Agricultural family-based systems play essential economic, social, and environmental roles. National Law 27,118 (2014) assigns cultural heritage value to family agriculture. Additionally, family agricultural systems have been prioritized in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), given their high vulnerability to climate change and their importance in supporting the livelihoods of farming families and communities whose livelihoods highly depend on agricultural production. Additionally, family agricultural systems play a crucial role in sustaining economically important agricultural chain values. However, agricultural value chain stakeholders in the Norte Grande of Argentina, especially family farmers and agricultural MSMEs, have limited capacity to address the effects of climate change, such as reduced water availability and land degradation. Strengthening the climate resilience of the agricultural sector in Argentina is essential due to its significant participation in the country's exports and its relevance in job generation.

Based on the above, six agricultural value chains will be prioritized during project implementation using specific criteria. This Readiness grant will be aimed at, on the one hand, strengthening the planning framework of the agricultural sector through i) the characterization of the current and future climate vulnerability and risks that the six prioritized value chains face and ii) the elaboration of corresponding climate adaptation strategic plans that identify potential lines of action to increase the resilience of their different stages and stakeholders. On the other hand, through increasing the climate resilience of farming communities and families located in 12 prioritized geographic areas of intervention in the Norte Grande region through i) the identification of holistic climate resilient agroecosystem management practices and ii) the development of a project portfolio that can be implemented in the short-term to address pressing climate vulnerability and risks at the local level. This approach will promote increasing adaptation from a top-down approach (at the agricultural value chain/sectoral level) and a bottom-up approach (at the community/local level)