COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURAL

EXTENSION

Chapter Three: Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Practices and

Technologies
BY: NEGUSIE ABUHAY (MSc)

OCTOBER , 2025
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 Session objectives

 After completing this chapter you should be able to:

 Define CSA practices and Technologies

 Describe CSA practices as a strategy to reduce climate risk in agriculture

 Explain the major components of CSA practices and technologies

 Explain the role of agricultural extension to scaling up of CSA practices

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 3.1. Definition of Climate-smart Agricultural Practices and
Technologies

 Climate Smart Agricultural practices are practices which sustainably

increase productivity and resilience system while reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.

 Moreover, Climate smart agricultural practices are practices which help to

increase adaptive capacity through efficient use of resources and creating an
agriculture system that can stand for the threats of climate change.

 According to FAO, CSA practices are seen as the means to achieve resilience
at the same time reducing environmental degradation.

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 FAO defined CSA as agricultural activities that sustainably and efficiently
increases productivity and incomes reduces or removes Green House Gas
(GHGs) enhances achievement of national food security and development
goals.
 All CSA technologies can be CSA practices but, not all CSA practices can be
CSA technologies.

Examples of Climate-smart Agricultural practices are

 crop rotation, crop residue management
 inter cropping, terraces and contour farming
 mulching, agroforestry,
 manuring, cover cropping etc..
 reduced tillage

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 Examples of Climate-smart Agricultural technologies are

 drought tolerant crop and livestock breeds,

 water harvesting technologies (geomembran, house roof water harvesting

etc.), fossil fuel input free irrigation pump, tractor and other farm
machineries,
 renewable energy (solar panel, electricity and wind) input farm vehicles
and others.

3.2. CSA practices as a strategy to reduce climate risk in agriculture

 As a strategy climate-smart agricultural practices are crucial to reduce climate
risk in agriculture production and productivity.

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 The strategy of CSA practices is to increasing the overall agricultural
production by mitigating and adapting climate risks on agriculture.

 Currently, climate-smart agricultural development activities carried out in the

country are supported by a number of policies, strategies and institutions.

 Of the numerous climate-smart agricultural development activities conducted,

those are considered in addressing issues related to climate change and are
contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

 Such climate-smart agricultural practices in Ethiopia include integrated

watershed management, integrated soil fertility management, sustainable land
management, conservation agriculture, agroforestry, crop residue management,
composting, promotion of improved livestock feed and rangeland
management. 6
 3.3. Major components of CSA Practices and Technologies
[Link] practices for water management

 Water is one of the prime channels through which the impacts of climate
change on the world’s ecosystems and on livelihoods will be felt.

 Climate change will have an impact on every element in the water cycle.

 Changes in the amount of rainfall and variations in rainfall patterns also will
affect agriculture and the two sources of water for irrigation: river runo ff and
groundwater recharge.

 Examples of climate-smart agricultural practices which important for

water management are:

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 Use of marginal water and wastewater resources,

 water use efficiency measures and watershed management procedures,

conservation agriculture (e.g. Minimum tillage),

 contour planting,

 stone barriers,

 water storage (e.g. Rainwater harvesting),

 improved irrigation (e.g. Drips irrigation) and others etc.

This all are examples of effective climate smart agriculture strategies that can
be used to maximize water consumption efficiency and reduce negative
effects on the environment.

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3.3.2. CSA practices for Soil Management
 The influence of climate change and global warming on soil processes is
complex and driven by various direct and indirect factors.

 The major impacts of climate change on soil and soil sustainability are ;

 reduction of quality and quantity of organic matter,

 altered rate of decomposition of added crop residues,

 changes in nutrient mineralization pattern,

 increased soil erosion due to more frequency of high intensity of rainfall,

enhanced water and wind erosion leading to more soil degradation ,

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Examples of CSA practices which used for soil management are:

 Minimizing soil disturbance and the protection of soil organic carbon (reduced
tillage and others),

 prevention of residue burning to maintain optimum soil physical and

biological conditions,

 composting, inorganic fertilizer),

 crop residue management,

 cover cropping,

 crop rotation, terracing and contouring are an examples of CSA practices

which used for soil management etc.

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[Link] practices for Crop production management

 Crop production is highly sensitive to the climate.

 It is affected by a variety of climate factors: long-term trends in average

rainfall and temperatures; inter-annual variability in temperatures and
precipitation; the occurrence of shocks during specific stages in plant
development; and extreme weather events.

