Download Concept Note 2 - Climate Smart Agriculture

PROJECT TITLE
Concept 2:
Upscaling CSA Interventions in the COMESA Region
CONTACT:
Dr Mclay Kanyangarara, Head: Climate Change Unit, Advisor. COMESA Secretariat, Lusaka, Zambia
E-mail: [email protected], Phone: +260 211 229 725/32, Mobile: +260 963 674434
SECTION 1: SITUATION ANALYSIS
1. 1. Context
Africa is the fastest growing continent in the world and more than half of global population growth
between now and 2050 is expected to occur in Africa. Africa has the highest rate of population
growth among major areas, growing at a pace of 2.55 per cent annually in 2010-2015. The
population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is expected to more than double between the years of 2015
and 2050. By the year 2100, ten African countries, of which five are part of COMESA, are projected
to increase their populations by at least five-fold: Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Malawi, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia (AGRA, 2015).
For most African countries, agriculture remains the main source of livelihoods and therefore the
basis for subsistence and the largest employer of any sector in the economy. Agriculture employs
about 65% of the total work
labour force in SSA. Though there has been decline
in the relative
number of agriculture workers, it still accounts for a majority of the working population
in the
region. Many SSA countries have a farming population that is greater than the rural population. (…)
A 1% increase in agricultural per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reduced the poverty gap five
times more than a 1% increase in GDP per capita in other sectors, mainly among the poorest people.
It is a pro-poor, income-generating and employment-creating sector for most SSA economies. The
average contribution of agriculture to GDP in most African countries has been on the decline or
static at around 30% since early 1980. The proportion of exports of farm products and food dropped
from 10% in the 1960s to about 4% in 2005. With an abundant supply of youthful labour and an
increasing demand for food and farm products in national, regional and global markets, SSA
countries should be able to redirect and provide the skills and knowledge needed for the youth
labour force to engage in productive, ecologically sustainable agriculture (AGRA, 2015).
It is currently projected that Africa’s food markets will increase from USD 313 billion in 2010 to
USD 1 trillion in 2030; food imports have exceeded exports since 2003. (…) Demand in international
food markets is growing as well, and increasing global food prices hold the promise of higher rates of
return on investments in high-value agricultural products (AGRA, 2015).
1
This links directly to COMESA trade which is mainly based on agriculture products and, therefore,
highly sensitive to agriculture activity and production in and out of the region.
Despite opportunities for youth in the food supply chain, there are major challenges and constraints
when it comes to agriculture and youth in SSA:
• Secure land tenure is not assured in many SSA countries;
• Increasing and sustaining the productivity and production of smallholder family farms to a
commercial level is difficult;
• Access to affordable credit and working capital hampers agricultural investments;
• Limited availability and access to appropriate productivity-boosting technology and
equipment is a common challenge in many SSA countries;
• Access to international and regional markets is difficult; and
 The negative impacts of increasingly variable weather associated with climate change are
already becoming evident.
In the larger economic context, farm products and food markets in SSA have suffered from a lack of
public and private sector investment in infrastructure, extension services, direct and indirect
taxation, and inconsistent and limited supply of farming inputs, such as certified seeds, organic and
inorganic fertilizer, finance, risk insurance, and appropriate water management and irrigation. This
has made deployment, engagement, and investment in agriculture risky and unattractive to the
average young person in SSA. However, with appropriate policies, public and private sector strategic
interventions, suitable technologies, and access to innovative agriculture financing, young people
can improve their livelihoods while contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction (AGRA,
2015).
One of the key sectors that is already and will increasingly be affected by climate change is
agriculture. This is particularly true for agriculture in developing countries, and especially for
countries in SSA. Rapid and uncertain changes in rainfall patterns and temperature regimes threaten
food production, increase the vulnerability of
African smallholder farmers, and can result in food
price shocks and increased rural poverty. As noted elsewhere in the publication, agriculture – even
the low-input smallholder agriculture of SSA – is both a ‘victim and a culprit’ relative to climate
change.
Although developing countries, especially those in Africa, are likely to bear the brunt of climate
change, none of it will be immune to its impacts (AGRA, 2014).
Climate change will influence crop distribution and production and increase risks associated with
farming. Crop yields have already experienced negative impacts, underlining the necessity of taking
adaptive measures. While a few areas, mainly in temperate latitudes, may experience improved
conditions for production, globally, climate change is expected to reduce cereal production by 1% to
7% by 2060. There is also substantial variation in likely impacts by crop, irrigated versus rain-fed
agriculture, and geographic region. At least 22% of the cultivated area under the world’s most
important crops is projected to experience negative impacts from climate change by 2050, with as
much as 56% of the land area in sub-Saharan Africa. Impacts may be relatively small up to 2050, but
are expected to become progressively worse in the second half of the century1.
1
See http://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2048-7010-1-12
2
Beyond the changes in crop production and yield associated with climate change, there are other
areas that require adaptation efforts. Climate-induced water scarcity from changes in temporal and
spatial distribution of rainfall could lead to increased competition within the agriculture sector and
with other sectors. Moreover, addressing this and other challenges would require modifying physical
infrastructure, such as irrigation systems and altering the design and location of storage facilities.
Increased risk from flood and droughts, and shifting fire regimes all pose additional threats to
agricultural production. Uncertainties in climate regimes could also influence how farmers make
decisions, and whether they invest in necessary inputs and resources for their land.
Meanwhile, roughly 30% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from land use. An estimated
18% come from land use change (primarily deforestation) and another 10% to 12% from crop
production (soil erosion and tillage, nitrogen fertilizer, and paddy rice cultivation). Livestock
production (from animal digestion, feed production, manure management, and forest cover loss)
contributes about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half of the agriculture
sector’s emissions, from enteric fermentation and land clearing.
Land use represents the largest climate mitigation potential in many countries. Indeed, only landbased carbon sequestration efforts currently offer the possibility of large-scale removal of
greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere, through photosynthesis and carbon sequestration in
soils and perennial plants. Agricultural soil carbon accounts for 89% of the technical sequestration
potential, representing an estimated potential of between 5.5 and 6.0 gigatons of CO2 emissions per
year, which roughly equals agriculture’s total yearly contribution to global emissions. Significant
sources of emissions reductions include improved feed systems and manure management, more
efficient fertilizer use, reducing deforestation and wetland conversion, and restoring degraded lands.
Changes in land management and land use may also moderate local and regional climate through
changes in albedo, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and temperature. Moreover, within agriculture,
many adaptation measures have significant mitigation co-benefits. For example, increasing soil
organic matter improves adaptive capacity by increasing soil water holding capacity and soil fertility,
while also sequestering carbon.2
The importance of climate change in agriculture has been earlier acknowledged and the
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the overarching framework
and Africa’s policy framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and
nutrition, economic growth and prosperity for all, as already integrated it and is addressing it directly
through four of its Flagship Programmes: Agriculture and Climate Change Programme, Gender
Agriculture and Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance and NEPAD Climate Change
Fund.
Especially relevant is the Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance.
The African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD), is spearheading an
Agriculture and Climate Change Programme, known as “25 by 25”. Working with the CAADP, AUNEPAD has set a goal of supporting at least 25 million farm families to adopt and practice Climate
Smart Agriculture (CSA) by the year 2025. One component of this programme is the Africa Climate
Smart Agriculture Alliance, which was launched at the AU Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on
June 25, 2014. Convened by AU-NEPAD, this innovative partnership brings together five INGOs and
2
http://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2048-7010-1-12#CR27
3
four technical partners3 who will work together to leverage each individual organization’s strengths,
technical capacities and local partnerships to facilitate the expansion of CSA to 6 million farming
families.4
So, as referred and in order to face the threatens and make use of any opportunities that climate
change poses to agriculture, Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) are
proven solutions to these threats and are themselves opportunities for further development of the
sector.
CA can be defined has an approach to managing agro-ecosystems for improved and sustained
productivity, increased profits and food security while preserving and enhancing the resource base
and the environment. CA is characterized by three linked principles, namely:
1. Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance
2. Permanent organic soil cover and
3. Diversification of crop species grown in sequences and/or associations.5
CA has already been demonstrated to benefit large-scale and small-scale farmers in diverse contexts
by increasing soil fertility, reducing input costs, saving labour and fuel, conserving water, preventing
erosion, and increasing farm profitability.
Agriculture, rural development and conservation organizations have all been working in recent
decades to support farmers across the developing world to increase production in ways that avoid
the environmental damage conventionally associated with farming. One of the widespread success
stories is conservation agriculture, which has enabled higher farm yields in many regions, while
reducing the negative impacts of tillage, building soil carbon, and improving soil health and water
utilization. As climate change becomes a more serious threat to agricultural production and food
security—and as the role of agriculture and productive landscapes in climate mitigation is more
widely recognized—many groups are taking a new look at the potentials of conservation agriculture
within the context of a “CSA” approach to farming (Milder et al., 2011).
The concept of CSA was originally developed by FAO and officially presented and at the Hague
Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change in 2010. CSA is an approach to
developing the technical, policy and investment conditions to achieve sustainable agricultural
development for food security under climate change. The magnitude, immediacy and broad scope of
the effects of climate change on agricultural systems create a compelling need to ensure
comprehensive integration of these effects into national agricultural planning, investments and
programmes.
The CSA approach is designed to identify and operationalize sustainable agricultural development
within the explicit parameters of climate change. However, achieving the transformations required
for CSA and meeting these multiple objectives requires an integrated approach that is responsive to
3
Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance members are CARE International, Catholic Relief Services (CRS),
Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, World Vision, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the CGIAR Institutes,
the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy
Analysis Network (FANRPAN).
4
See http://africacsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/White-Paper-Link-between-the-African-Global-CSAAlliances-30.10.14.pdf
5
See http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/1a.html
4
specific local conditions. Coordination across agricultural sectors (e.g. crops, livestock, forestry and
fisheries) as well as other sectors, such as with energy and water sector development is essential to
capitalize on potential synergies, reduce trade-offs and optimize the use of natural resources and
ecosystem services6.
Parallel to development of the climate-smart discourse has been the emergence of integrated
landscape management as an organizing framework for action and policy within the agricultural
development and conservation communities. Integrated landscape management approaches work
deliberately to support food production, ecosystem conservation, and rural livelihoods across entire
landscapes. These are known under various terms including ecoagriculture, landscape restoration,
territorial development, model forests, satoyama, integrated watershed management, agroforestry
landscapes, and the ecosystem approach to managing agricultural systems, among many others.
While differing somewhat in focus, all of these landscape approaches have five elements in
common:
1. Landscape interventions are designed to achieve multiple objectives, including human wellbeing, food and fibber production, climate change mitigation, and conservation of
biodiversity and ecosystem services
2. Ecological, social and economic interactions among different parts of the landscape are
managed to seek positive synergies among interests and actors or reduce negative trade offs
3. The key role of local communities and households as both producers and land stewards is
acknowledged
4. A long-term perspective is taken for sustainable development, adapting strategies as need to
address dynamic social and economic changes and
5. Participatory processes of social learning and multi-stakeholder negotiation are
institutionalized, including efforts to involve all parts of the community and ensure that the
livelihoods of the most vulnerable people and groups are protected or enhanced.
Figure 1 – Components of a CSL7.
