One of a series of five outputs produced under a small project for the Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture Team of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The objective of the project was to identify the implications of climate change for key areas of DFID’s Agricultural Policy and the Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture (RNRA) Team portfolio and to produce a  series of practical outputs to assist the RNRA team in programme implementation and communication. This paper supports the call for the mainstreaming’ (integration) of climate change within development policy. Addressing the impacts through mainstreaming climate change is likely not only to benefit development interventions aimed at reducing poverty but also to enhance the capacity of communities to cope through more robust adaptation options. It may also help mitigate the effects.