Cities have an important role to play in climate change mitigation and adaptation and enhancing climate resilience of their slum and vulnerable residents. Climate change adds to existing challenges faced by cities. Climate change, together with a decrease in absorption capacity of greenhouse gasses due reduction in the amount of green cover, parks, trees and agricultural surfaces in urban areas, poses serious threats to urban infrastructure, access to basic services and quality of life in cities and negatively affect the urban economy (World Bank 2010). At the same time, rapid urban growth, growing urban poverty and increasing food prices raise concerns about urban food security, especially for the poor. Cities are highly vulnerable to disruption in critical (food) supplies and climate change exacerbates this vulnerability. The IPCC (2007) projects that agriculture will be severely affected by a combination of changes in rainfall pattern, extreme events and high temperatures.

This paper, Report on needs and requirements of (city)governments and international organisations (such as the World Bank, DFID and UN-HABITAT) for the monitoring of UPAF impacts and the use of such data in climate change programmes and strategies, looks at the level of current integration of UPAF into local and international climate change action plans and strategies, and the needs and requirements regarding monitoring of UPAF impacts on climate change adaptation and mitigation. It also looks at the monitoring data needed to allow for decision-making on and financing of UPAF intervention and how to integrate UPAF intervention in climate change action plans, strategies and financing.

Further reading:

Project homepage: Monitoring impacts of urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry on climate change adaptation and mitigation

Publications:

• A First Framework for Monitoring the Impacts of Urban Agriculture on Climate Change
• Monitoring the Climate Change Impacts of Urban Agriculture in Rosario, Argentina
• Surface Temperature Variations in the Kesbewa Urban Council Area, Sri Lanka
• Report on the (most relevant) potential impacts of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture and Forestry (UPA/F) on climate change adaptation, mitigation and other co-developmental benefits

Image credit: CIFOR