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7
See http://www.fao.org/gacsa/about/what-is-csa/en/
Source http://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2048-7010-1-12#CR27
5
The integrated landscape approach offers a strategy to achieve CSA objectives at scale and in all its
dimensions. Through climate-smart agricultural landscapes, important synergies for agricultural
production, climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as other livelihood and environmental
objectives, can be generated through coordinated action at farm and landscape scales.
1.2. Partnership landscape: Ongoing initiatives
There are a number of relevant ongoing initiatives in the realm of CSA in the COMESA region, with
whom partnerships can be build. Here a summary of phew is presented and its full description is
included in Annex I.
ACTN – African Conservation Tillage Network8
The African Conservation Tillage Network (ACTN) was initiated following a Stakeholders’ Workshop
on "Conservation Tillage for Sustainable Agriculture" held in Zimbabwe in 1998 organized by
Zimbabwe Farmers Union, German Development Co-operation (GTZ), and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa
(ARC). Driven by the desire among players to better and share more information and experiences on
CA and related aspects, the Workshop ratified the initiation of a regional network as a mechanism to
stimulate and facilitate cross-cutting and mutually exchange knowledge and information from
experiences of CA. In 2000, under project support from GiZ, then GTZ, the Network formally
established a full-time Secretariat with a Steering Committee to manage the Network. The Network
has since evolved into a neutral platform, stimulating, facilitating and challenging for mutual sharing
of information and knowledge on experiences and lessons on applications of CA and expanding to
the whole region.
AGRA – Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa9
AGRA exists to fulfil the vision that Africa can feed itself and the world—transforming agriculture
from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives. AGRA is an independent African-led and
Africa-based organization committed to putting farmers at the centre of our continent’s growing
economies.
Its investments are primarily focused on Africa’s family farmers, the millions of hardworking men
and women across the continent who typically cultivate crops and tend livestock on less than two
hectares of land. They are the heart of African agriculture, African economies and Africa’s future.
CAADP – Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme10
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is Africa’s policy
framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic
growth and prosperity for all. In Maputo, Mozambique in 2003, the African Union (AU) Summit
made the first declaration on CAADP as an integral part of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD).
8
See http://www.act-africa.org/content.php?com=2&com2=14&com3=#.VvVmqT9iD1I
See http://www.agra.org/who-we-are/our-story/
10
See www.nepad-caadp.net/about-us
9
6
The principles and values that informed the implementation of CAADP in the first decade (2003 –
2013) are still valid and will continue to guide the implementation modalities in the next decade
(2015-2025). These include: African ownership and leadership; accountability and transparency;
inclusiveness; evidence-based planning and decision making and harnessing regional
complementarities. In addition, the sets of principles and values important to CAADP include:
People-centredness; private sector driven development; systemic capacity; and subsidiarity, and:
peer learning and multi-sectorialism.
CIFOR – Centre for International Forestry Research11
As well as being critical to slowing or even stopping climate change, forests are important for
reducing its current and future effects on people. For example, forest goods tend to be more
climate-resilient than traditional agriculture crops and so when disasters strike or crops fail, forests
act as safety nets protecting communities from losing all sources of food and income. They also
regulate waterways, protect soil, cool cities and entire regions, and more.
With so much at stake, forests and climate change is an important theme of CIFOR’s work. CIFOR
investigates how to improve forest management and grow global tree cover to benefit the
environment and livelihoods. The research considers everything from REDD+ implementation to
land-use change and wetland carbon stores, all of which contribute to our goals of effective climate
change mitigation and adaptation.
FAO – Regional Office for Africa12
The proposed initiative aims to build on on-going promotion of best practices of principles of onfarm and off-farm production and post-production processes while addressing the need to create
decent rural employment, especially for young people, that result in safe and healthy food, taking
into account economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Special attention is put in the regional initiative “Integrated Management of Agricultural Landscapes
in Africa” which areas of operation include Attracting the youth and more inclusive and proactive
participation of women is crucial for sustainable green growth of the agricultural sector. In addition,
of great importance for this realization is the wider adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture across the
landscape. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is key for addressing simultaneously three intertwined
challenges: ensuring food security through increased productivity and income, adaptation to climate
change and mitigation where possible.
FAO EPIC – Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-Smart Agriculture13
The Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-Smart Agriculture (EPIC) programme works with
governments, research centres, universities and other institutional partners to support the transition
to CSA by using sound economic and policy analysis. It is a programme of work aimed at identifying
and harmonizing climate-smart agricultural policies, analysing impacts, effects, costs and benefits as
well as incentives and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. The ultimate
objective of the programme is to support developing and in-transition countries to formulate
agricultural investment proposals to increase resilience to climate change and promote CSA.
11
See http://www.cifor.org/forests-and-climate-change/
See http://www.fao.org/africa/perspectives/agricultural-landscapes-africa/en/
13
See http://www.fao.org/climatechange/epic/home/en/
12
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EPIC seeks to bridge the gap between field research, policy making and financial investments in
agriculture.



Research: aimed at analysing and identifying impacts, effects, costs and benefits as well as
incentives and barriers to the adoption of Climate-Smart agricultural practices.
Policies and institutions: provide advice on the formulation and implementation of ClimateSmart agricultural policies.
Investments in agriculture: formulating CSA investment proposals for developing countries.
EPIC is currently working on a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of three partner countries
– Malawi, Viet Nam and Zambia - to address constraints and promote Climate-Smart Agriculture that
will deliver both food security and improved livelihoods, as well as global public good in the form of
avoided GHG emissions. The project is also strengthening the capacities of Ministries of Agriculture
to engage in UNFCCC negotiations on climate change.
GACSA – Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture14
Global efforts to protect 500 million farmers from climate change while increasing agricultural
productivity and reducing carbon emissions were strengthened at today’s Climate Summit, with
commitments pledged by dozens of countries, companies and organizations.
More than 20 Governments, 30 organizations and companies announced they would join the newly
launched Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture. The countries joining represent millions of
farmers, at least a quarter of the world cereal production, 43 million undernourished people and
16 per cent of total agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
GART – Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust15
GART’s mission is to contribute to optimization of the production, commerce and trade of crops,
milk, chicken, goats and where possible their by-products and income security of the target
beneficiaries through Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) programmes for
market-oriented small-, medium- and large-scale male and female farmers as well as youths, who
include those affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.
GART seeked financial support from COMESA to help in climate change adaptation and mitigation by
small-scale farmers in selected project sites in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia.
ICRAF – World Agroforestry Centre16
ICRAF is a Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Consortium Research
Centre. The Centre’s vision is a rural transformation throughout the tropics as smallholder
households increase their use of trees in agricultural landscapes to improve their food security,
nutrition security, income, health, shelter, social cohesion, energy resources and environmental
14
See http://newsroom.unfccc.int/action-to-adapt/un-climate-summit-agriculture/
See http://www.gartzambia.org/GV-WO.html
16
See http://www.worldagroforestry.org/climate-change
15
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sustainability.
ICRAF's mission is to generate science-based knowledge about the diverse benefits - both direct and
indirect - of agroforestry, or trees in farming systems and landscapes, and to disseminate this
knowledge to develop policy options and promote policies and practices that improve livelihoods
and benefit the environment.
IOC – Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission17
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Sub-Commission for Africa and Adjacent Island States
(IOCAFRICA) is an intergovernmental subsidiary body of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission of UNESCO responsible for the promotion of regional and international cooperation,
and the development and coordination of the Commission’s marine scientific and research
programmes, the ocean services, the ocean observing systems, capacity development and related
activities in the region by taking account of the specific interests and priorities of Member States
from Africa.
he Sub-Commission is responsible for the promotion of regional and international cooperation for
the understating and management of the African oceans and coastal ecosystem, in order to ensure
sustainable development and safety of the coastal populations, taking into account the priorities of
Member States from Africa. The Sub Commission aims to be the voice of Africa on matters related to
ocean science and the science base for ocean management, providing a unique Africa-wide platform,
bringing together Member States, UN agencies and other stakeholders, to drive research,
observations, and disaster preparedness and mitigation for the sustainable management of the
African oceans and coastal areas.
IOC has been urging international community to move to Blue Economy and “As the only specialized
UN body in ocean sciences, observations and services, IOC is committed to help building the Blue
Economy through education and capacity development, the Global Ocean Observing System,
Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Marine Spatial Planning, OceanTeacher Global Academy, and
many other IOC programmes and initiatives.18”
FANRPAN – Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network19
FANRPAN was officially registered as a private voluntary organization (PVO) in Zimbabwe in 2003.
FANRPAN has maintained its registration in Zimbabwe, although it has since moved its regional
secretariat office to Pretoria, South Africa where it operates as a fully-fledged international office
with diplomatic status.
The broad objectives of FANRPAN are to:
 Promote the development of appropriate agricultural policies in order to reduce poverty,
 Enhance food security in Africa, and
17
See http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ioc-oceans/about-us/ioc-sub-commissions/iocafrica/
See http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/singleview/news/ioc_unesco_urges_international_community_to_move_blue_economy_forward_at_second_blue_
economy_summit_in_abu_dhabi/#.VzWiZ2a7fi8
19
See http://www.fanrpan.org/about/
18
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
Promote sustainable agricultural development in Africa.
Foundations for Farming20
Foundations for Farming is an initiative aimed at bringing transformation to individuals, communities
and nations through faithful and productive use of land. God has revealed a very simple
conservation farming method with an implementation management teaching, which when applied
help people to apply the Gospel to their lives.
Its desire is that through the life lesson of farming it will help the vast masses of Africa and the
developing world, who are dependent on the land, to faithfully use what they have been given to
turn a profit and come out of poverty. Foundations for Farming was into the implementation of the
programme entitled ‘Introducing Conservation Agriculture and Agro-Forestry into Zimbabwean
Schools’ funded by COMESA.
GSDM21
GSM is a Malagasy law association which groups different organizations involved in research,
training and dissemination of conservation agriculture in Madagascar.
Its mission is to support the wide dissemination of Conservation Agriculture in the country.
The GSDM is the focal point of the Task Force on Conservation Agriculture, a national platform
supported by the FAO. Since its inception, the GSDM is supported by CIRAD and receives since 2002
supports the AFD (French Development Agency) and FFEM (French Fund for Global Environment)
through the project "Support to the dissemination of technical agro ecological to Madagascar”.
GSDM has requested the support from COMESA to the project “Upscaling Climate Smart Agriculture
in the Eastern Bank of the Alaotra Lake” with the main objective of supporting the Upscaling of CSA
in Madagascar in order to mitigate climate change and to improved food security as the following
outputs:
NAMBoard - National Marketing Board (Swaziland)22
NAMBoard is the National Agricultural Marketing Board of the kingdom of Swaziland. Its purpose is
to simulate local production by providing technical service and the marketing of agricultural produce
in the country, and particularly to support the small farmer.
NAMBoard asked funding from COMESA to enable the country to develop a climate smart
agricultural intervention that would serve as a blue print for development in this area, and to
strengthen the practicality of the model, a pilot project on climate smart agriculture to be
implemented in Mpatheni, Nhletjeni and Nkhungwini areas, which are in close proximity, and have a
combined hactarage of over 60 hectares of land, with over 200 households directly involved in
vegetable production.
