Short Abstract

Supporting farmers in low and low-middle income countries to transition to agroecological practices can help increasing ability to adapt to climate change and improve their livelihoods/income. We will share different experiences from research and use in practice as implementing organisations of TAPE

Description

The effects of climate change are posing a growing threat to livelihoods and food security for farmers in low and low-middle income countries, which are recording decreasing yields due to the impact of droughts and floods (Gebre GG et al., 2023; Kalele, D. et al, 2021). These vulnerabilities are further compounded by conventional farming practices, such as intensive tillage and reliance on synthetic inputs, which degrade soil health and reduce resilience to climate stresses.

Supporting farmers to transition to agroecology can increase their ability to adapt to changing climate conditions (Snapp et al, 2021) and have a positive impact on livelihoods and income (Lucantoni and Domarle, 2023; Wordofa et al, 2024).

The FAO has developed, together with other organisations, the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) to support farmers and implementing organisations to assess the multidimensional aspects of the transitions to agroecology.

In this talk we will share different perspectives and experiences in using TAPE as a tool to both support and influence project delivery.

UN FAO’s Agroecology Specialist, Dr. Yodit Kebede, will present examples of how TAPE has influenced practice, programming, and policy, including insights from the ongoing deployment of the Kenya TAPE National, which is contributing to the Monitoring and Evaluation framework of Kenya’s National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation.

Hand in Hand International’s MEL Advisor, Laura Maio, will present how the organisation has applied TAPE in three projects in Kenya and the steps taken to operationalise one of its key tools, the Characterisation of Agroecological Transitions (CAET – TAPE Step 1), to better support project staff in gathering and understanding changes occurring on project farms and communities.

Members of the audience will be invited to share their own experiences with measuring agroecological transitions, followed by a Q&A session.