A new vision for scaling climate action in African agriculture: The case for investing in the continent’s regional organizations

This event provides a platform for Africa’s regional organizations to put forward an agenda for action that delivers the technologies, practices, and innovation that will transform African agriculture, making it a more resilient and food-secure future in a changing climate.

Taking inspiration from the African Union (AU) Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032)—and broader global climate initiatives, such as the COP26 Agriculture Breakthrough Agenda—regional organizations must play a critical role in agriculture policy, finance, research, and education to drive the kind of transformation that is needed for more effective climate adaptation in Africa. Find out more about the AU strategy here.

But we have not yet realized the full potential of Africa’s regional organizations that lead on agriculture research, climate services, early warning, extension services, and education. They can all play critical roles in shaping climate adaptation in countries across Africa and informing broader climate action globally.

So, this side event will explore how these regional organisations can support and collaborate their national, continental and international partners to scale innovation and make the African Union’s vision for climate action in agriculture a reality. More specifically, how these efforts can make the difference for Africa’s 250 million smallholder farmers.

We know which ‘climate-smart’ innovations and services work for smallholder farmers. But delivering them at scale and at speed will require new collaborations and more enabling environments.

So, this event also explores the outcomes of the first phase (2021-2023) of a World Bank-backed project called Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), which scales climate-smart agriculture and climate information services to reach millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. Discover more about AICCRA’s impact here.

Delegates will leave the event with a clear sense of direction to engage and mobilise regional organisations to scale tried-and-tested climate-smart innovations that have been scaled in countries like Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Zambia by AICCRA partnerships and which support the ambitions of the African Union’s Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan.

Speakers

• Moderator: John Recha – Scientist (AICCRA – Climate-Smart Agriculture and Policy),
  International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
• Manyewu Mutamba, Head (Ag) of Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation, AUDA-NEPAD
• Stephen Muchiri – Executive Director, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation
• Ana Maria Loboguerrero – AICCRA Director
• Edith Adera – Lead Coordinator, Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) and Regional Principal Officer, African Development Bank Group
• Jane Olwoch – Executive Director, Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL)
• Cliff Dlamini – Executive Director, Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)
• Phoebe Mwangangi – AICCRA Farmer from Makindu, Kenya
• Daniel Aryee – Policy Advocacy & Youth Programming, Office of the African Union Special Envoy on Youth

*This list will be updated as further speakers are confirmed

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