20
See http://www.foundationsforfarming.org/
See http://gsdm-mg.org/
22
See http://www.namboard.co.sz/
21
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UNIDO – United Nations Industrial Development Organization23
COMESA member States are fully cognizant of the threats of POPs to the environment, Food safety
and the attainment of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, most
member States have banned the use of most of the POPs pesticides as residues in food are
hazardous to human health and may give rise to trade restrictions on export products and
commodities.
The COMESA Treaty Article 124 Para 2 (c) and (d) provides that Member States undertake initiatives
to encourage the manufacturing and use of biodegradable pesticides, herbicides and packaging
materials, and also discourage the excessive use of agricultural chemicals and fertilisers
COMESA is implementing a Climate Smart Agriculture Programme which promotes
agriculture productivity interventions aimed at discouraging excessive usage of chemical
fertilisers while advocating the adoption of agro forestry, and sustainable land use practices.
CSA projects have been implemented in six Member States; Eight Member States were
supported to design their CSA Investment Frameworks; CSA National Task Forces were
strengthened in eight countries
So, COMESA has been working on a proposal to UNIDO that builds on the achievements of the
Climate Change Programme as the use of bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers as an important
component of sustainable agriculture particularly on small‐farmer holdings. In response to that,
COMESA in collaboration with UNIDO agreed to initiate a Project aimed at promoting bio-pesticides
in the COMESA Member States implementing Climate Smart Agriculture. Apart from what the
COMESA Climate Change Programme has achieved, the project will also recognise and build on the
work done by other COMESA programmes such as the Comprehensive Agriculture Development
Programme (CAADP), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), just to mention a few.
USAID24
Nearly 800 million people across the globe will go to bed hungry tonight, most of them smallholder
farmers who depend on agriculture to make a living and feed their families. Despite an explosion in
the growth of urban slums over the last decade, nearly 75 percent of poor people in developing
countries live in rural areas. That’s why growth in the agriculture sector has been found, on average,
to be at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other sectors.
Investing in these smallholder farmers—most of whom are women—is more important than ever. A
spike in world food prices in 2008 hurt economies across the world and led to destabilizing riots in
over 30 countries. In order to feed a population expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2050, the
world will have to double its current food production, all while climate change increases droughts
and leads to less predictable rains.
More information on UDSAID’ agriculture and food security efforts at FeedtheFuture.gov.
1.3. Implementing partners
23
24
See http://www.unido.org/unido-united-nations-industrial-development-organization.html
See https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security
11
COMESA Secretariat
COMESA was set up as a Regional Economic Community (REC) with the aim to establish a common
market within eastern and southern Africa, eventually scaling up to an African Economic Community.
The COMESA Treaty was adopted in 1993. Presently, COMESA is one of eight recognised RECs in
Africa. The vision of COMESA25 is “To have a fully integrated internationally competitive regional
economic community with high standards of living for its entire people, ready to merge into the
African Community”. The COMESA regional block is serviced by its Secretariat based in Lusaka,
Zambia.
In the past 10 years, most of the environment agenda has been addressed under COMESA’s climate
change programme, with climate change being recognised as a key emerging cross-cutting issue
affecting the common market. Today, with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in place and a
better understanding of the intricate interlinkages of the trade, environment, climate change and
sustainable development domains, a targeted agenda for action emerges for COMESA to uplift key
common interest and strategic issues to the regional level, to strengthen and scale up national
interventions.
According to the COMESA-EAC-SADC report (2015) key achievements of the “The Programme on
Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation in the COMESA-EAC-SADC Region” related to CSA and CA
include:
 Nine (9) out of 14 targeted Climate Smart Agriculture projects were implemented in nine
Member States across the COMESA-EAC-SADC region: Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar,
Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
 Nine (9) out of 14 targeted Member States were supported to design their climate smart
agriculture Investment Frameworks (including climate proofing their National Agriculture
Investment Plans (NAIPs) comprising the following: Burundi, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,
Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia.  Eleven (11) out of the 14 targeted Climate Smart Agriculture National Task Forces were
strengthened in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa,
Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  73,580 new adopters reached directly by the Programme on CA interventions (51% of these
being women) out of 140,000 planned;  367,900 new beneficiaries reached directly by the Programme on CA interventions (5
persons per household) out of 700,000 targeted and
 As of 2014 the data collected from ten sampled Member States showed that the total
number of CA adopters went from 483,711 in 2010 to 900,000 in June 2014 which
represents 75% of the targeted 1.2 million (COMESA-EAC-SADC, 2015).
COMESA Climate Change Unit (CCU)
The work of the Unit is guided by the COMESA Climate Change (CC) Framework, and between 2009
and 2016, projects have concentrated on using the COMESA convening role to establishing a regionwide approach to the UNFCCC climate negotiations, the support of the development of national CC
policies and strategies and Agriculture Investment Frameworks (AIFs), and to some extent the
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). A special focus of the Unit’s work has been
25
COMESA Treaty, 1993
12
on developing CSA and CA as climate resilience approaches for food production and trade within the
common market. The resilience thinking of the CCU is continuously developing, and a more inclusive
and integrated approach on region-wide climate resilience building is emerging, with priority
programme areas such as Leadership & Strategy, Food Security, Health and Well-being, Economics &
Society and Environment & Infrastructure, which are currently being further positioned.
Member States
The COMESA regional block currently comprises of 19 Member States namely; Burundi, Comoros,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
As referred earlier, most of them already benefited from COMESA support in the implementation of
targeted CSA projects, in the design their climate smart AIFs and in the strengthening of their
National Task Forces and included CSA as a priority in their INDCs, recognizing it both as an
adaptation and mitigation option.
CFU – Conservation Farming Unit Regional Programme26
The Conservation Agriculture Regional Programme (CARP) works to get small and medium scale
farmers to adopt more climate-resilient, environmentally sustainable and productive farming
practices in Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Its objective is to support climate-smart agricultural practices in the COMESA-EAC-SADC region.
50 200 small-scale farmers had adopted climate-smart agriculture in four countries involved in the
programme by the end of 2013. There is also an increased awareness around conservation
agriculture in the region, and many institutions and organisations have developed programmes
focusing on climate-smart agriculture. Experiences from Zambia have played an important role in
this development. Proof of Zambia’s important role in spreading conservation agriculture (CA) to
African smallholder farmers is the fact that the First Africa Congress on Conservation Agriculture was
held in Lusaka in March 2014.
COMACO – Community Markers For Conservation27
COMACO is a limited-by-guarantee company capable of working at an ecosystem scale to improve
the way small-scale farmers sustain a better life from their land. By bringing the right knowledge and
skills and the right market incentives to small-scale farmers, COMACO is able to transform entire
communities into responsible stewards of their land and resources.
CRS – Catholic Relief Services28
Catholic Relief Services has helped millions of smallholder farmers worldwide to recover from
natural disasters and civil strife, rebuild their farming systems and productive assets, improve their
26
See http://www.norway.org.zm/News_and_events/norwayzambia/Climatesmart-agriculture-and-foodsecurity/Conservation-Farming-Unit---Conservation-Agriculture-Regional-Programme/#.VzMbI2a7fi8
27
See http://itswild.org/?page_id=55
28
See http://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/program-areas/agriculture
13
diets, and enhance their ability to engage with markets more effectively. Our Pathway to Prosperity
approach helps farmers build sustainable livelihoods through a phase-by-phase process to recover,
build and grow.
TLC – Total Land Care29
Total LandCare (TLC) was founded by Trent Bunderson, Zwide Jere and Ian Hayes in 1999 as a nonprofit, non-government organization in Malawi. In 2006, TLC expanded its operations to
Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia as a registered non-profit NGO. TLC is affiliated with
Washington State University (WSU) through a memorandum of agreement to facilitate
implementation of WSU-led projects in the region.
TLC’s mandate is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region with a focus on
community based approaches to increase agricultural production, food security and incomes within
a context that ensures sound management of their natural resources. A key thrust is to provide
information to decision-makers to improve policies that support economic development and growth
in a sustainable manner.
1.4. Problem and solution statement and identification of key barriers
The problem is that conventional agriculture is negatively impacted by but also a cause of climate
change in a region that needs more production and productivity in order to deliver food and
nutritional security.
Much as already been done in the COMESA region, namely by the previous programme,
implementing CSA projects to face the climate change negative impacts, but some barriers still
persist.
Agricultural production and productivity depend on the genetic characteristics of crops, fish, forests,
livestock, soils, conducive climate and the availability of needed nutrients and energy (bio-physical).
Agricultural production and productivity further depend on people, values, goals, knowledge,
resources, monitoring opportunities and decision making processes within farming households
management. Climate is a key resource in agricultural production. Climate refers to patterns of
precipitation, temperature, wind, humidity and seasons. Regular and predictably patterned seasons,
timely rainfall in the right quantities and conducive temperatures facilitate growth of food and cash
crops and pastures on which livestock feed. Climate further determines availability of water for both
human and livestock consumption. Climate therefore plays a fundamental role in shaping natural
ecosystems, human economies and the cultures that depend on it.
Climate has been changing and this change is affecting farming livelihoods. Climate change is defined
as a significant and lasting change in the statistical patterns of precipitation, temperature, wind,
humidity and seasons over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. Climate change alters
ecosystems, impacting on humans and livestock that rely on a given landscape for food crops,
pastures and water. Higher temperatures eventually reduce yields of desirable crops while
29
See http://www.totallandcare.org/
14
encouraging proliferation of weeds and pests. Changes in precipitation patterns increase the
likelihood of short-run crop failures and long-run production declines (FARA, 2015).
Adding to that, facing the impacts of climate change reflected in a lower productivity arising, for
instance, from pests and a greater use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, can lead to further soil,
water and bio contamination.
All the impacts of climate change and the benefits of CA and CSA should also be better understood
in the region. A lack of research and scientific publications translated in available knowledge on the
practical challenges and the best practices available to address such.
According to FARA (2015) the barriers or factors that prevent adoption of CSA practices in Africa can
be classified under two broad categories. The first relates to the physical means or resources
required to practice CSA. These can be considered as the hardware barriers and include physical
inputs such as land, human resources, equipment, infrastructure and finances. The second, referred
to as the non-physical or software barriers, relates to the institutional, cultural, policy and regulatory
environments; information, knowledge and skills; technologies and innovations; and governance
among others.
Adding to those, climate change poses a layer which this projects intends to overcome.
Barrier 1: poor knowledge of the past, current and future climate
Climate data continues to be a major constrain in order to build further resilience in the future and
in the past. The existence of agro-meteorological (agromet) data is the basis to make both short and
medium time scenarios necessary to better plan the CA/CSA/CSL activities, promoting the resilience
of the agricultural sector.
Barrier 2: lack of knowledge on best practices and technologies to use (including seeds and livestock
varieties) in the face of climate change
Adopting CSA requires substantial changes not only in practices, but also in mind-set. CSA
contradicts much of conventional farming knowledge and farming traditions. Many farmers are
accustomed to thinking of the plough or the hoe as an essential part of agriculture, and may find it
difficult to overcome the idea that ploughing is not required for successful planting. It can be
particularly difficult to convince farmers to adopt CSA if they do not experience strong
environmental or economic pressures to change. Conventional agricultural practices may also be
tightly woven into local culture and ritual, making such practices even more entrenched.
