Despite the growing interest in Ecosystem-based Adaptation, there has been little discussion of how this
approach could be used to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, while ensuring the
continued provision of ecosystem services on which farming depends. Here we provide a framework for
identifying which agricultural practices could be considered ‘Ecosystem-based Adaptation’ practices, and
highlight the opportunities and constraints for using these practices to help smallholder farmers adapt to
climate change. We argue that these practices are (a) based on the conservation, restoration or
management of biodiversity, ecosystem processes or services, and (b) improve the ability of crops and
livestock to maintain crop yields under climate change and/or by buffering biophysical impacts of
extreme weather events or increased temperatures. To be appropriate for smallholder farmers, these
practices must also help increase their food security, increase or diversify their sources of income
generation, take advantage of local or traditional knowledge, be based on local inputs, and have low
implementation and labor costs. To illustrate the application of this definition, we provide some
examples from smallholders’ coffee management practices in Mesoamerica.We also highlight three key
obstacles that currently constrain the use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation practices (i) the need for
greater understanding of their effectiveness and the factors that drive their adoption, (ii) the
development supportive and integrated agriculture and climate change policies that specifically promote
them as part of a broader agricultural adaptation program; and (iii) the establishment and maintaining
strong and innovative extension programs for smallholder farmers. Our framework is an important
starting point for identifying which Ecosystem-based Adaptation practices are appropriate for
smallholder farmers and merit attention in international and national adaptation efforts.
ã2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND