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Many smallholder farmers use Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) practices (e.g. shade trees in coffee plantations, or live fences) to improve the sustainability of their farming systems and to help crops adapt to climate change, yet little is known about the benefits and drawbacks of EbA practices that smallholder farmers perceive. In order to better understand how and why farmers use EbA practices, we characterized EbA practices commonly found on coffee and basic grains agroforestry systems (shaded coffee, dispersed trees in annual crops, forest fragments, riparian forests, and live fences) in 6 landscapes of Central America, using farmers' structured interviews. Specifically, we documented farmer perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of individual EbA practices in 300 farms in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras. Our study finds that the prevalence and type of EbA practices present on individual farms were related to farmer socioeconomic conditions, including farmer experience and access to training. Farmers indicated that the main benefits of EbA practices were avoiding erosion, improving soil fertility and organic matter, and regulating temperature, among others. The drawbacks of establishing and maintaining some of these practices, are the cost of maintenance and the intensity of labor required. Our study highlights key factors that influence the adoption and use of EbA by smallholder farmers, and provides insights into how governments, donors and development agencies could more effectively promote the broad-scale use of EbA practices in agricultural landscapes. (Texte intégral)

In many regions, climate change is having significant adverse impacts on the agricultural production and livelihoods of smallholder farmers, with important consequences for global food security. Helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change has therefore become a priority for many of donors and governments. Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA, defined as the use of ecosystem services and biodiversity as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people adapt to the effects of climate change) is one approach that could help smallholder farmers, yet there is still limited knowledge on whether EbA can meet the adaptation needs of smallholder farmers. Here, we provide an overview of what EbA means in the context of smallholder agricultural production. Drawing on expert surveys, field work and household surveys of smallholder coffee and subsistence farmers in Central America, we provide examples of EbA strategies that are suitable for smallholder farmers, characterize how farmers are implementing these strategies, and provide insights into the perceived advantages and drawbacks of different practices for reducing farmer vulnerability. Our study highlights that many agricultural practices that smallholder farmers already use (e.g., agroforestry systems, soil conservation practices, live fences) can be considered EbA, as they are based on the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services and t help and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems. Most smallholder farmers are aware of the relative benefits of EbA practices, but also acknowledge important constraints, such as the cost of setting up the practices and maintenance, andlimited financial, technical and political support. Scaling up the use of EbA through targeted government policies, extension services and farmer programs could not only help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, but also ensure healthy, sustainable agroecosystems that sustain local livelihoods.