While farmers who practice CSA tend to have a positive view of it, lack of experience and evidencebased knowledge hinders adoption. As with agriculture in general, CSA is a knowledge-intensive
process that requires substantial planning, intuition and a willingness to experiment and learn.
However, the knowledge base for CSA is substantially different from that for conventional
agriculture. When reliable information on CSA is not available from formal support systems
(extension agents, NGOs, private sector), neighbours or prior experience, farmers may not be able or
willing to adopt CSA fully or optimally from the start, which can lead to disappointing results and
subsequent non adoption.
15
Adaptive strategy and capacity is likely to vary, depending on availability and access to technology at
various levels and in all sectors. A community’s level of technology and its ability to adapt and
modify technologies are important determinants of capacity for change. Awareness and sensitization
to the development and utilization of new technologies are also key to strengthening adaptive
capacity.
Technology development and dissemination are other concerns associated with low adoption. Slow
adaptation in Africa can be attributed to low technology adoption, and enhanced farmer education
would speed up technology dissemination and climate change adaptation. The importance of
extension services in technology dissemination, are hampered by farmers’ inadequate funds,
technical skills and capacities. Any technology seen to disrupt the existing livelihood systems will not
be accepted and assimilated easily. For example, introduction of irrigated agriculture in pastoral
communities has always been resisted. However, there are success stories that have been attributed
to the way the technology was introduced to the community. Capacity building through
demonstration, exchange visits, and incorporation of socio-cultural aspects is key to any technology
transfer package. Technology dissemination or project implementation should embrace
participatory and cross-sector approaches to ensure effective stakeholder involvement and
sustainability (FARA, 2015).
Adding, the need of more research in order to identify the practical challenges and ways to answer
those.
Barrier 3: poor resilience of the existing sectoral planning instruments
Despite the efforts of the past, some of the existing planning instruments may still be not be
adequately climate proofed.
Efforts might have to be made in order to improve the existing or build new ones in the case they do
not exist in order to have a climate proofed agriculture.
Barrier 4: poor penetration of CA/CSA/CSL
Despite previous efforts in piloting and implementing CA/CSA projects, the area and number of
smallholders that practice it may still be insufficient to face the greater challenges posed by climate
change and guarantee the levels of necessary production of livelihoods.
Barrier 5: impacts on the value chain
The value chains are most of the time not well known which makes difficult the identification of the
entry points to improve its reliance to the climate change impacts. This can have negative effects on
production and, therefore, on regional trade.
Barrier 6: inequalities of gender (cross-sectoral)
In many parts of Africa gender remains a significant barrier to the adoption of CSA by women;
stemming largely from customary gender roles. For instance, women in Africa often have less access
than men to resources such as land, inputs, credit, education, and extension services, all of which
may be important to support transitions to CSA. In addition, gender biases in institutions often
16
reproduce assumptions that it is men who are the farmers. As a result, new agricultural
technologies, including the replacement of plant types and animal breeds with new varieties
intended for higher drought or heat tolerance are rarely available to women farmers.
Land ownership systems also present more entrenched barriers to female-led CSA adoption. Land
tenure systems, for example, may require women who want to adopt CSA to obtain permission from
male relatives. Sometimes, women who make improvements to land that they farm but are not
allowed to own, risk losing their fields to male relatives. Other times, women have access to less
agricultural land than men, and may thus be less willing or able to experiment with new farming
techniques whose outcomes are unknown. As a result, new agricultural technologies, including the
replacement of plant types and animal breeds with new varieties intended for higher drought or
heat tolerance are rarely available to women farmers (FARA, 2015).
These inequalities, harnessing the productivity of all the practices, are exacerbated by climate
change, which can have different impacts depending on the gender.
Therefore, the project intends to contribute to the upscaling of climate smart agriculture among the
COMESA region in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change and also the emissions of
the activity in a region that needs more production and productivity in order to deliver food and
nutritional security.
17
SECTION 2: Project rational
COMESA Member States have been experiencing the negative effects of climate in their economical
activities, environment and society. Agriculture continues to be the basis for most to get their
livelihoods and action is needed in order to increase the resilience of the sector. CSA has been
pointed and tested as a solution and the results of previous interventions make the case for the
upscaling of the activity in the COMESA region as a means to support the REC’s priorities on climate
resilient food security, trade and market development.
CSA includes proven practical techniques, such as mulching, intercropping, conservation agriculture,
crop rotation, integrated crop-livestock management, agro-forestry, improved grazing and improved
water management and innovative practices, for instance better weather forecasting, more resilient
food crops and risk insurance. Adaptation to CSA can occur in many ways; from the individual field,
where a crop is grown, varieties are selected and management decisions such as tillage, fertilization,
and pesticide application are made, through the farm level, where managers choose among crops,
livestock and other activities and capital investment decisions are made, to the landscape level,
where decisions are made about management of water resources, biodiversity, forests and energy.
CSA shares many of the practices of CA.
CSA offers the promise of a locally-adapted, low-external-input agricultural strategy that can be
adopted by the poorest and most vulnerable farming communities, as well as by those that can
afford varying levels of mechanization and external inputs. Despite its promise, however, CSA
adoption in Africa is low. Continent-wide, CSA is used on less than one million hectares, accounting
for less than 1% of the total global area under CSA management. Much of this total is attributable to
commercial farmers and, outside of a few countries where it has been somewhat widely promoted
(e.g., Ghana and Zambia), CSA uptake among small farmers remains very limited
In most places where it has been applied, CSA has generated substantial benefits for farmers.
Agricultural yields generally increase in the long-term (after 3-7 years), and very often increase in the
short-term as well. Profitability typically increases, while labour demands usually decrease and
become more flexible and less arduous. These benefits can be particularly important for women and
vulnerable groups, such as those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. CSA also helps to improve soil fertility and
structure, capture and retain rainwater, and reduce erosion. Through such mechanisms, CSA can
increase the ability of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change by reducing vulnerability to
drought and enriching the local natural resource base on which farm productivity depends. For these
reasons, CSA should be considered to be a preferred approach to agricultural development for
smallholder farmers in most regions of Africa (FARA, 2015).
CSA is an approach to developing the technical, policy and investment conditions to achieve
sustainable agricultural development for food security under climate change. Based on the lessons
learned from the previous CSA interventions conducted under the COMESA umbrella and the
tripartite climate change programme, selected follow-up activities will be implemented, focusing on
the COMESA region.
CSA and CA have been identified as a successful approach to building climate resilience in the
agriculture sector. Under less predictable and more variable climatic conditions, CSA practices yield
higher and more consistent yields than other agricultural practise, especially amongst smallholder
producers, as well as CSA practices are reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions.
18
COMESA with her partners has already undertaken some leading CSA demonstrations in selected
Member States and convened high level policy dialogues on the matter. Based on the outcomes of
its Climate Change Programme (2009-2014) funded by DFID, Norway and the EU, specific priorities
for further engagement have been identified and AIFs elaborated. Lessons learnt from the pilot
demonstrations and an evolving agenda for COMESA wide through leadership and policy
development will be scaled up and furthered to support the COMESA priorities on climate resilient
food security, trade and market development.
COMESA and Agriculture: value added
COMESA’s agriculture sector work includes: (a) co-operate in the agricultural development; (b) adopt
a common agricultural policy; (c) enhance regional food sufficiency; (d) co-operate in the export of
agricultural commodities; (e) co-ordinate their policies regarding the establishment of agroindustries; (f) co-operate in agricultural research and extension; and (g) enhance rural development.
COMESA was the first REC in Africa to complete the first Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP) compact in 2007. A wealth of lessons learned have emerged from
the extensive experience and the role of COMESA is to spread such learning. Key lessons revolved
around experiences gained in CA and CSA and the elaboration of AIFs through pilots which can be
systematically scaled-up to strengthen improved food production and food security among COMESA
member states. Applying a climate resilience lens to agricultural production and food security is a
key priority within the COMESA region.
This project shall, therefore, build on the previous learning and ongoing complementary initiatives.
This project will also contribute the persecution of Sustainable Development Goals, namely those
shown below.
Figure 2 – Sustainable Development Goals related to the project.
19
SECTION 3: Project Design
Miti: based on your previous experience, can you please check in the macro activities are complete and further detail them?
Overall objective: to contribute to the upscaling of climate smart agriculture among the COMESA region in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate
change and also the emissions of the activity in a region that needs more production and productivity in order to deliver food and nutritional security.
OUTCOME 1:
Agromet and early warning
services made available
initially to 9 MS30 to enhance
their ability to cope with a
changing climate
Outputs
Activities
Output 1.1.
Regional agromet service and early warning
system, including agro-meteorological
counselling
Develop terms of reference to design and implement the agromet
and early warning system
Design and implement the system, including the acquisition of all
the necessary equipment and the elaboration of a guide to interpret
and use the data produced and means for its dissemination among
farmers
Build national capacity to use agromet data and use the equipment
to disseminate the information among farmers
30
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
20
Other inputs
Outputs
Activities
Output 2.1.
Assessment of the vulnerability of the sector in
the present and according to climate scenarios
for the region and policy recommendations to
strengthen climate resilience in the agriculture
sector through
CSA/CA/aquaculture/forestry/blue economy,
including the comparison with conventional
practices, made available to the MS
Develop terms of reference for the consultancy to elaborate future
climate change scenarios and perform the assessment of the
present and future vulnerabilities, including consultation with
Member States and development of recommendations addressing
the best practices for the sectors of agriculture, forestry and
aquaculture
Perform the consultancy
Conduct seminars with MS’ stakeholders to share the results
OUTCOME 2:
Increased capacity to decide
on adequate practices in a
climate change context
among COMESA MS
Output 2.2
Research on the best practices of CSA/CA for
the region, including gender and most
vulnerable groups issues
Define themes for research
Promote the academic research studies through three scholarships
in each of the 9 countries
Conduct seminars to share the results of the studies
Output 2.3
Communication/awareness campaign for both
decision-makers and practitioners, including
the private sector, on climate change and
advantages and best CA/CSA/CSL gender
sensitive practices
Develop terms of reference for the elaboration and implementation
of a communication strategy to raise the awareness on climate
change and advantages and best CA/CSA/CSL gender sensitive
practices using various means as capacity building workshops, TV,
radio, others from the most adequate to disseminate best and
gender sensitive practices amongst MS
Implement the campaign
OUTCOME 3:
Common and wide approach
Output 3.1.
Develop terms of reference for the consultancy for the application
21
Other inputs
to CSA policy and
investments agreed and
developed among COMESA
MS
Outputs
Activities
Agriculture Investments Frameworks (AIFs) and
of the National Agriculture Investment Plans
(NAIPs) are climate proofed through the
upscaling of CA/CSA practices in the 9 countries
of a climate lens to the existing agriculture management
instruments and elaboration of recommendations to mainstream
best practices in a CC context
Perform the consultancy
Conduct a regional seminar to share experiences
Output 3.2.
