Cold Frame Cropping

Needs Address

• Stabilised and/or increased productivity
• Food security 

Adaptation effects

• Allow earlier seeding of plants
• Ensures continuous production of key crops despite extreme weather events
• Food security during winter season

Overview and Features

Wood and glass frames that act as small greenhouses and are used to grow the following crops/seedlings: parsley, basilica, green onion, radish, carrot, pepper, tomato, cucumber, strawberry, cabbage, turnip and seeds of native trees

Cost

• Equipment – wood, glass and screws as well as seedbeds and watering, total cost USD 90 per cold frame
• Labour
• Training

Energy source

• Solar
• In the future, solar panels could help heating the cold frames and at the same time provide domestic heat

Ease of maintenance

Frames may need replacing from time to time

Technology performance

• Shelter seedlings from inclement weather, thereby helping community members to grow seedlings earlier in the spring and increase the growing season
• Allows successful growth of cold-hardy vegetables all year round, achieving up to four harvests per year

Considerations

• Training must be provided to new users
• Cultural acceptability must be considered

Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries

• Higher income from farming
• Partnership with local government increases sustainability
• Benefits from an understanding of local dynamics, in particular the socioeconomic issues that influence vulnerability and people’s ability to adapt
• Suitable coping strategy because they are easy to manage and require minimum resources and effort

Information Resources

UNFCCC, 2008. Increased Growing Season in Central Tajikistan Through Cold Frames. CARE Tajikistan. UNFCCC database on local coping strategies. Available from: http://maindb.unfccc.int/public/adaptation/adaptation_casestudy.pl?id_project=177&id_hazard=&id_impact=&id_strategy=&id_region= [20 November 2014]