AICCRA East and Southern Africa partners with CIFOR-ICRAF, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and Food Systems Resilience Program of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) along with the DeSIRA-funded Land Soil Crop Hubs (LSC) project to further build the knowledge capacity of agricultural professionals across Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. 

Understanding how climate change and variability impact agriculture—through altered rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods—is essential for developing effective climate-smart agricultural practices. These insights inform decision-making, adaptation strategies, and risk management efforts.

Immediate action is necessary to adapt agriculture to the effects of climate change by incorporating these factors into the planning of sustainable agricultural systems. This approach requires balancing ecosystem conservation with productivity, enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers and livestock keepers, improving resource use efficiency, and engaging marginalized groups, particularly women and youth, in climate interventions.

During a five-day consultation, training, and sensitization workshop held in Mombasa, Kenya, key messages were shared with African researchers, policy leaders, and extension experts. Organized in collaboration with a consortium of African agricultural research and development institutions, the workshop aimed to address the urgent need to scale up climate-smart agriculture across the region.

Climate change and soil health: A crucial link

As the Indian Ocean, affected by rising sea surface temperatures of about 0.7°C from 1982 to 2021, roared in the background, participants gathered in Mombasa from September 23-27, 2024. 

They focused on how climate change impacts soil health and discussed leveraging geospatial soil mapping, artificial intelligence (AI), and gender-responsive approaches to influence policies and actions to curb climate change.

Partnerships for scaling impact

Dr. Dawit Solomon, AICCRA Regional Program Leader for East and Southern Africa, emphasized the importance of partnerships in tackling these challenges. 

He also highlighted the vast amounts of data, research, and technological innovations from regional institutions that remain underutilized. An object of the workshop was to equip organizations with the tools needed to scale climate-smart innovations to reach farmers across Africa.

Tapping into expertise

Dr. John Recha, a scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), reinforced this message by praising the diversity of expertise among participants. 

“While specialized trainers from World Agroforestry (ICRAF) led the sessions, participants contributed practical field expertise from their institutions, sparking discussions on successful strategies, challenges, and opportunities for innovation,” he said.

Focus on soil health and digital mapping

The workshop, titled “Capacity Building on Climate-Smart Agriculture, Soil Fertility Management and Soil Health Monitoring in Eastern and Southern Africa", was organized by ILRI in collaboration with ICRAF, ASARECA, CCARDESA, IGAD, and other regional organizations. Supported by the AICCRA project and funded by the World Bank, it sought to address the intersection of climate change and soil health. 

Dr. Ermias Betemariam (ICRAF), Dr. Degefie Tibebe (Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT) and Damaris Mboi (ICRAF) led the training and discussions around soil health monitoring and fertility management. 

Day 1:

Participants discussed climate change's long-term impacts, including rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and the increased frequency of droughts and floods. Africa's agriculture, which employs 70% of the population and contributes 15% of GDP, is particularly vulnerable to these shifts due to its heavy reliance (95%) on rainfed farming. Trainers shared alarming statistics about climate change's impact on agriculture, noting a 34% decline in productivity since 1961 and its ongoing challenges.

Day 2:

Discussions focused on the critical role of soil health in supporting agriculture, water quality, and climate mitigation. Healthy soils enhance biodiversity, increase crop yields, and strengthen resilience against climate change, while degraded soils lead to lower productivity and greater vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Digital soil mapping and its role in decision making

Days 3 and 4:

Participants engaged with trainers on digital soil mapping and its potential to revolutionize soil management practices. By combining field observations, lab data, and spatial modeling, digital soil maps help visualize soil properties across landscapes. These tools can inform agricultural decisions, optimize crop production, and support environmental conservation. Several African countries expressed interest in updating their soil maps to better manage resources.

Participants also explored the FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) principles for managing digital soil data, which help ensure data can be used efficiently for decision-making and policy development.

Why climate-smart agriculture and soil health matter

Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa’s agricultural sectors face mounting challenges from climate change, land degradation, and declining soil fertility. To address these issues, innovative solutions and targeted capacity-building efforts are needed to empower stakeholders with the knowledge and tools required for sustainable agricultural practices. Climate-smart agriculture is essential for building resilient systems that can adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts, with a key focus on restoring soil productivity and advancing gender equality.

Key statistics

• A 60% increase in the frequency and severity of droughts
• A 10-30% reduction in rainfall over the past century
• A 200% increase in floods between 1980 and 2015
• Temperature rise of ~+0.3°C per decade across Africa
• Atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased by over 40% since pre-industrial times
• Between the 1970s and 2020, 337 million people in Africa were affected by climate-related disasters, and 420,000 people died
• Sub-Saharan Africa may face a 3-5% GDP loss due to climate change by 2030, with potential production losses of up to 22% for crops like maize

Authors

Ben Moses Ilakut, Technical Communications and Knowledge Management Officer at ASARECA

Genevieve Apio, Communications Assistant at CCARDESA

Brook Makonnen, Communications and Knowledge Management Lead at AICCRA