COMESA-wide approach to CA/CSA including
relevant policy reforms and possible incentive
measures for transformation of the agriculture
sector identified, and if possible, agreed to, as a
means to implement Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs)
Develop terms of reference for the consultancy for developing the
COMESA-wide approach to CA/CSA including relevant policy
reforms and possible incentive measures for transformation of the
agriculture sector identified, and if possible, agreed to, as a means
to implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (based
on outcome 3.1)
Perform the consultancy
Conduct a regional seminar to share experiences
Output 3.3
More resources applied to implement
CA/CSA/(CSL) Investment Frameworks
Develop terms of reference to support resource mobilization for the
implementation of the CA/CSA Investment Frameworks:
Perform the consultancy
Conduct an international workshop on the mobilization and
availability of resources and regular meetings with potential
donors/partners
22
Other inputs
OUTCOME 4:
Enhanced climate change
resilience and sources of
income while less GHG are
emitted among COMESA
Outputs
Activities
Output 4.1.
Increased number of vulnerable small holders
practicing CA/CSA/CSL and having more income
Develop terms of reference for the consultancy to design 9 31 pilot
projects including: (i) Adoption and scaling-up/dissemination of
existing technological packages related to CSA (including the
development of efficient and socio-economically adapted small
tools), (ii) Strengthening of the technical teaching aid, in order to
improve techniques (development of training manual on CSA and
training of agricultural technicians), (iii) Introduction of diversified
and improved varieties of crops (high yield, short cycle, disease and
drought resistant and with high nutritional value); (iv) Adoption of
«Soil Water Conservation» (SWC), including
reforestation/afforestation on high lands, by developing hydroagricultural rehabilitations on low lands; (v) Promotion of the use of
improved biological fertilizers (compost, others) and development
of the integration of livestock farming into agriculture; (vi) Adoption
of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with the local know-how (ady
gasy) and bio pesticides; (vii) Capacity building of women and young
people to adopt practices following CSA, including technologies
transfer; (viii) blue economy and aquaculture
Design and implement the projects
Conduct regular regional seminars to present the results of the
projects, share experiences and draw best practices
Output 4.2.
Farmers and all actors of the rural area with
wide knowledge of the value chain
31
Develop terms of reference to elaborate 9 studies covering market
surveys on value chains, promotion of farmers’ associations,
support to farmers in the search of market and strengthening of the
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
23
Other inputs
Outputs
Activities
surveillance of the trade of farm inputs and the role of the most
vulnerable groups
Perform the consultancy
Conduct 9 capacity building workshops for the farmers
Output 4.3:
Improved access to markets (national and
regional)
Develop terms of reference to study: (i) Incentive measures for the
private sector: marketing strategy, workshops on health measures,
plant care measures and regulations; (ii) Economic information
networks; (iii) Disseminate quality, standards, traceability of inputs
and agricultural products: certified seeds, tools and equipment for
the standard and traceability control are acquired, livestock farming
are codified and (iV) Guidebooks on new processing, packaging,
stocking and transport technologies
Perform the study
Conduct 9 capacity building workshops for the farmers
Output 4.4
Communication/awareness campaign for
framers on access to market
Develop terms of reference for the elaboration and implementation
of a communication strategy to raise the awareness on access to
markets using various means as capacity building workshops, TV,
radio, others from the most adequate to disseminate best and
gender sensitive practices amongst MS
Implement the campaign
24
Other inputs
SECTION 4: Expected Results
Result 1: Regional agro-met counselling and early warning system
Result 2: COMESA-wide gender sensitive approach to CSA/CA/CSL Result 3: Relevant policy reforms and possible incentive measures for transformation of the
agriculture sector identified, and if possible, agreed to
Result 4: Small holder farmers in nine (9) COMESA countries32 have had the opportunity to learn
about CSA and experience the positive production effects through increased climate change
resilience
Result 5: A reduction of agricultural production related GHG emissions and increased carbon sinks
within COMESA.
32
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
25
SECTION 5: M&E framework
Measurable Indicators
OUTCOME 1:
Agromet and early warning services
made available to MS to enhance their
ability to cope with a changing climate
Output 1.1.
Regional agromet service and early
warning system, including agrometeorological counselling
Activities
Develop terms of reference to design
and implement the agromet and early
warning system
Design and implement the system,
including the acquisition of all the
necessary equipment and the
elaboration of a guide to interpret and
use the data produced and means for its
dissemination among farmers
Build national capacity to use agromet
data and use the equipment to
disseminate the information among
farmers
Means of verification
Assumptions
Services and guide to use it available
Platform were the services will be held,
COMESA website and newsletter, at
least
MS are interested in the issue and
engage in the activities
Services and guide to use it available
Services in the selected means
National entities and farmers are
interested in the issue and engage in the
activities
Terms of reference for the services
Document of the terms of reference
Guide to use the services model
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including guide to
use the services and timesheets
Number of workshops held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the workshops
Workshops’ reports, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
OUTCOME 2
Increased capacity to decide on
MS and farmers are interested in the
26
Measurable Indicators
Means of verification
adequate practices in a climate change
context among COMESA MS
issue and engage in the activities
Output 2.1.
Assessment of the vulnerability of the
sector in the present and according to
climate scenarios for the region and
policy recommendations to strengthen
climate resilience in the agriculture
sector
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the
consultancy to elaborate future climate
change scenarios and perform the
assessment of the present and future
vulnerabilities
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Perform the consultancy
Baseline and future climate scenarios
Assessment of the vulnerability
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including guide to
use the hydrological model and
timesheets
Conduct seminars with MS’ stakeholders
to share the results
Number of seminars held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the seminars
Seminars’ report, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
Studies available
Documents of the studies
Output 2.2.
Research on the best practices of
CSA/CA for the region, including gender
and most vulnerable groups issues
Assumptions
27
Measurable Indicators
Activities
Define themes for research
Promote the academic research studies
through scholarships
Conduct seminars to share the results of
the studies
Output 2.3.
Communication/awareness campaign
for both decision-makers and
practitioners, including the private
sector, on climate change and
advantages and best CA/CSA/CSL gender
sensitive practices
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the
elaboration and implementation of a
communication strategy to raise the
awareness on climate change and
advantages and best CA/CSA/CSL
Implement the campaign
Means of verification
Themes selected
Assumptions
Document with the fellowships’
regulation
Report of the execution of the
scholarships’ programme
Number of scholarships attributed per
country and gender
Value of the scholarships attributed per
country and gender
Number of seminars held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the seminars
Seminars’ report, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
Number of beneficiaries per MS per
means of communication
Evaluation of the campaign
Report of the campaign
Terms of reference for the
communication strategy
Document of the terms of reference
Number of beneficiaries per MS per
means of communication
Report of the campaign
28
Beneficiaries are interested in the issue
and engage in the activities
Measurable Indicators
Means of verification
Assumptions
Evaluation of the campaign
OUTCOME 3:
Common and wide approach to CSA
policy and investments agreed and
developed among COMESA MS
Statement of the shared approach
Communication of COMESA in the
COMESA website and newsletter
MS are interested in the issue and
engage in the activities
Number of AIFs and NAIPs that are
revised to be climate proofed per MS
and for the 9 countries
AIFs and NAIPs
National entities and other beneficiaries
are interested in the issue and engage in
the activities
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Perform the consultancy
Baseline and future climate scenarios
Assessment of the vulnerability
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including guide to
use the hydrological model and
timesheets
Conduct a regional seminar to share
experiences
Seminar held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the seminar
Seminars’ report, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
Output 3.1.
Agriculture Investments Frameworks
(AIFs) and of the National Agriculture
Investment Plans (NAIPs) are climate
proofed through the upscaling of
CA/CSA practices
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the
consultancy for the application of a
climate lens to the existing agriculture
management instruments and
elaboration of recommendations to
mainstream best practices in a CC
context
29
Measurable Indicators
Output 3.2.
COMESA-wide approach to CA/CSA
including relevant policy reforms and
possible incentive measures for
transformation of the agriculture sector
identified, and if possible, agreed to, as
a means to implement Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs)
Means of verification
Statement of the shared approach
Communication of COMESA in the
COMESA website and newsletter
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Wide approach to CA/CSA
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including guide to
use the hydrological model and
timesheets
Seminar held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the seminar
Seminars’ report, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
Output 3.3.
More resources applied to implement
CA/CSA/(CSL) Investment Frameworks
Additional resources applied to CA/CSA
activities
Annual report of activities
Activities
Develop terms of reference to support
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the
consultancy for developing the
COMESA-wide approach to CA/CSA
(based on outcome 3.1)
Perform the consultancy
Conduct a regional seminar to share
experiences
30
Assumptions
Beneficiaries are interested in the issue
and engage in the activities
Measurable Indicators
Means of verification
Assumptions
resource mobilization for the
implementation of the CA/CSA
Investment Frameworks
Perform the consultancy
Conduct an international workshop on
the mobilization and availability of
resources and regular meetings with
potential donors/partners
OUTCOME 4:
Enhanced climate change resilience and
sources of income while less GHG are
emitted among COMESA
Output 4.1.
Increased number of vulnerable small
holders practicing CA/CSA/CSL and
having more income
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the
consultancy to design 933 pilot projects
including various areas of CA/CSA
33
Resources mobilization strategy
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including strategy
and timesheets
Workshop and meetings held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the seminar
Seminars’ reports and meetings’
memos, including the participants list
and the result of the evaluation
Number of projects held and GHG
reductions
Report of the projects
MS are interested in the issue and
engage in the activities
Number of projects per typology and MS
Number beneficiaries per gender per
typology of project and MS
Summary of the projects M&E in the the
COMESA website and newsletter, at
least
Project beneficiaries are interested in
the issue and engage in the activities
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
31
Measurable Indicators
Design and implement the projects
Conduct regular regional seminars to
present the results of the projects, share
experiences and draw best practices
Means of verification
Number of projects per typology and MS
Number beneficiaries per gender per
project typology and MS
Report of the projects, including M&E
framework with indicators
disaggregated by gender and other
vulnerable groups
Seminars held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the seminar
Seminars’ reports, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
Output 4.2.
Farmers and all actors of the rural area
with wide knowledge of the value chain
Activities
Develop terms of reference to elaborate
9 studies covering market surveys on
value chains, promotion of farmers’
associations, support to farmers in the
search of market and strengthening of
the surveillance of the trade of farm
inputs and the role of the most
vulnerable groups
Perform the consultancy
Conduct capacity building workshops for
the farmers
Assumptions
Farmers are interested and participate
in the activities
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Studies
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including studies
results and timesheets
Number of workshops held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the workshops
Workshops’ reports, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
32
Measurable Indicators
Output 4.3:
Improved access to markets (national
and regional)
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the study
on improved access to markets
Perform the study
Conduct capacity building workshops for
the farmers
Means of verification
Number of beneficiaries accessing the
market
Volume of sales per product per year
M&E report
Terms of reference for the consultancy
Document of the terms of reference
Studies
Number of hours worked
Report of consultancy, including studies
results and timesheets
Number of workshops held
Number and origin of the participants
Evaluation of the workshops
Workshops’ reports, including the
participants list and the result of the
evaluation
Output 4.4
Communication/awareness campaign
for framers on access to market
National entities and other beneficiaries
are interested in the issue and engage in
the activities
Activities
Develop terms of reference for the
elaboration and implementation of a
communication strategy
Implement the campaign
Assumptions
Terms of reference for the
communication strategy
Document of the terms of reference
Number of beneficiaries per MS per
means of communication
Report of the campaign
33
Measurable Indicators
Means of verification
Evaluation of the campaign
34
Assumptions
SECTION 6: Indicative budget
Miti: if you could provide indicative budget that would be great.
