husband to return to Nepal. They now work together growing vegetables and raising their daughter. Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, February 3, 2018.

Mrs. Noun Muoyheang fundraising to support her community’s fish conservation efforts in Aren, Pursat province, Cambodia. Noun and other community members have used these funds to plant trees and to make lasting improvements to key local fish habitats. With support from the USAID-funded Feed the Future Cambodia Rice Field Fisheries II project, 140 Cambodian communities like Noun’s have raised over US$150,000 to support and sustain their fish conservation efforts. Over 100 communities have expanded local dry season fish refuges, including in partnership with local government and the private sector. These expanded refuges provide wild fish with sustained protection from climate shocks such as seasonal and unseasonable dry periods, thus protecting a valuable resource that many local families rely on. Photo credit: Nin Mao, ANKO