Climate Proofing Agricultural Value Chains in Southern Africadialogue2017.fanrpan.org/sites/default/files/Sarah... · 2017. 8. 23. · 2017 FANRPAN Regional Food and Nutrition Security

2017 FANRPAN Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy Dialogue Durban, South Africa 🁢 15-17 August 2017

#Dialogue2017

Climate Proofing Agricultural Value Chains

in Southern Africa

Strategies to increase resilience of agricultural production

FANRPAN Regional Multi Stakeholder Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security Policy

„Resilient African Agriculture and food systems: Securing prosperity and health for all“

Sarah Beerhalter

Contact: [email protected]


General background

• The SADC programme on Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Areas in Southern Africa (ACCRA) is jointly implemented by CCARDESA (Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) and benefits all 15 SADC Member States.

• The programme is focussing on: Climate Proofing (CP) of agricultural value chains and policies and Regional Information, Communication and Knowledge Management (ICKM). Trainings and knowledge products on Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture (CCAA) and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) have been developed and are implemented. Several CP projects in SADC member states bring stakeholders together and create experience around the topic on national level. Climate finance mobilization and joint investment proposals for upscaling and disseminating CCAA/CSA are being developed.


General background

CCARDESA is a SADC subsidiary organization, established in 2011 to coordinate agricultural research and development among the 15 SADC member states. CCARDESA’ s main goals are to improve agricultural technology generation and dissemination, to act as a regional knowledge broker, to facilitate regional collaboration between stakeholders of the national agricultural systems, to promote private-public partnerships and to coordinate the implementation of regional research and development programmes to sustainably reduce food insecurity and poverty in the SADC region.

GIZ, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ, Financier of the programme) to implement the SADC-ACCRA programme jointly with CCARDESA.


Situation Analysis SADC Region

• The SADC region is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. • Agriculture sector most affected, whereby 70 % of the region´s population depend on agriculture for food, income and employment. • Extreme weather events like floods and droughts are increasing as well as the average temperatures. • Already low yields are decreasing, heavily impacting on regional food security. • Regional drought disaster declared in July 2016.

• Climate induced crop failures: cereal deficit: 9,3 Million tons

• 643.000 cattle perished in the drought

• Food insecure population increased by 31% since 2015

• 40 Million people in SADC had been declared food insecure and needed humanitarian assistance.



Global risk report 2017, World Economic Forum

• Top 10 Business and Investment Risks worldwide (2017), highlighting the most significant long-term risks worldwide • 6 out 10 of the ten major threats listed are related to

climate change! • Extreme weather events • Water crises • Natural disasters • Failure of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation • Large Scale involuntary migration • Food crises The only risk which was rated to have a higher impact as these has been “weapons of mass destruction” - which was rated very unlikely to occur.


• Lack of adequate responses to address the core problem:

Mainly short term relief in emergency situations requested, long term planning and adaptation measures and programmes still limited.

• 100 % accuracy on data is not needed to take good decisions, resilience strategies for mid and long term need to be developed which do not rely too much on accurate data (rather on trends).

• Lack of data cannot be an excuse for not acting anymore, planning should go more towards risk minimization, back ups, diversification, resource efficiency and supplementary measures to enable agricultural production to perform under more uncertain climatic conditions.

• We do not know everything, but we know sufficient to act and adapt, there is still time left to do it properly.

• Lack of evidence/good documentation/sharing of CSA research results in the region hampers scaling up.

• Knowledge translation is needed: to come from scientific outputs to user friendly materials.

• Paradigm shift necessary to ensure food security for future generations

But … do we have appropriate responses in place ???


One solution: Climate Proofing of Agricultural Value Chains

• Participatory processes !!! Research alone is not going to win the battle, extentionists and local communities/famers have vast knowledge about climate change effects in their areas.

• Understanding real existing vulnerabilities and available climate data in the local context.

• Information is key, knowledge is power: get to know all CSA practices and technologies, capacity building of stakeholders.

• Stakeholder involvement to discuss possible options on how to reduce or mitigate existing vulnerabilities in a selected value chain.



• Priorization of best CSA options for a specific local context and value chain (decision making tool) – CSA is always context specific – no blueprints!

• The best measures are the ones which are technically and economically feasible for smallholders and socially acceptable – not necessarily the ones which are theoretically promising the biggest improvements… barriers to adoption!

• Development of priorization and selection together with stakeholders (research, extension workers and (small scale) farmers)



• Testing/piloting of selected approaches through the stakeholders.

• Documenting reliable data (evidence) for benefits, trade offs and challenges.

• Supporting stakeholder lead resource mobilization process for up-scaling.

• Regional dissemination of lessons learnt in SADC (and beyond).


Want to know more? Want to share experience or products with other countries?

Visit us: CCARDESAs Southern African Agricultural Information and Knowledge Management System SAAIKS: http://saaiks.net Facebook: www.facebook.com/ccardesa

Twitter: @ccardesaa or Get registered to receive posts through the CCARDESA d-Groups by sending an email to: [email protected] Or contribute own content for climate change adaptation in agriculture and CSA for dissemination in the 15 SADC countries by sending it to: [email protected]

http://saaiks.net/

http://www.facebook.com/ccardesa

http://www.facebook.com/ccardesa

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Responses to discussion

Promising approaches for adequate responses for adapting VC to climate change are (limited selection):

• Increased resource efficiency: More crop per drop, Drip irrigation, Waste water re-use, Grey water re-use

• Increased water storage capacities: Supplementary irrigation as back up, rainwater harvesting, flood water harvesting, but no conventional large scale irrigation projects (water scarcity – agriculture biggest water consumer and uses 70% of all water worldwide, major rivers already over- allocated)

• Water and soil conservation, Erosion control, Increased soil organic matter and humidity

• Bunds , terracing and potholes • Mulching and cover crops • No till or minimum till • Cover crops, intercropping and crop rotation • Composting incl. vermiculture


Source: World Water Development Report 4, World Water Assessment Programme

(WWAP), March 2012

Already by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two thirds of the world population could live under water stress conditions. (UN Water, 2013)


Responses to discussion

• Improvement of post harvest losses (30-40% of harvests are lost in the region)

• Use of improved varieties or existing indigenous varieties (e.g. drought tolerant, incentivise regional sharing)

• Use of indigenous breeds of animals (swapping breeds or even species, national consumption vs. export)

• Fodder storage (take advantage of good years), increased level of preparedness for bad years

• Diversification on farm level – risk distribution.

• Agricultural climate risk insurance and climate information

• Climate smart input subsidies

• Increased knowledge sharing – use of ICT, involvement of women and youth


CSA Practices and Technologies

Documents

Climate Proofing Agricultural Value Chains in Southern Africadialogue2017.fanrpan.org/sites/default/files/Sarah... · 2017. 8. 23. · 2017 FANRPAN Regional Food and Nutrition Security