Activities
ToR development
Consultancy
OUTCOME 1
Workshops/seminars
Sub-total outcome 1
ToR development
Consultancy
Workshops/seminars
Sub-total output 1.1
ToR development
1 000
90 000
0
2 091 000
3 000
Workshops/seminars
250 000
ToR development
Consultancy
50 000
1 073 000
1 000
500 000
Workshops/seminars
Communication campaigns
Sub-total output 2.1
ToR development
50 000
0
551 000
1 000
Consultancy
270 000
Workshops/seminars
200 000
Communication campaigns
Sub-total output 2.2
ToR development
Output 2.3
2 091 000
770 000
Sub-total outcome 2
Output 2.2
0
Consultancy
Communication campaign
Output 2.1
90 000
2 000 000
Communication campaigns
OUTCOME 2
1 000
2 000 000
Communication campaign
Output 1.1
Cost (4 years) USD
0
471 000
1 000
Consultancy
0
Workshops/seminars
0
35
Activities
Communication campaigns
50 000
Sub-total output 2.3
51 000
ToR development
OUTCOME 3
215 000
Workshops/seminars
166 000
Sub-total outcome 3
ToR development
Consultancy
Workshops/seminars
Sub-total output 3.1
ToR development
1 000
50 000
0
231 000
1 000
25 000
Workshops/seminars
50 000
Sub-total output 3.2
ToR development
0
76 000
1 000
Consultancy
10 000
Workshops/seminars
66 000
Communication campaigns
Sub-total output 3.2
ToR development
Consultancy
OUTCOME 4:
384 000
Consultancy
Communication campaigns
Output 3.3
0
180 000
Communication campaigns
Output 3.2
3 000
Consultancy
Communication campaigns
Output 3.1
Cost (4 years) USD
0
77 000
4 000
1 080 000
Workshops/seminars
Communication campaigns
Sub-total outcome 4
ToR development
380 000
50 000
1 514 000
1 000
Consultancy
900 000
Workshops/seminars
200 000
Output 4.1
Communication campaigns
36
0
Activities
Cost (4 years) USD
Sub-total output 4.1
1 101 000
ToR development
Output 4.2
1 000
Consultancy
90 000
Workshops/seminars
90 000
Communication campaigns
0
Sub-total output 4.2
181 000
ToR development
Output 4.4
1 000
Consultancy
0
Workshops/seminars
0
Communication campaigns
50 0000
Sub-total output 4.2
51 000
TOTAL all outcomes
5 062 000
Management fee COMESA (10%)
506 200
GRAND TOTAL
37
5 112 620
References
AGRA (2015): Africa Agriculture Status Report 2015. Youth in Agriculture in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
AGRA (2014): Africa Agriculture Status Report 2014. Climate Change and Smallholder Agriculture in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
Barnard James, Manyire Henry, Tambi Emmanuel and Bangali Solomon. COMESA-EAC-SADC (2015):
END OF PROJECT REPORT. Programme on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the
COMESA-EAC-SADC region. June 2015.
FARA (2015). Barriers to scaling up/out climate smart agriculture and strategies to enhance adoption
in Africa
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, Accra, Ghana.
Milder, Jeffrey C.; Majanen, Terhi and Scherr, Sara J. (2011): Performance and Potential of
Conservation Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation is Sub-Saharan Africa.
NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (2015): The CAADP Results Framework 2015-2025. Going
for results and impacts. Sustaining the CAADP momentum.
38
Annex 1 – full description of the Partnership landscape: Ongoing initiatives
There are a number of relevant ongoing initiatives in the realm of CSA in the COMESA region, with
whom partnerships can be build.
ACTN – African Conservation Tillage Network34
The African Conservation Tillage Network (ACTN) was initiated following a Stakeholders’ Workshop
on "Conservation Tillage for Sustainable Agriculture" held in Zimbabwe in 1998 organized by
Zimbabwe Farmers Union, German Development Co-operation (GTZ), and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa
(ARC). Driven by the desire among players to better and share more information and experiences on
CA and related aspects, the Workshop ratified the initiation of a regional network as a mechanism to
stimulate and facilitate cross-cutting and mutually exchange knowledge and information from
experiences of CA. In 2000, under project support from GiZ, then GTZ, the Network formally
established a full-time Secretariat with a Steering Committee to manage the Network. The Network
has since evolved into a neutral platform, stimulating, facilitating and challenging for mutual sharing
of information and knowledge on experiences and lessons on applications of CA and expanding to
the whole region.
ACTN is a registered as a pan-African not-for-profit membership association that was initially
commissioned with geographical focus on Southern, Central and East Africa. However, the Network
has expanded responding to active interest from rest of the continent to west and North Africa.
Existing potential for synergistic collaborations and knowledge sharing, enriched by the diversity,
across the continent has justified ACTN reformation into a pan-African establishment with
networking value within and between regions. Membership to the Network is voluntary bringing
together stakeholders and players who are:
 Dedicated to improving agricultural productivity through sustainable management of natural
resources in African farming systems.
 Committed to the principles of mutual collaboration, partnerships and sharing of
information and knowledge on sustainable natural resource management and drawing on
synergies and complementarities.
ACTN is established at three regional levels that include (i) Southern-Central Africa Region; (ii) East
and Horn Africa Region; (iii) West-North Africa Region. This enables each region to articulate its main
uniqueness, thrust and strengths as basis for inter-regional sharing and interaction. A distinct North
Africa region is foreseen in the future.
The current ACTN core functions include the following:
 Networking, Knowledge and Information Management Platform
 Documentation and dissemination CA information materials
 Lobbying, advocacy and public awareness
 Stimulate and facilitate coalition building and partnerships
 Learning: Education and Training and
 Research for Development support.
34
See http://www.act-africa.org/content.php?com=2&com2=14&com3=#.VvVmqT9iD1I
39
The strategic focus and result areas are:
1. Strengthening Adoption and scaling up of conservation agriculture
2. Improving Sustainable land management and climate change resilience in Africa
3. Enhancing Capacity building and partnerships relating to conservation Agriculture
4. Improving Communication, information and knowledge management on Conservation
Agriculture.
5. Strengthening Entrepreneurship and business development for conservation Agriculture and
6. Strengthening Network management support functions.
AGRA – Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa35
AGRA exists to fulfil the vision that Africa can feed itself and the world—transforming agriculture
from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives.
AGRA is an independent African-led and Africa-based organization committed to putting farmers at
the centre of our continent’s growing economies.
Its investments are primarily focused on Africa’s family farmers, the millions of hardworking men
and women across the continent who typically cultivate crops and tend livestock on less than two
hectares of land. They are the heart of African agriculture, African economies and Africa’s future.
AGRA was formed in 2006 in response to a call from former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who
said the time had come for African farmers to wage a “uniquely African Green Revolution.” AGRA
seeks to meet this challenge by embracing food production practices that are environmentally
sustainable, economically inclusive, and aligned with Africa’s unique agriculture environments and
food preferences.
Over the last ten years, AGRA has been intensely focused on discrete problems related to seed
production, soil health, and agriculture markets that were so profound and had been neglected for
so long that they required a concentrated effort to resolve. There has been substantial progress in
each area. But if agriculture is going to be the engine of economic growth Africans need and
deserve, then all of these changes need to occur in concert.
AGRA is now focused on African countries that are best positioned right now to achieve exponential
growth in agriculture production. AGRA sees an opportunity in these select countries to double
yields and incomes for some 30 million farming households over the next five years.
AGRA will continue to work in many other countries across sub-Saharan Africa, with farmers,
governments, businesses, investors, financial institutions, scientists and other allies committed to
increasing production and incomes in Africa’s agriculture sector.
CAADP – Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme36
35
36
See http://www.agra.org/who-we-are/our-story/
See www.nepad-caadp.net/about-us
40
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is Africa’s policy
framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic
growth and prosperity for all. In Maputo, Mozambique in 2003, the African Union (AU) Summit
made the first declaration on CAADP as an integral part of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD).
The principles and values that informed the implementation of CAADP in the first decade (2003 –
2013) are still valid and will continue to guide the implementation modalities in the next decade
(2015-2025). These include: African ownership and leadership; accountability and transparency;
inclusiveness; evidence-based planning and decision making and harnessing regional
complementarities. In addition, the sets of principles and values important to CAADP include:
People-centredness; private sector driven development; systemic capacity; and subsidiarity, and:
peer learning and multi-sectorialism.
The Heads of State and Government committed to a systematic regular review process of the
progress made in implementing the provisions of the Malabo Declaration. To this end, the CAADP
Results Framework is earmarked as the tool that will be used in tracking, monitoring and reporting
on the progress in meeting the Malabo commitments. Consequently, the Framework outlines
expected results and impacts, and as well specifies benchmarks and milestones for Africa’s
agricultural development agenda.
The CAADP Results Framework is an integral part of the AU Agenda 2063 and defines the agricultural
“space” in the Agenda. It indicates the level and rate of agricultural performance and the policy,
strategy, and capacity development actions that are required for the sector to contribute to
achieving the 2063 Agenda goals. The Framework is particularly important for the continent’s broadbased economic growth and inclusive development aspirations. At continental level, the CAADP
Results Framework provides a collective vision, and therefore serves as the “visionary beacon” which
will be translated at the national and regional levels into localised priorities, goals and targets.
The Results Framework is relevant and applicable primarily at country level for the preparation and
implementation of the second decade of CAADP (2015-2025). The issues, priorities and strategies
that define the CAADP Results Framework are underpinned by four main aspects, namely: (a) the
compelling desire at all levels to see tangible results and impact from agriculture in the socioeconomic wellbeing of the continent’s population, especially women, youth and rural communities;
(b) the need to pursue a two-pronged approach which interactively facilitates interventions on
systems and capacity transformation on one hand, and enhanced productivity and value addition on
the other; and (c) the deliberate orientation towards strategies and approaches for capacity
development including human capital development, science and technology and institutional
development; and (d) the need to bring to the fore a regional integration (trade and markets)
agenda as an integral and essential component to sustainable national level solutions.
In this context, the CAADP Results Framework (see Error! Reference source not found.) combines a
logical flow of three levels of results setting out the WHY (Level 1), the WHAT (Level 2) and the HOW
(level 3) of consolidating and stepping up CAADP implementation.
At the regional and continental levels, the CAADP Results Framework will, in compliance with the
principle of subsidiarity, help to better organise implementation support and ensure the relevance
41
and effectiveness of this support. The Results Framework will foster regional and continental
agricultural development policies, strategies and programmes that support optimal national
solutions. The Results Framework also provides the scope to enhance collaboration and partnerships
with local and international partners. It guides alignment of multilateral initiatives as well as ODA
and FDI partnerships with the African agriculture vision and transformation agenda.
Level 1: Presents impact-level results to which the agriculture sector will contribute. This level
highlights high-level socio-economic and transformation changes in Africa, exhibited in growth and
inclusive development goals, namely: (a) wealth creation and (b) food and nutrition security; (c)
economic opportunities, poverty eradication and shared prosperity; and (d) resilience and
sustainability. It is the significance of agricultural contribution to these result areas which will
demonstrate the phrase “agriculture-led growth and development”. Improved agricultural
performance is expected to contribute to achieving these goals, while recognising that other sectors
of the economy also contribute to these goals.
