The assessment identified needs for eight capacity dimensions: leadership and governance; the institutional and legal framework; the size of adaptation planning and implementation; partnership between relevant institutions and the private sector; monitoring and evaluation; climate information and risk assessment; climate change and the gender dimension and private sector mobilization.

The institutional capacity assessment aims to identify the needs of the agricultural sector in planning and implementing climate change adaptation, applying a gender-sensitive, participatory and inclusive approach, ensuring the participation of women and young people.

FAO expert Anisorc Brito Ramirez, who carried out the assessment, said: “During the assessment, the leadership and governance dimension identified insufficient prioritization of climate adaptation and change for several reasons, including administrative political volatility. Likewise, the assessment also reveals the shortage of specialized personnel in adapting to climate change, including in adapting state institutions. There has been overlap or ambiguity in the competencies of some national institutions, insufficient integration of climate change adaptation measures into sectoral development strategies and policies and their cross-sectoral harmonization, and limited financial resources for integrating the climate change adaptation process into agriculture. ”

The results of the evaluation, which reflect the gaps and needs of the agricultural sector, set the stage for the development of the Capacity Development Plan for the agricultural sector, which is sensitive to gender and inclusion, for vulnerable groups.

“This assessment was carried out on the basis of a survey answered by 74 responses of agricultural sector institutions, which together with the expert evaluation and consultations with members of the sector working group, will also argue the development of the Capacity Development Plan. The plan will guide agricultural stakeholders to develop the technical and functional capabilities needed for the climate change adaptation planning process. It will also include concrete measures to strengthen institutional capacities on the dimensions identified in support of prioritizing adaptation to climate change at sectoral and local level “, underlined the project coordinator, Ala Druță.

This assessment of the individual, institutional and systemic capacities for planning, implementing and monitoring climate change adaptation is part of the process of strengthening the institutional capacities of the agricultural sector. A next step is to develop a Capacity Development Plan in this area that would meet sectoral needs and help overcome barriers to the effective implementation of adaptation actions at sectoral and local level.

The Ag-SAP project is implemented between 2020 and 2023, with the financial support of the Green Climate Fund and has as its main objective the integration of climate change adaptation solutions in the planning processes of the agricultural sector in the Republic of Moldova.