Monitoring adaptation to enhance food security: a survey of approaches and best practice

As adaptation to climate change is a major theme for CCAFS, the programme needs a method for monitoring and evaluating interventions intended to foster adaptation and enhance adaptive capacity across food systems. This report explored current approaches to monitoring and evaluation of climate change adaptation projects and specifically how food security outcomes are being addressed. It emerged that monitoring and evaluation of adaptation projects is fairly new, and most documents outline frameworks rather than report on specific experiences. This was particularly true for food security per se, which was not an explicit focus of many of the adaptation projects that were assessed. This made it difficult to summarize best practice and to describe the most reliable indicators for assessing impacts of adaptation interventions on food security outcomes. Consequently, in line with recent discussions within CCAFS about the goals of using monitoring and evaluation to foster adaptive management and social learning the approach was shifted toward an outcome- oriented focus. This promotes active learning from monitoring and evaluation as the programme activities are implemented

Long-term, low emission and climate resilient development pathways

Climate change presents one of the biggest threats to sustainable development worldwide. Its widespread unprecedented impacts disproportionately burden the poorest and most vulnerable majority – a significant number of whom live in Africa. The most prominent global policy response to climate change is currently covered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). There is clear evidence that Africa is constrained by its limited capacity to effectively participate in the international climate change policy discourse to foster climate actions at regional and national levels. Climate change diplomacy and negotiations are often technical and complex. It is difficult for new negotiators to fully grasp the nuances of the proceedings even over a period of many years. The African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) has designed this training Program on climate governance, diplomacy and negotiations leadership with a view to address this important continental challenge. This is a call for applications to eligible applicants. AICCRA Theme 1 facilitated sessions at the leadership training program on long-term, low emission and climate resilient development pathways

Enhancing the operationalization of the African Union’s climate change and resilient development Strategy and action Plan (2022-2032)

On 6 February 2022, the African Union’s Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032) was endorsed at the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU’s) Assembly of African Heads of State and Government. This Strategy is Africa’s first collective climate action plan, seeking to harmonise the continent’s response to climate change over the next decade, and setting out the key guiding principles, priorities, and intervention areas for enhanced cooperation. While the adoption of the AU Climate Strategy represents a key step in shaping Africa’s long-term climate change response and presenting a unified voice towards COP27 and beyond, there is an urgent need to translate the commitments and priority areas outlined in this document into tangible and meaningful action. For the Strategy to succeed, immediate actions are needed to maintain momentum and enhance its operationalisation. In this regard, the African Union Commission invited experts to a meeting to discuss the key elements and activities needed for the operationalisation of the Strategy. This includes the planning of specific mechanisms to enhance the Strategy’s broad-based ownership and increase programmatic synergies and alignment, as well as actions to promote its political prioritisation, sensitisation and dissemination, partnership development, resource mobilisation, and support transparency and accountability

Evidence and policy implications of climate-smart agriculture in Kenya

Contributing Authors (in Alphabetical Order): Ermias Betemariam (ICRAF), Richard Biwott (DFBA), Douglas Bwire (ICRAF), Sabrina Chesterman (ICRAF), Jeanne Coulibaly (ICRAF), Todd Crane (ILRI), Deborah Duveskog (FAO), Lisa Fuchs (ICRAF), Margaret Gatonye (AAK), Sika Gbegbelegbe (CIMMYT), Jeske van de Gevel (Bioversity), Daniel Gichuhi (KENAFF), Cyrus Githunguri (KALRO), Inger Haugsgjerd (UNEP), Daewood Idenya (Government Nandi Subcounty), Christine Jost (ICRAF), Jackson Kibenei (EADD), Moses Karanja, (EADD/ICRAF), Steven Karania (KALRO), Kaisa Karttunen (FAO), Anthony Kibe (Egerton University), Josephine Kirui (ICRAF), Shadrack Kipkemoi (ASDSP), Patti Kristjanson (CCAFS, ICRAF), Joyce Kweyu (Land O Lakes), Christine Lamanna (ICRAF), Miyuki Iliama (ICRAF), Oscar Masika (ICRAF), Bernard Mbogo (CARE), Beatrice Mnede (WorldVision), Joseph Mumu (ALF), Matthew Murhor (EADD), Jonathan Muriuki (ICRAF), Morgan Mutoko (FAO), Kenda Mwenja (GIZ), Caroline Mwongera (CIAT), Sylvia Nanjekho (ICRAF), Peterson Njeru (KALRO), Peter Malomba (Kenya Cookstoves Association), Constance Neely (ICRAF), Mary Njenga (ICRAF), Mary Njuguna (Egerton University), Lydia Nyambura (CARE), Noelle O'Brien (DFID), Barrack Okoba (FAO), Michael Okumu (CCU MALF), Michael Okumu (CCU-MALF), Bethuel Omolo (Fisheries), Patrick Ooro (KALRO), Carolyn Opio (FAO), Joab Osumba (FAO), John Recha (CCAFS), Janie Rioux (FAO), Todd Rosenstock (ICRAF), Joan Sang (World Vision), Rael Taiy (Egerton University), Emmanuel Wachiye (Vi Agroforestry), Nasirembe Wanjala (Egerton University), Leigh Winowiecki (CIAT)This technical paper details findings and outcomes from the workshop hosted by the Climate Change Unit of Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Kenya, along with the FAO, ICRAF and CCAFS. The process engaged stakeholders from research, practice and policy and to interactively share and analyze scientific evidence and field experience from over 40 projects related to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) within integrated farming systems in Kenya. A current state of knowledge on how CSA serves to simultaneously achieve Kenya’s development goals and climate change targets and relevant policy linkages is presented. Overarching recommendations for outscaling CSA in Kenya consider that: integration is required at all different levels;; access to productive inputs and markets is essential;; knowledge generation and sharing are critical for evidence based decision making;; inclusiveness and contextualisation promote ownership and uptake;; and the importance of building synergy and addressing potential inconsistencies between policies, regulations and implementation. Lastly, evidence-based and jointly agreed upon messaging regarding CSA is presented, as a contribution to the policy dialogues of the UNFCCC (COP 20, December, Peru[1]), Paris 2015 and other international efforts and fora, including the Alliance for CSA in Africa. The key policy recommendations elaborate upon: the consideration of development priorities;; connection of interdisciplinary research, practice and policy;; integration of farm and landscape systems;; inclusion of women and youth;; connection of policy and regulations and the filling of identified knowledge gaps

Foresight for Future Planning Training Series: Information Pack

Link to the full toolkit: https://bit.ly/Foresight_Training_Toolkit The Foresight for Future Planning Training Series is a four-part training series for applying foresight to address climate change impacts and uncertainties. The training series equips users to practically apply a range of foresight tools and methods for innovative research in development prioritisation, specifically assisting in strateg ic planning and policy formulation for climate-relevant transformation in agriculture and food systems