Level 2: Describes the desired results of agricultural performance, in terms of production,
productivity, competitiveness and regional integration, as well as effectiveness and efficiency in all
related production systems. It outlines the priority intermediate-level results required to make
optimal contribution of the agriculture sector to Level 1 results. In this regard, it is the success and
improved performance in the priority areas identified in this level which will determine the extent of
agricultural contribution to Level 1 results and impacts.
The achievement of results in Levels 1 and 2 is the responsibility of national and regional level
institutions. Achievement at these two levels will indicate progress made in strengthening African
Agriculture and its overall impact on the continent’s socio-economic growth and development.
Level 3: describes the HOW as a combination of various capabilities needed to accelerate
agricultural growth and to broaden its impact. It presents the key policy, institutional, and capacity
outcomes required to trigger changes in level 2; the achievement of results in the defined priority
areas will enable countries to achieve appropriate, effective and efficient performance in the
agricultural sector (i.e. Level 2). This level, perceived as the CAADP- specific value addition to
agricultural change and improved performance, specifically defines results in terms of systemic
capacities to effectively design and implement agricultural policies and programmes at the national
level. It defines the priority results areas that constitute “CAADP implementation support” at the
national, regional and continental levels.
The three levels, together, reflect a Pan-African framework for transformational change, policy
reforms and institutional development. The set of specific, common and measurable indicators listed
in the attendant matrix enable country and regional implementation entities, relevant stakeholders
and their partners to individually and collectively rationalise and assess alignment of agricultural
policy and strategic priorities and to monitor programme performance and progress in an evidencebased and transparent manner (NEPAD, 2015).
42
Figure 3 – CAADP Results Framework 2015-2025.
43
CIFOR – Centre for International Forestry Research37
As well as being critical to slowing or even stopping climate change, forests are important for
reducing its current and future effects on people. For example, forest goods tend to be more
climate-resilient than traditional agriculture crops and so when disasters strike or crops fail, forests
act as safety nets protecting communities from losing all sources of food and income. They also
regulate waterways, protect soil, cool cities and entire regions, and more.
With so much at stake, forests and climate change is an important theme of CIFOR’s work. CIFOR
investigates how to improve forest management and grow global tree cover to benefit the
environment and livelihoods. The research considers everything from REDD+ implementation to
land-use change and wetland carbon stores, all of which contribute to our goals of effective climate
change mitigation and adaptation.
CIFOR is one of the CG centres active in the ESA region. It has presented the proposal, “Providing
technical and scientific support to the programme on COMESA Climate change adaptation and
mitigation in eastern and southern Africa (COMESA-EAC-SADC)” which is presaged on the
understanding that scientific data and information can be gathered, analysed, debated and endorsed
at regional level for adoption by individual member states.
CIFOR signed an MOU with COMESA in 2010 and did contribute to the development of the climate
change programme. The agency was more instrumental in the development of COMESA’s Forestry
Strategy and Action Plan and through this activity developed extensive in-house knowledge of
forestry issues in the ESA. CIFOR was acutely aware of the paucity of data and information on
climate change in general and forest and carbon stocks in particular in many countries regional
member states. In addition, CIFOR noted that the process of designing and implementing climate
change incentive schemes such as REDD+ include a two pronged approach where the first prong will
focus on an assessment of the biophysical conditions and the second on the socioeconomic
feasibility and with attention on gendered forest resource use. Thus, CIFOR lead the process of
developing a model for measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV) for forests and forest carbon
stocks and test it in two countries. Through the testing and collaboration with the two countries
methods and tools that can be used to develop a technically sound MRV model would be realised.
The model MRV developed under this project will be shared at regional level so that other countries
can, in turn, adapt the same model for their own needs and circumstances.
FAO – Regional Office for Africa38
The proposed initiative aims to build on on-going promotion of best practices of principles of onfarm and off-farm production and post-production processes while addressing the need to create
decent rural employment, especially for young people, that result in safe and healthy food, taking
into account economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Special attention is put in the regional initiative “Integrated Management of Agricultural Landscapes
in Africa” which areas of operation include Attracting the youth and more inclusive and proactive
participation of women is crucial for sustainable green growth of the agricultural sector. In addition,
of great importance for this realization is the wider adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture across the
37
38
See http://www.cifor.org/forests-and-climate-change/
See http://www.fao.org/africa/perspectives/agricultural-landscapes-africa/en/
44
landscape. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is key for addressing simultaneously three intertwined
challenges: ensuring food security through increased productivity and income, adaptation to climate
change and mitigation where possible.
The objectives of the initiative are the enhancement of integrated production and productivity for
agriculture and natural resources at major landscape levels reflecting strong focus on its activities
directly linked to the Regional Priorities and Strategic Objectives 2, 3 and 4, Make agriculture,
forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, reduce rural poverty and Enable inclusive
and efficient agricultural and food systems, respectively. As results the initiative expects closing the
production gap and hence the expressed priority for increased production and productivity for the
crops, livestock, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries sectors by most countries in the region. The
Initiative will look at opportunities for development of the value chain to generate employment and
increase income, thereby encouraging more investment in production.
Under the last programme, FAO has been identified as an implementing partner to (i) assist in
mobilising additional resources for investment in Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA); (ii) develop
national and regional policies and institutions supporting Conservation Agriculture (CA) scaling up;
and (iii) provide technical support to stakeholders for CA field implementation. Some of the
identified areas for FAO collaboration include: the formulation of specific investment programmes
on CSA in the framework of the CAADP National Agricultural Investment Plans; the establishment
and/or expansion of CA coordination and promotion platforms in the ESA member states; the in-situ
assessment of CA models at country level and scaling up of best practices; a regional synthesis of the
status of CA and sharing among partners; the development of suitable dissemination materials to
enhance adaption of climate resilient practices on a larger scale; the integration of HIV, gender and
nutrition in project activities; and the development of a common robust Monitoring and Evaluation
(M&E) system.
FAO EPIC – Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-Smart Agriculture39
The Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-Smart Agriculture (EPIC) programme works with
governments, research centres, universities and other institutional partners to support the transition
to CSA by using sound economic and policy analysis. It is a programme of work aimed at identifying
and harmonizing climate-smart agricultural policies, analysing impacts, effects, costs and benefits as
well as incentives and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. The ultimate
objective of the programme is to support developing and in-transition countries to formulate
agricultural investment proposals to increase resilience to climate change and promote CSA.
EPIC seeks to bridge the gap between field research, policy making and financial investments in
agriculture.



39
Research: aimed at analysing and identifying impacts, effects, costs and benefits as well as
incentives and barriers to the adoption of Climate-Smart agricultural practices.
Policies and institutions: provide advice on the formulation and implementation of ClimateSmart agricultural policies.
Investments in agriculture: formulating CSA investment proposals for developing countries.
See http://www.fao.org/climatechange/epic/home/en/
45
EPIC is currently working on a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of three partner countries
– Malawi, Viet Nam and Zambia - to address constraints and promote Climate-Smart Agriculture that
will deliver both food security and improved livelihoods, as well as global public good in the form of
avoided GHG emissions. The project is also strengthening the capacities of Ministries of Agriculture
to engage in UNFCCC negotiations on climate change.
GACSA – Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture40
Global efforts to protect 500 million farmers from climate change while increasing agricultural
productivity and reducing carbon emissions were strengthened at today’s Climate Summit, with
commitments pledged by dozens of countries, companies and organizations.
More than 20 Governments, 30 organizations and companies announced they would join the newly
launched Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture. The countries joining represent millions of
farmers, at least a quarter of the world cereal production, 43 million undernourished people and
16 per cent of total agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
The Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture Aims to Achieve:
 Sustainable and equitable increases in agricultural productivity and incomes
 Greater resilience of food systems and farming livelihoods
 Reduction and/or removal of greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture
(including the relationship between agriculture and ecosystems), wherever possible.
 Improving people’s food and nutrition security to adjust agricultural practices, food systems
and social policies so they account for climate change and the efficient use of natural
resources.
Regional Efforts to Carry Out Climate-smart Agriculture include:
 The Africa Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance to help about 25 million farming households
practice climate-smart agriculture by 2025.
 A North-American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance to be established in 2015 to help
farmers, ranchers and foresters adapt to climate change, improve resiliency and ease the
associated risks of the production process.
 Walmart, McDonald’s and Kellogg Company committed to increase the amount of food in
their respective supply chains that are produced with climate-smart approaches that expand
the use of sustainable agricultural practices and curb carbon emissions from agriculture.
 The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank announced
that 100 per cent of their agricultural investment portfolios –about $11 billion–would be
climate-smart by 2018.
 The World Food Programme expanded its R4 Rural Resilience Initiative to empower food
insecure rural households in Malawi and Zambia.
 The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) will allocate $10.2
billion over the next 10 years to climate-smart agriculture research. Other organizations
investing resources in research include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR),
the Global Research Alliance for Agriculture (GRA) on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, the
International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC)/Virtual
40
See http://newsroom.unfccc.int/action-to-adapt/un-climate-summit-agriculture/
46


Fertilizer Research Centre (VFRC), and several European organizations setting up the
Climate-Smart Agriculture Booster.
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Agriculture Initiative to reduce levels of methane and
black carbon (soot) emitted during livestock and manure management, paddy rice
production, and open agricultural burning.
GART – Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust41
GART’s mission is to contribute to optimization of the production, commerce and trade of crops,
milk, chicken, goats and where possible their by-products and income security of the target
beneficiaries through Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) programmes for
market-oriented small-, medium- and large-scale male and female farmers as well as youths, who
include those affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.
GART seeked financial support from COMESA to help in climate change adaptation and mitigation by
small-scale farmers in selected project sites in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia.
The support would go towards piloting, deepening and up scaling an on-going regional project
whose initial objective was to strengthen mitigating mechanisms for smallholder farmers affected or
infected with the HIV-AIDS by improving their productivity (Food security and nutrition) in the four
counties42. In this way the gains already obtained would be strengthened.
ICRAF – World Agroforestry Centre43
ICRAF is a Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Consortium Research
Centre. The Centre’s vision is a rural transformation throughout the tropics as smallholder
households increase their use of trees in agricultural landscapes to improve their food security,
nutrition security, income, health, shelter, social cohesion, energy resources and environmental
sustainability.
ICRAF's mission is to generate science-based knowledge about the diverse benefits - both direct and
indirect - of agroforestry, or trees in farming systems and landscapes, and to disseminate this
knowledge to develop policy options and promote policies and practices that improve livelihoods
and benefit the environment.
Agricultural production is strongly affected by climate change, often leaving resource poor rural
populations more vulnerable to shocks, while also contributing to climate change through the
emission of greenhouse gases. Trees are affected by climate variability and change, and in turn can
influence regional climate by altering atmospheric processes, including water budgets. Trees on
farms can have considerable effects on smallholder livelihoods, both by improving ecosystem
services or functions and by increasing or diversifying farm income and food and nutritional security.
These features improve farmers’ capacities to cope with climate (and other) shocks while providing
41
See http://www.gartzambia.org/GV-WO.html
GART implemented a Project titled “Strengthening HIV/AIDS and Food Security Mitigating Mechanisms
Amongst Smallholder Farmers in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia” from Sept 2005 to March 2012
under Norwegian and Swedish governments’ support provided through Swedish International Development
Agency (Sida).
