A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice

Efforts to increase agricultural productivity, adapt to climate change, and reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture are reflected in a growing interest in climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Specific indicators of productivity, adaptation and mitigation are commonly used in support of claims about t...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Arenas Calle, Laura N., Whitfield, Stephen, Challinor, Andrew J.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Frontiers Media 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105771
_version_ 1855518054188843008
author Arenas Calle, Laura N.
Whitfield, Stephen
Challinor, Andrew J.
author_browse Arenas Calle, Laura N.
Challinor, Andrew J.
Whitfield, Stephen
author_facet Arenas Calle, Laura N.
Whitfield, Stephen
Challinor, Andrew J.
author_sort Arenas Calle, Laura N.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Efforts to increase agricultural productivity, adapt to climate change, and reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture are reflected in a growing interest in climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Specific indicators of productivity, adaptation and mitigation are commonly used in support of claims about the climate smartness of practices. However, it is rare that these three objectives can be optimized simultaneously by any one strategy. In evaluating the relative climate smartness of different agricultural practices, plans and policies, there is a need for metrics that can simultaneously represent all three objectives and therefore be used in comparing strategies that have different benefits and trade-offs across this triad of objectives. In this context, a method for developing a Climate Smartness Index (CSI) is presented. The process of developing the index follows four steps: (1) defining system specific climate smartness; (2) selecting relevant indicators; (3) normalizing against reference values from a systematic literature review; and (4) aggregating and weighting. The CSI presented here has been developed for application in a systematic review of rice irrigation strategies and it combines normalized water productivity (WP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) The CSI was developed for application to data from published field experiments that assessed the impact of water management practices in irrigated rice, focusing on practices heralded as climate-smart strategies, such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). The analysis shows that the CSI can provide a consistent judgment of the treatments based on the evidence of water efficiency and reduced GHGI reported in such studies. Using a measurable and replicable index supports the aim of generating a reliable quantification of the climate smartness of agricultural practices. The same four step process can be used to build metrics for a broad range of CSA practice, policy and planning.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace105771
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher Frontiers Media
publisherStr Frontiers Media
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1057712025-12-08T10:29:22Z A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice Arenas Calle, Laura N. Whitfield, Stephen Challinor, Andrew J. agriculture food security climate change greenhouse gas emissions irrigated rice horticulture ecology food science Efforts to increase agricultural productivity, adapt to climate change, and reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture are reflected in a growing interest in climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Specific indicators of productivity, adaptation and mitigation are commonly used in support of claims about the climate smartness of practices. However, it is rare that these three objectives can be optimized simultaneously by any one strategy. In evaluating the relative climate smartness of different agricultural practices, plans and policies, there is a need for metrics that can simultaneously represent all three objectives and therefore be used in comparing strategies that have different benefits and trade-offs across this triad of objectives. In this context, a method for developing a Climate Smartness Index (CSI) is presented. The process of developing the index follows four steps: (1) defining system specific climate smartness; (2) selecting relevant indicators; (3) normalizing against reference values from a systematic literature review; and (4) aggregating and weighting. The CSI presented here has been developed for application in a systematic review of rice irrigation strategies and it combines normalized water productivity (WP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) The CSI was developed for application to data from published field experiments that assessed the impact of water management practices in irrigated rice, focusing on practices heralded as climate-smart strategies, such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). The analysis shows that the CSI can provide a consistent judgment of the treatments based on the evidence of water efficiency and reduced GHGI reported in such studies. Using a measurable and replicable index supports the aim of generating a reliable quantification of the climate smartness of agricultural practices. The same four step process can be used to build metrics for a broad range of CSA practice, policy and planning. 2019-11-15 2019-11-15T19:24:45Z 2019-11-15T19:24:45Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105771 en Open Access Frontiers Media Arenas-Calle LN, Whitfield S, Challinor AJ. 2019. A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 3:105.
spellingShingle agriculture
food security
climate change
greenhouse gas emissions
irrigated rice
horticulture
ecology
food science
Arenas Calle, Laura N.
Whitfield, Stephen
Challinor, Andrew J.
A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice
title A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice
title_full A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice
title_fullStr A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice
title_full_unstemmed A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice
title_short A Climate Smartness Index (CSI) Based on Greenhouse Gas Intensity and Water Productivity: Application to Irrigated Rice
title_sort climate smartness index csi based on greenhouse gas intensity and water productivity application to irrigated rice
topic agriculture
food security
climate change
greenhouse gas emissions
irrigated rice
horticulture
ecology
food science
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105771
work_keys_str_mv AT arenascallelauran aclimatesmartnessindexcsibasedongreenhousegasintensityandwaterproductivityapplicationtoirrigatedrice
AT whitfieldstephen aclimatesmartnessindexcsibasedongreenhousegasintensityandwaterproductivityapplicationtoirrigatedrice
AT challinorandrewj aclimatesmartnessindexcsibasedongreenhousegasintensityandwaterproductivityapplicationtoirrigatedrice
AT arenascallelauran climatesmartnessindexcsibasedongreenhousegasintensityandwaterproductivityapplicationtoirrigatedrice
AT whitfieldstephen climatesmartnessindexcsibasedongreenhousegasintensityandwaterproductivityapplicationtoirrigatedrice
AT challinorandrewj climatesmartnessindexcsibasedongreenhousegasintensityandwaterproductivityapplicationtoirrigatedrice