 As the climate changes, crop production strategies must change too.

 There are many options for climate change adaptation and mitigation across
different cropping systems.

 There are many options for climate change adaptation and mitigation across
different cropping systems.
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 Examples of Climate-smart agricultural practices which important for crop
production management are:

 use of drought tolerant crop varieties,

 early maturing varieties,

 intercropping,

 crop rotation;

 crop diversification,

 pest and diseases resistance varieties,

 heat tolerant varieties, post-harvest technologies and others are CSA

practices for Crop production management.

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[Link] practices for Livestock and range land Management
 Livestock production is a rapidly growing sector.

 It currently accounts for 40 percent of global agricultural gross domestic

product and is crucial for food security in all regions.

 Livestock make a necessary and important contribution to the world’s supply

of calories and protein.

 Livestock are also a major asset for households in rural communities: several
hundred million pastoralists depend on this lifestyle and grasslands ecosystems
for their living.

 Hence, it is essential that livestock are managed carefully to maximize the

range of services they provide and reduce the vulnerability of the sector to the
impacts of climate change.
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 Identifying suitable options for making livestock production more climate-
smart is vital.

 CSA practices which used for Livestock and range land Management are:

 Shifts in species and breeds,

 improved feed management,

 sustainable grazing practices (Rotational grazing),

 Improve feeding strategies (e.g. cut and carry),

 Grow suitable crops (with proper management) to feed animals

 Manure treatment

 improved livestock health and others.

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[Link] practices for Sustainable forest management

 Over a quarter of the world’s population depends on forests and trees outside
forests for their livelihoods.

 They depend on them directly through the consumption and sale of foods,
medicines and wood fuel; and indirectly through forest-related employment,
the provision of ecosystem services, and the domestication of forest-derived
foods.

 There are strong interactions between climate change and forests.

 In turn, forests help to control climate by removing large amounts of carbon

dioxide from the atmosphere and acting as carbon sinks, storing the carbon in
the soil and biomass.
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 However, Climate change and increased climate variability have both direct
and indirect effects on forests and forest-dependent people.

 Hence, to sustain forest and keep our environment CSA practices for
Sustainable forest management are demanded.

 Examples of CSA practices which used for Sustainable forest management

are:

 Pre-harvest planning,

 Forest wetlands protection,

 Road construction and maintenance, Timber harvesting,

 Re-vegetation,

 Fire management, Forest chemical management and others.

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 3.4. Role of agricultural extension to scaling up of CSA practices
•“Agriculture without extension is like birds without wing”

 Agricultural Extension services and other rural advisory services are a key
instrument that helps farmers, pastoralists, fishers and foresters to manage
change and respond to different challenges and opportunities.

 Promoting CSA approaches and strengthening capacities for their wider

uptake involves changing the behavior, strategies and agricultural practices of
millions of agricultural producers.

 These producers need to be supported in understanding the impacts of climate

change, and the options that are available to them for making a shift towards
climate-smart strategies.

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 Extension services have a central role to play in connecting producers with
sources of new information and tools,

 and encouraging and facilitating the behavioral changes that are needed to
build the resilience of agricultural livelihoods and contribute to sustainable
development.

 Agricultural extension service plays a key role in CSA mainly, because

adaptation and mitigation to climate change requires changes in knowledge,
attitudes, resilience, capacities and people’s skill.

 It contributes directly or indirectly to the three pillars of CSA

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 Agricultural extension play a crucial roles on scaling up of CSA practices by:

 well share of technologies and management information;

 capacity development;

 facilitating brokering and implementing policies and programs;

 infrastructure/institutions;

 training;

 use of technology demonstrations;

 feedback role and others to the community which related to CSA

 However, there are known challenges in respect of the dissemination and

uptake of various CSA technologies.

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 These includes

 financial and operational resources;

 low ratios of extension officials to farmers;

 clientele socio-cognitive factors,

 and institutional arrangements that are not responsive to climate change .

 The challenges are amplified by the current extension services, which are
staffed mostly by natural scientists, including agronomists and engineers.

 These scientists have limited resources to support farmers and also have
limited skills in communicating climate information or addressing social
challenges.

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 Quize (5%)
1. What does climate smart agriculture practices
mean(1pt)?
2. What are climate smart agricultural
practices(1.5pt)?
3. What are climate smart agricultural
technologies(1.5pt)?
4. What are CSA practices for water
management(1pt)?

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The end of chapter three!
Thank you very much!

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