43
See http://www.worldagroforestry.org/climate-change
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important mitigation co-benefits by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere in tree biomass.
Agroforestry can therefore be considered as “climate-smart” because it combines improved
livelihoods with mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
The Climate Change Unit investigates the effects of trees on reducing farmers’ vulnerability to
climate variability and change and their contribution to greenhouse gas mitigation. This involves
biophysical, socioeconomic and policy related research, for instance by assessing greenhouse gas
fluxes of different agroforestry systems at the landscape scale; estimating costs and benefits as well
as synergies and trade-offs of investing in trees on farms; or by assessing the policies, governance,
institutions and markets that enable successful scaling up in different contexts.
ICRAF also identifies how trees are affected by or influence climate, for instance through
dendrochronology or modelling of land cover and land use change. In addition, we work on tools,
methods and strategies that connect farmers with climate finance, embed agriculture and forestry
into national and international climate policy frameworks and support tree-based sustainable
bioenergy solutions for smallholders.
ICRAF was previously worked with COMESA in a project aiming at the systematic documentation,
evaluation and promotion of agriculture, forestry and other land uses as part of approaches to
addressing adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Furthermore, the project aimed to
address knowledge gaps about climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices, develop and test
methodologies for measuring, reporting and verifying bio-carbon quantities delivered by CSA and
other projects in order to facilitate participation in carbon finance markets by African governments
and smallholder farmers, and to provide the evidence-base and scientific support for the African
position in climate change negotiations.
FANRPAN – Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network44
FANRPAN was officially registered as a private voluntary organization (PVO) in Zimbabwe in 2003.
FANRPAN has maintained its registration in Zimbabwe, although it has since moved its regional
secretariat office to Pretoria, South Africa where it operates as a fully-fledged international office
with diplomatic status.
The broad objectives of FANRPAN are to:
 Promote the development of appropriate agricultural policies in order to reduce poverty,
 Enhance food security in Africa, and
 Promote sustainable agricultural development in Africa.
Since 2005, FANRPAN has pioneered regional learning and knowledge acquisition in agricultural and
food security policy analysis and advocacy, initially in Southern and Eastern Africa, and latterly
extending its contribution and reach to continental and global levels. Through strong collaborative
and experiential learning with its constituent stakeholders at national and regional levels, FANRPAN
has progressively developed its food and agricultural policy engagement and action cycle which is
the cornerstone of its distinctive approach to innovation and learning for policy and capacity
development at regional and national levels.
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See http://www.fanrpan.org/about/
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The FANRPAN Annual High Level Regional Food Security Policy Dialogues are hosted on a rotational
basis amongst the FANRPAN member countries, determined by the FANRPAN Annual General
Meeting which nominates a host country and identifies a theme for the year.
The policy dialogues, with an estimated attendance of over 200 participants in recent years, provides
an opportunity for FANR stakeholders including, governments; policy research institutions;
universities; farmer’s organisations; private sector; media and civil society to share best practices;
lessons and experiences on a particular theme and come up with tangible resolutions. The policy
dialogues also showcase best practices from Africa and beyond in line with FANRPAN's five thematic
thrusts:
1. Food Systems
2. Agriculture Productivity and Markets
3. Natural Resources and Environment
4. Social Protection and Livelihoods
5. Institutional Strengthening.
In 2015, the Dialogue was precisely on “Creating an Enabling Environment for Scaling up Climate
Smart Agriculture: The Road to Paris” and was held in Lusaka.
The content and discussions of the regional policy dialogue will draw on research from the following
CSA focused FANRPAN projects:
 Strengthening Policy Advocacy and Research Capacity for Enhanced Food Security in East
and Southern Africa – Funded by the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the project
seeks to strengthen the capacity of FANRPAN to support development of FANR policies in
East and Southern Africa sub-region. One of the key objectives is to enhance the capacity of
FANRPAN member countries to undertake advocacy on CSA policy formulation.
 Programme on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the COMESA-EAC-SADC regions
– Funded by the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), the programme
aims to support the inclusion of Africa’s unified position on climate change into 3 the post2012 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) global
agreement.
 Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Southern Africa to Better Manage Climate-Related Risks
to Crop Production and Post- Harvest Handling - Funded by the European Union and the
United Nations Food, Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the project seeks to improve and
sustain household and national food security in southern Africa through better management
of climatic risks by smallholder farmers.
 Stemming Aflatoxin pre- and post-harvest waste in the groundnut value chain (GnVC) in
Malawi and Zambia to improve food and nutrition security in the smallholder farming
families - Funded by the Platform for African - European Partnership in Agriculture and Rural
Development (PAEPARD) , the project seeks to reduce pre- and post-harvest losses by
reducing Aflatoxin in the Groundnut Value Chain (GnVC) for improved food and nutrition
security of smallholder farmers by addressing main constraining factors of technology
dissemination and adoption, knowledge and information sharing, and policies.
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Foundations for Farming45
Foundations for Farming is an initiative aimed at bringing transformation to individuals, communities
and nations through faithful and productive use of land. God has revealed a very simple
conservation farming method with an implementation management teaching, which when applied
help people to apply the Gospel to their lives.
Its desire is that through the life lesson of farming it will help the vast masses of Africa and the
developing world, who are dependent on the land, to faithfully use what they have been given to
turn a profit and come out of poverty.
Foundations for Farming was into the implementation of the programme entitled ‘Introducing
Conservation Agriculture and Agro-Forestry into Zimbabwean Schools’ funded by COMESA.
This project was undertaken in response to the chronic and prolonged food insecurity situation that
Zimbabwe has experienced and in particular the impact of climate change on the food production in
Zimbabwe. Agricultural output in Zimbabwe is highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change.
Its approach dramatically increases resilience to climate impacts, whilst at the same time addressing
deforestation (with associated mitigation benefits) and reducing poverty.
The overall goal of the project was to increase the uptake of Conservation Agriculture and AgroForestry, especially amongst youth, thereby creating employment and increasing sustainable food
production and is being implemented in 50 schools, five in each of the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe,
through training 25,000 students and one hundred teachers.
GSDM46
GSM is a Malagasy law association which groups different organizations involved in research,
training and dissemination of conservation agriculture in Madagascar.
Its mission is to support the wide dissemination of Conservation Agriculture in the country.
The GSDM is the focal point of the Task Force on Conservation Agriculture, a national platform
supported by the FAO. Since its inception, the GSDM is supported by CIRAD and receives since 2002
supports the AFD (French Development Agency) and FFEM (French Fund for Global Environment)
through the project "Support to the dissemination of technical agro ecological to Madagascar”.
GSDM has requested the support from COMESA to the project “Upscaling Climate Smart Agriculture
in the Eastern Bank of the Alaotra Lake” with the main objective of supporting the Upscaling of CSA
in Madagascar in order to mitigate climate change and to improved food security as the following
outputs:
1. CSA more widely upscaled in the Eastern bank of Alaotra Lake 2. Farmers organizations trained in CSA 3. CSA is widely advocated for within Government and stakeholders at both local and regional
level 4. Monitoring and Evaluation 5. Project Management: Full time Coordination.
45
46
See http://www.foundationsforfarming.org/
See http://gsdm-mg.org/
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Also, GSDM has been engaged in the project “COSUCA (COmesa Support to CA actions)” in
Madagascar which goal was to “Enhanced household and national food security while combating the
potential impact of climate change by promoting sound and sustainable farming practices.” The
outcome of this project is that Conservation agriculture is more widely supported and implemented
in MADAGASCAR and 5 outputs were expected:
 Coordination of CA activities at national level strengthened
 CA evidence shared, analyzed and applied in CA advocacy
 CA policy environment analyzed and recommendations made
 Visibility of CA and CA capacity increased in the region
 Up scaling of CA in completed key project supported (targeting mainly new farmers in two
regions, the Mid West and the South East).
NAMBoard - National Marketing Board (Swaziland)47
NAMBoard is the National Agricultural Marketing Board of the kingdom of Swaziland. Its purpose is
to simulate local production by providing technical service and the marketing of agricultural produce
in the country, and particularly to support the small farmer.
NAMBoard asked funding from COMESA to enable the country to develop a climate smart
agricultural intervention that would serve as a blue print for development in this area, and to
strengthen the practicality of the model, a pilot project on climate smart agriculture to be
implemented in Mpatheni, Nhletjeni and Nkhungwini areas, which are in close proximity, and have a
combined hactarage of over 60 hectares of land, with over 200 households directly involved in
vegetable production. The main actions to be undertaken included:
 Conducting a baseline survey in the four regions of Swaziland to establish and cost
sustainable and integrated farming models that will enhance climate smart agricultural
interventions. This will be used as a blueprint for the Government, donors and other
development partners for future interventions.
 Implementing a Pilot Project (Mpatheni, Nhletjeni, Nkhungwini), which will be based on
improving viability of garden schemes through market led production systems. The main
actions under this would be:
o Establishment of decentralised cold storage facility to maintain the cold chain and
keep product quality and shelf-life intact over a longer period
o Hiring and supporting of a dedicated manager who would coordinate production
and marketing in the schemes to improve access to markets and timeliness of
response to market demand
o Implementing capacity development initiatives for farmers and extension staff in the
areas of conservation agriculture, marketing and global standards for fresh produce
o Provide exchange visits for farmers and extension staff, specialists and management
to other countries where climate smart agriculture has been successfully
implemented and
o Initiating a revolving fund for farm Inputs loans through repayment to be deducted
from sale of produce.
USAID48
47
See http://www.namboard.co.sz/
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Nearly 800 million people across the globe will go to bed hungry tonight, most of them smallholder
farmers who depend on agriculture to make a living and feed their families. Despite an explosion in
the growth of urban slums over the last decade, nearly 75 percent of poor people in developing
countries live in rural areas. That’s why growth in the agriculture sector has been found, on average,
to be at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other sectors.
Investing in these smallholder farmers—most of whom are women—is more important than ever. A
spike in world food prices in 2008 hurt economies across the world and led to destabilizing riots in
over 30 countries. In order to feed a population expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2050, the
world will have to double its current food production, all while climate change increases droughts
and leads to less predictable rains.
As part of these efforts, USAID is scaling up a comprehensive approach to fighting hunger and
strengthening food security by:
 Investing in cutting-edge scientific and technological agricultural research to develop
stronger seeds and greener fertilizers so farmers can grow more.
 Developing agricultural markets, expanding trade and using mobile phones to provide realtime prices, so farmers can sell what they grow at a profit.
 Helping farmers access capital, so they can expand their farms and buy equipment.
 Offering extension services, so farmers can learn the best techniques to grow and store their
crops.
 Developing sustainable agriculture strategies, so countries can feed their populations
without depleting their natural resources.
 Providing emergency food assistance, so vulnerable populations and malnourished can
survive and quickly bounce back in times of crisis.
As a result of these efforts, we will:
 Reduce the prevalence of poverty and the prevalence of stunted children under five years of
age by 20 percent in the areas where we work over five years;
 Lift 50 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa out of poverty by 2022—more than one out of
every eight people who currently live in poverty in the region.
More information on UDSAID’ agriculture and food security efforts at FeedtheFuture.gov.
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See https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security
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