Analysis of Potential Value Chains for Scaling up Climate-Smart Agriculture in West Africa

Despite the development of several CSA options and their positive gains, their wide scale adoption remains a challenge. Integrating the value chain analysis into the Climate-Smart Village (CSV) - Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) approach sounds positioning as an effective approach for upscaling of CSA

Overview of the Scientific, Political and Financial Landscape of Climate-Smart Agriculture in West Africa

The agricultural sector plays a key role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). As the backbone of the economy, it affects society at many levels since national economies and people’s jobs, incomes and food security depend upon it. Climate change and variability pose a major threat to farmers in the region, which is already experiencing rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and increasing extreme events. The ECOWAS has put in place various policy instruments such as the Economic Community of West Africa States Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and its derived Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP) in order to promote a modern and sustainable agriculture based on effective and efficient family farms and the promotion of agricultural enterprises through the involvement of the private sector. Taking stock on member States’ expressed needs, ECOWAS would like to integrate a new type of public policy instruments into the RAIP: instruments for adapting the West-African agriculture to climate change, towards a Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) focusing on adaptation, mitigation and food & nutrition security joint objectives. This book documents and analyses specific features of the scientific, institutional, policy and funding CSA landscape in West Africa. It provides relevant information that could guide the definition of the ECOWAS Framework for CSA Intervention, Funding, Monitoring and Evaluation. Five major agricultural sectors have been covered: crop production, livestock, fisheries, forestry/agroforestry, and water. For each sector, a particular emphasis was given to the current status, the climate projections and likely socio- economic and environmental impacts expected, the bottlenecks to action and suggested next steps for adaptation and mitigation. Actionable messages and recommendations have been directed to ECOWAS stakeholders so as to incentivise CSA in West Africa. Key words: Climate change ; Climate-smart agriculture ; Crop production ; Livestock ; Water resources ; Fisheries ; Forestry ; Agroforestry ; West Afric

Climate Services in Senegal: Media training and field trip report

To demonstrate the success of the Senegal-based project on strengthening the scaling up of climate services, and enhance capacity for regional media to report effectively on climate change issues, CCAFS carried out media training and site visit from 28 to 30 September 2015. This activity was co-led by the CCAFS West Africa team and Coordinating Unit, in collaboration with local partners, and media experts. This report summarized key activities, outputs and outcomes from the visit. Both activities were designed to take advantage of the keen interest reporters are paying to climate change this year to focus their attention on agriculture’s role as a climate solution, especially through ground experiences and successes of CCAFS-led activities in Senegal (climate information services, climate-smart villages, etc.)

Monitoring outcomes of climate smart agricultural options at multiple levels: understanding adoption, synergies and tradeoffs

This framework will support field practitioners in tracking over time, the progress and dynamic changes in adoption of CSA options and their related impacts at household and farm level

National Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security Action Plan of Ghana (2016-2020)

The policy document – National Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security Action Plan of Ghana (2016-2020) – provides the implementation framework for an effective development of climate-smart agriculture in the ground. It formulates specific strategies that will contribute developing climate-resilient agriculture and food systems for all agro-ecological zones, as well as the human resource capacity required for a climate-resilient agriculture promotion in Ghana. The action plan is therefore an effort to translate to the ground level the broad national goals and objectives in climate-smart agriculture. Its development has been made possible through the active engagement of various public and private institutions and organizations in Ghana. The methodology comprised desk research, data collection through interviews and participatory workshops and small group meetings. A review of relevant agricultural policy documents such as the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP), the METASIP and the Agriculture Sustainable Land Management Strategy and Action Plan was done to analyse the current national agricultural policy environment. Participatory workshops were organized to bring representatives of stakeholder organizations together to discuss various components of the action plans and prepare inputs. These stakeholder consultation workshops were used to carry out prioritization of the action areas by the agro-ecological groupings. The stakeholders included farmers, small-scale agro-entrepreneurs, women groups and local government authorities. In addition, a validation workshop was held to provide a platform for a final discussion of the draft Action Plan with key stakeholders. It brought together representatives from the relevant ministries and public institutions including MoFA, MESTI, NDPC, private sector entities and farmer-based organizations. The Action Plan defined implementation programmes in the respective agro- ecological zones and in the various districts. Activities defined in the action plan have been developed on the premise that the eight programme areas of the Agriculture and Food Security focus area of the NCCP, provide a useful framework for detailing the specific activities and their corresponding implementing agencies. Other key components discussed the cross-cutting issues in the implementation of the plan and the monitoring and evaluation system. What remains crucial now is the allocation of resources to effectively implement the plan. In this regards, the lessons from the prioritization of the action areas by the stakeholders are instructive. Each of the three agro-ecological zones has action areas of emphasis. However, the development and promotion of climate-resilient cropping systems is important for all three zones and national efforts to focus on this since it is at the foundation of food security. More specifically, for the Savannah Zone, water conservation and irrigation systems are critical. For the Transition Zone, the development of livestock production system is important whilst for the Forest Zone, capacity development is a priority. The key message from the prioritization is that, it guides the formulation of the location-specific activities to address climate change and therefore engenders effective allocation of national resources. What needs to be underscored is the fact that, it is not the formulation of plans that creates impact. It is the dedicated implementation and commitment to the ideals and principles undergirding the plans that bring results. The earnest hope is to have commitment manifested with this national action plan

Comment instaurer un dialogue efficace entre chercheurs et décideurs sur l’adaptation au changement climatique au Mali

Cette note d’information résume les principales conclusions de l’étude, faite dans le cadre de la plateforme nationale de dialogue science-politique sur le changement climatique, l’agriculture et la sécurité alimentaire, ou plateforme C-CASA créée en 2012, sur l’importance de ce dialogue chercheurs-décideurs et des pistes d’amélioration possibles. Ces conclusions proviennent de l’interview de 17 institutions clés en matière d’adaptation au changement climatique, sélectionnées de façon collective parmi les membres du Comité National Changement Climatique du Mali

Innovations technologiques pour l’adaptation et l’atténuation des effets des changements climatiques en Afrique de l’Ouest: Récits paysans.

En Afrique subsaharienne, comme dans d’autres parties du monde, les changements climatiques constituent une menace sans précédent qui af- fecte des millions de populations rurales et urbaines. Ils sont aussi un obstacle à la réalisation des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement (OMD). Le changement climatique affecte l’agriculture et la sécurité alimentaire, tout comme l’agriculture et la gestion des ressources naturelles affectent le système climatique

How can effective dialogue be established between researchers and policy makers on climate change adaptation in Mali

This briefing note summarizes the main findings of the study, conducted as part of the national platform of science-policy dialogue on climate change, agriculture and food security, or CASA C-platform created in 2012 on the importance of the researchers and decision makers dialogue and possible avenues for improvement. These findings come from the interview of 17 key institutions in adapting to climate change, collectively selected from among the members of the National Climate Change Committee of Mali

Assessing the Climate-Smartness of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP): What can we learn from Benin, Guinea, Niger, Togo and Chad projects?

This info note summarizes the findings from participatory assessments of the climate-smartness of World Bank funded West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP)”. This activity was implemented by CCAFS West Africa regional programme in partnership with CORAF under the Capacitating Stakeholders in Using Climate Information for Enhanced Resilience in the Agricultural Sector in West Africa (CaSCIERA-WA) project to strengthen the capacity of country stakeholders of WAAPP to mainstream and implement CSA in their activities in West Africa