This Africa-led regional partnership on capacity building is expected to improve the ability of agricultural researchers and practitioners from central, eastern, and southern Africa to interpret and apply climate information for better agricultural planning and management. The region is highly vulnerable to climate hazards like droughts, floods, and heat waves, which threaten smallholder farmers' and livestock keepers' agriculture and food security.

Agricultural research and coordinating institutions like the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) have been urged to hasten collaboration with climate information experts and organizations such as the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC) to combat the growing effects of climate change in Africa. 

At the recent workshop in Gaborone, AICCRA's Dr. Dawit Solomon highlighted the importance of equipping experts with the skills needed for climate action, emphasizing regional coordination and leveraging global climate data.

Dr. Dawit's message aligned closely with CCARDESA Executive Director Prof. Cliff Dlamini’s opening remarks. Prof. Dlamini emphasized that past and future collaborations between CCARDESA, ASARECA, and CGIAR to tackle climate change have significantly impacted capacity building and knowledge generation. He then stressed the importance of regional cooperation in harnessing climate data from global and regional forecasting agencies, which is crucial for transforming agricultural food systems and driving economic growth at the local, national and regional levels.

“Through this partnership, I am hopeful that the capacity of participants will be enhanced, equipping them to tackle climate change through both mitigation and adaptation strategies,” Prof. Dlamini said. He emphasized the critical role of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global frameworks. “Access to critical information is essential in empowering institutions and individuals to make impactful decisions.”

He also underscored the importance of gender inclusivity in CSA, pointing out that: 

“Gender is not just about women, it includes both men and women. “Given the vulnerability of women and the significant proportion of women and youth in our population, we must ensure they are prioritized in this training,” he noted. “Some hazards are mistakenly perceived as inevitable when, in reality, they stem from poor planning. We must develop strategies to mitigate these risks.”

The five-day workshop from September 16-20 is aimed at enhancing the skills of agricultural experts in Southern and Eastern Africa. It is organized under the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Project in collaboration with the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), in partnership with ASARECA and CCARDESA.

During the training, experts in the CCARDESA and ASARECA sub-regions were skilled in climate basics to equip them with knowledge and critical thinking skills to navigate the complex and rapidly evolving field of climate science, understanding of climate science, climate information services for informed decision-making, early warning systems for disaster risk reduction, providing timely information to minimize the impacts of climate-related hazards;  disaster risk management Including identifying, assessing, and prioritizing climate risks;  climate change and gender to cope with the long-term impacts of climate change; and gender-sensitive climate information services to address gender differences that limit access to and use of climate information services.

The training benefited agricultural experts and officers, researchers, climate and agriculture academicians, and even policymakers, among others. Participants not only gained foundational knowledge but also acquired practical skills to interpret and apply climate information effectively. This will enable them to make informed agricultural planning and management decisions, essential for regions increasingly vulnerable to climate unpredictability.

Commenting on the training, Dr. Abebe Tadege, Climate Change Officer at IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC) said that understanding the basics of climate change enables advocates and negotiators for investment in climate change priorities to pitch critical elements of climate induced risks in the global agenda. Dr. Tadege also underscored the role of ICPAC in sharing its experiences to advance climate action. 

"With ICPAC’s extensive presence in the region, we are well-positioned to share invaluable experiences in this field,” he remarked.

The Executive Director of the National Agriculture Research Development Institute (NARDI), Dr. Charity Kluger, said the training was spot-on on the needs of agriculture and food security experts as it refreshes experts' knowledge to advise and facilitate the development of interventions that enable countries to make decisions for resilience to climate change. 

“Climate issues cannot be overemphasized," Dr. Kruger asserted. “We must ensure that we enforce collective action and facilitate learning across all sectors.”

Mr. Moses Odeke, ASARECA's acting Head of Programmes, highlighted the escalating seriousness of climate change, calling it a climate crisis that has triggered a cycle of vulnerability, making it increasingly difficult for communities to recover. 

“Vulnerable groups, including children, women, and the elderly, have borne the brunt of this crisis,” he emphasized, drawing attention to the disproportionate impact on these populations.

Mr. Odeke noted that countries in eastern and southern Africa are particularly vulnerable, with many already experiencing significant consequences of climate change. “The impacts are already being felt across the region, from droughts to floods, heat waves, and tropical cyclones,” he said, pointing out that these climate hazards have severe implications for agriculture, economic growth, and development.

Referring to key frameworks like the SADC Resilience Framework 2020-2030, Mr Odeke added: 

“This framework confirms that the primary climate hazards we face—drought, floods, tropical cyclones, and heat waves—are severely affecting food security and livelihoods.” He emphasized the urgency of addressing these challenges to protect the region’s future, noting that, “climate change has already dealt a major blow to agriculture, economic growth, and overall development.”

Why the training on climate information for agriculture?

Africa is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change. For instance, the agricultural sector, a cornerstone of these regions' economy, faces significant threats from changing weather patterns, such as increased frequency and intensity of droughts and floods. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the regions are also experiencing warmer temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more extreme weather events, which directly threaten food security and livelihoods.

Based on the foregoing,  agricultural experts need to be equipped with knowledge and skills in climate science to better understand these changes and develop strategies that mitigate their impacts on crop and livestock productivity, water availability, and food security among men and women. Moreover, effective disaster management and early warning systems are critical to reducing climate-induced disaster' risks. However, many countries in the regions lacked the infrastructure and expertise to predict and respond to such events effectively. 

The South-South knowledge exchange and capacity-building training initiatives organized by regional partners such as the Accelerated Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) and IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC) empower experts to utilize climate information services and establish robust early warning systems and enhance preparedness and response capabilities. By promoting skills in climate risk management and adaptation strategies, such initiatives help bridge the gap between scientific research and practical application; experts enabled experts to implement policies and practices that safeguard agricultural productivity and community well-being

The workshop’s expected outcomes are far-reaching. Agricultural experts are expected to have a stronger grasp of climate change, leading to an increased use of climate information services and greater implementation of early warning systems and climate risk management strategies.

This training workshop, spearheaded by AICCRA and ICPAC with CCARDESA and ASARECA, underscores the importance of building adaptive capacity in the face of climate change, a priority emphasized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The workshop aimed to empower experts to drive sustainable agricultural policies and practices that safeguard food security and community well-being in Southern and Eastern Africa by bridging the gap between scientific research and on-the-ground application.

Authors

Genevieve Apio, Communications Assistant at ASARECA

Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo, Information & Knowledge Management Officer at CCARDESA

Brook Makonnen, Communications and Knowledge Management Lead at AICCRA