OVERALL PROGRESS ON CLIMATE CHANGE: MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION PROGRAMMES 14 JUNE 2013

1. OVERALL PROGRESS ON CLIMATE CHANGE: MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION PROGRAMMES 14 JUNE 2013 FOR PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE MEETING

2. Outline • BACKGROUND 2. PRIORITIES AND POLICY DIRECTIVES FOR PLANNING ADAPTATION RESPONSE 3. HOW DOES THE SECTOR CONTRIBUTE • CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMMES • PROGRESS: CLIMATE RELATED PROJECTS • CLIMATE NEGOTIATION THEMES AND POSITION: UNFCCC • CONCLUSION

3. Background • There is, even under present climatic conditions already, great concern about climate related problems among farmers and the authorities alike, as testified by the wide range of factors to which South African farmers have been shown to be vulnerable to. • Adaptation to climate change implies a range of measures by which to essentially cope with and even try to overcome the challenges of, and vulnerabilities to, climate change, in this instance by the South African agriculture sector. • South Africa – regarded as a low-forest cover country. Natural forest and woodland ecosystems provide vital ecosystem services and forest goods for the benefit of society as a whole and in particular to neighbouring communities. In the 2000 GHG Inventory forest lands removed about 13 Million tonnes of CO2 , which makes it the single largest sink of greenhouse gasses in the country. • Much of the natural forests and woodlands have been degraded and transformed over past decades, although the exact extent and nature of this loss and degradation is poorly quantified. • Both commercial and small-scale recreational fisheries contribute minimally to the South Africa’s GDP, however, aquatic living resources have high nutritional value and harvesting thereof contributes to the livelihood of coastal. communities. • The main challenge to the Fish industry in general is overall decline in catches. The question is this decline due to overfishing or does climate change play a role? Research will address these challenges.

4. Priorities and policy directives for planning adaptation response Adaptation: reduce vulnerability • Adaptation is essential: we cannot prevent climate change altogether so we must adapt by reducing vulnerability in the sector. That means integrating risk reduction strategies into humanitarian and development strategies. • DAFF: Currently developing a Mitigation and Adaptation Plan- 2012/13 strategic deliverable. The plan identifies and proposes relevant Adaptation strategies • Adaptation to climate change implies a range of measures by which to essentially cope with and even try to overcome the challenges of, and vulnerabilities to, climate change, in this instance by the South African agriculture sector. • By formal definition adaptation includes “initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects”. Various types of adaptation exist, e.g. anticipatory and reactive, private and public, and autonomous and planned (IPCC, 2007). • The key to enabling communities to deal with an uncertain future climate is to understand what makes them vulnerable and to work towards reducing those factors, so that adaptation for the future is about staying ahead and being progressive (Anderssonet al., 2009).

5. Priorities and policy directives for planning adaptation response Mitigation: reduce greenhouse gases emissions Agriculture: emitter of greenhouse gas emissions: • About 5-8% of the total emissions come from the sector. • DAFF Mitigation and Adaptation Plan underway: aimed at facilitating adaptation and mitigation to climate change in the sector; minimising the vulnerability to the impacts of climate change; as well as minimising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The plan identifies and proposes relevant Mitigation strategies • Climate-Smart Agriculture: Mitigation, Adaptation and Food Security • CSA projects – research projects identified

6. HOW THE SECTOR CONTRIBUTES • Agricultural practices such as:- • Agricultural burning • Agricultural soil • Manure management • Livestock feedlots • Inorganic fertilizers

7. Climate Change programmes 1. Policy development The Climate Change Sector Plan was gazetted on January 2013 for public comments and inputs. Public comments and inputs were received from ordinary people, public and private organisations including organized agriculture and non-governmental organisations. DAFF is NOW in the process of • synthesising inputs and comments received in response to the gazetting of the Draft Climate Change Sector Plan for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and update the Sector Plan with inputs received; • facilitating three (3) workshops with Provincial groupings, and one national workshop, explaining the process and sector plan development as well as soliciting additional insights and inputs. • A final draft sector plan, incorporating all inputs received will be produced before the end of the current financial year. DAFF is currently developing the CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION PLAN FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY SECTORS

8. Climate Change programmes 2. Awareness • Capacity building and awareness on climate change is an on-going activity. The department. New mechanisms for raising public awareness levels will also be required, and these need to be deliberated. They could include billboards, pamphlets, short courses aimed at specific audiences, etc. Key criteria for an awareness programme • In addition to the requirement for high quality information and an understanding of distribution channels and communication tools, several other requirements should be identified during the planning of public awareness campaigns. The department is currently using the following criteria for an awareness programme. For example: • What is the target audience? • What are the key messages for each type of audience? • What are the time frames? • Who will take overall responsibility? • Who will perform the campaigns and how will they be trained?

9. Climate Change programmes • Awareness continue… • Who will be responsible for funding? • How can researchers, the public and private sectors and the media liaise more effectively with one another? • How will the success of awareness campaigns be measured? (both i.t.o. awareness as well as behavioural change) • Awareness campaigns at DAFF are conducted through various departmental and provincial structures such as workshops, farmers’ days, extension services, etc. • The farming communities are capacitated also through projects by translating climate change awareness into mitigation and adaptation actions. • The department developed and published a document on “Climate Change and the Agricultural Sector in South Africa", which sought to synthesise activities in the sector and create awareness on the current perceptions and follow-up actions necessary to address the risks and challenges relating to the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

10. Climate Change programmes • Awareness continue… Best farming practices: example Awareness programme: Diversifying: • Drought resistant crops & flood management strategies, • Crops with shorter germination period and shorter growing season. • Selection of varieties that are naturally resistant to specific disease causing organisms. Farmer benefits • Improved water management in agriculture, reduced energy consumption for irrigation. • Reduced CO2 emissions, increased yield and biomass production. • success of awareness campaigns be measured? (both i.t.o. awareness as well as behavioural change)

11. Climate Change programmes • Research • Through the gazetted CCSP, department has made initiatives with regard to identifying research needs and priorities within the sector. Another DAFF initiative was funding the “Atlas of Climate Change and the South African Agriculture Sector: A 2010 Perspective” (Schulze, 2011), from which large amounts of information are drawn in the present document. • Despite financial constraints and capacity challenges, DAFF commissioned the following research projects during the financial year 2012/13: • Sensitivity to crop suitability, • Mitigation and adaptation (Biogas generation from crop-livestock) as well as Mitigation and adaptation plan projects).

12. Climate Change programmes 4. Climate negotiations under the UNFCCC • DAFF attended the COP18 and position paper reviewed and finalized and incorporated into country position. • DAFF to form part of SA delegation in meetings leading up to COP19 later this year in Warsaw, Poland.

13. DAFF NEGOTIATION THEMES & POSITION

16. Conclusion • Climate change is across-cutting issue that affect us ALL. • Lack of funding – a barrier to implementing Climate Change - There is need for a new funding mechanism so that depts can be assist to tap into available international funding. • Capacity constraints – a challenge that must be addressed urgently. • Uncertainties about the extent of climate change impacts make it even more difficult to quantify the levels of vulnerability of different communities. • Broadened Knowledge Systems need to be integrated with other sciences to maximize benefits from both systems. • Awareness of climate change issues by ordinary people could be improved – strong extension services • Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management - Climate change mitigation and adaptation have to be harmonized with integrative disaster risk reduction.

17. TAKE CARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE AIR WE BREATH FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR CHILDREN AND GRAND CHILDREN!