The Earth Institute is leading a USAID-funded project to collaborate with Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), a leading Indonesian university, to build science and technology capacity for climate risk management in agriculture and peatland forest areas. CSD and International Research Institute for Climate and Society of the Earth Institute are partnering with the Center for Climate Risk and Opportunity Management for Southeast Asia and Pacific at the IPB on collaborative research in a number of geographic areas. Engaging stakeholders at national, provincial and local levels in the research, the effort also involves faculty exchanges, student internships and training workshops.
West Java serves as a focus for research on agricultural adaptation, for the development of a dynamic cropping calendar and index-based agriculture insurance system. In Central Kalimantan research involves forecasting fire severity several months ahead, and the development of an economic incentive system and early response institutional architecture to enable greenhouse gas emission reductions from peatland forests.
Agricultural adaptation
The collaborative research focuses on two innovations that hold great promise for helping manage climate risks and enhance adaptation: a dynamic crop calendar that integrates climate information throughout the growing season, and index-based agriculture insurance. Indramayu, a critical rice-producing district located in West Java, serves as the context for developing both of these innovations, through close engagement with local government and other stakeholders. Click on the [ + ] to learn more.
Anticipating and responding to peatland fires
The peatlands of Central Kalimantan province have undergone dramatic ecological and social change over past decades, as millions of hectares have been drained and converted from forest to agricultural land and palm plantations, leaving them extremely vulnerable to fire in dry years. Local communities use fire to clear land for agriculture and to establish ownership rights. When such fires get out of control, peat combustion can cause serious smoke and haze problems and contribute substantially to global carbon emissions. Click on the [ + ] to learn more.
Improved capacity for climate modeling and analysis
Along with enhancing the responsiveness of agricultural practices and peatland fire management to climate forecasts, a key focus of this project is to improve climate analytics and forecast capacity. The tools, modeling approaches and online Data Library of the Earth Institute’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society is utilized for building capacity on a range of critical functions, including construction of forecast models, verification techniques and geo-spatial representation of climate impacts. Through collaborative research and faculty exchange, Columbia University is working with IPB to strengthen expertise in climate analyses, modeling and forecasting and enhance the analysis and integration of climate, environmental and socio-economic data in order to better service policy engagement.