Helping Smallholder Farmers Mitigate Climate Change

This document stresses that smallholder farmers can contribute significantly to climate change mitigation but need incentives to adapt their practices. Incentives from selling carbon credits are limited by low returns to farmers, while improved food security, economic benefits and adaptation to climate change are more fundamental incentives that should accompany mitigation. The document concludes that designing agricultural investment and policy to provide up-front finance and longer term rewards for mitigation practices will help reach larger numbers of farmers than specialized mitigation interventions.