News

In the news | AGRF 2023 supplement in The East African

published onSeptember 11, 2023

Jasper Kwayu writes about the AICCRA agribusiness accelerators in Senegal and Zambia for a special weekend supplement of The East African focused on the 2023 African Food Systems Forum (AGRF).

The Ukama Ustawi Initiative drives Africa to scale climate-smart innovations, setting a remarkable precedence with its unique Food Systems Accelerator program.

What sets this accelerator apart is its crafty blend of investment readiness and science-based technical assistance, meticulously crafted for climate-smart agriculture.

By equipping agribusinesses with the tools and knowledge to enhance their commercial viability and sustainability, the program not only attracts private-sector investments but also champions sustainable farming practices that boost food production and counteract the adverse effects of climate change.

This holistic approach reduces threats and fosters an attractive investment climate, unlocking funding for the agriculture sector and nurturing a culture of innovation.

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis.

The Ukama Ustawi Initiative complements and connects with other CGIAR projects, such as the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project actively promoting approaches that support the integration of agribusinesses with science and innovation to drive food systems transformation, fostering impact on mitigation, adaptation, productivity, and resilience.

For instance, the AICCRA Gender Smart Accelerator Challenge in Senegal provides 17 agribusinesses—mostly those led by women entrepreneurs—with coaching and support to build and scale business models that increase the adoption of climate-smart practices to increase their resilience of smallholder farmers in the face of climate change.

The Accelerator Challenge team hosted knowledge sharing sessions and masterclasses at AGRF2023 in Dar-esSalaam this week, which saw debate between more than 4,000 delegates on the future of Africa’s food systems.

A similar AICCRA accelerator project in Zambia supports 14 small agribusinesses in opening up access to 400,000 smallholder farmers—nearly half of them women—to a range of climate-smart innovations including off-grid solar irrigation; micro-finance; drought-tolerant seeds and digital information services.