AICCRA's priorities at COP29

For COP29, we're focusing on the connected roles of adaptation, finance and inclusion for building resilience.

Strengthening the climate resilience of Africa's smallholder farmers is central to AICCRA's mission. Through our partnerships across Africa, millions of farmers are accessing and using proven CGIAR innovations for climate information services (CIS) and climate-smart agriculture (CSA).

Finance and markets for farmers

Adaptation and climate finance are directly linked. Creative financing solutions—for example, private sector investments into climate-smart agriculture—can help close the finance gap between goals and impact, and address the connected challenges of food security and adaptation. Impact tracking tools will help to measure the impact of these efforts so we can identify ongoing progress and gaps, and evaluate if our efforts are heading in the right direction.

Read about: 

• Climate-smart accelerators for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia 
• Gender-smart SME accelerators in Senegal
• Hackathons reducing post-harvest losses in Kenya and Senegal 

Tracking climate adaptation 

Adaptation strategies are crucial to building resilience against the impact of climate change, especially for vulnerable communities like smallholder farmers. National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) help governments set the goals and objectives necessary for progressing climate action. Revised NDCs are expected to be submitted by countries just months after COP29 which will set even higher ambitions for national climate action. But many countries also need financial and technical assistance, as well as policy frameworks, to implement these strategies at the pace needed to meet the climate challenge.

To do this effectively, we need the active inclusion of stakeholders, so AICCRA's approach centers farmers - both men and women - in these efforts. Locally-led adaptation and resilience building work should be foundational to the development of adaptation strategies. By identifying and building on successful efforts already underway, we can support and scale 'best bet' solutions.

Dive in:

• Explore our research on how enhanced information in national policies can accelerate Africa's efforts to track climate adaptation

• Read about the annual pre-COP and strategy meetings of the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) which are shaping Africa's position on climate adaptation priorities and climate finance

Locally led adaptation and inclusive action 

All stakeholders, including smallholder farmers and others who form part of Africa's food systems, must be involved in planning climate action. AICCRA partnerships put smallholder farmers - both men, women and youth - central to their efforts. Moreover, locally-led resilience building work should be foundational to the development of national adaptation strategies. 

By identifying and building on successful local adaptation efforts already underway, we can support and scale climate-smart, 'best-bet' solutions for agriculture, providing the best returns for climate finance and other investments. 

Explore: 

• Senegal's recently launched Gender and Climate Action Plan for the agriculture sector, informed by AICCRA engagement

• Lessons from East and Southern Africa in using multi-stakeholder platforms for sustainable investment and action for climate-smart agriculture

• Blending indigenous traditional knowledge with scientific weather predictions to enhance livestock production in Baringo, Kenya

• How Kenya’s Siaya County is adapting investment plans for smallholder farmers

• How agro-pastoralists in Senegal are strengthening the resilience of livestock with communities of practice for climate services

• The launch of Ethiopia’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan

Our events

This section will be updated on an ongoing basis as details are finalized.

Leveraging Science to Finance Solutions for Sustainable Food Systems 

Thursday 14 November | 9:00-10:30 (GMT+4) | Food and Agriculture Pavilion (F9, Zone E)

The current climate financing falls short of enabling net-zero, nature-positive transitions. This event explores science-based solutions to unlock capital for farmers, boosting resilience, food security, and equity, while addressing both adaptation and mitigation in sustainable livestock development. The session highlights barriers faced by women in agriculture, creating a platform for their empowerment in the food system transformation.

AICCRA's Laura Cramer and Ena Derenoncourt will be speaking.

Learn more and watch the livestream

Accelerating climate-smart agriculture investment through public-private partnerships in Ethiopia 

Saturday 16 November | 10:00-11:30 (GMT+4) | Ethiopia Pavilion (F23, Zone E)

This event will provide overview of the bankable Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plans (CSAIP) for Ethiopia. Further, it will utilize this platform to explore how public and private sector stakeholders can collaborate to bring both technical and financial resources together for implementing this CSA investment plan.

Learn more

Modeling tools for climate-smart agricultural planning

Monday 18 November | 11:30-12:30 (GMT+4) | Senegal Pavilion 

We invite all interested participants to join and discover how tools like iSAT are transforming African agricultural systems and advancing climate adaptation.panel is a unique opportunity to explore tangible solutions for smart and sustainable agriculture while learning from field-level experiences.

The Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA) is organizing a special panel to explore how modeling tools for climate-smart agricultural planning and adaptation. The discussion will spotlight the iSAT (Intelligent Systems Advisory Tool) — an innovative tool deployed by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Senegal under the AICCRA project.

Farmers at the forefront: showcasing best practice farmer-led climate adaptation

Tuesday 19 November | Report 

Earlier this year, the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) and AICCRA called for submissions on farmer-led best practice case studies that demonstrate innovative local activities and methods to enhance agricultural adaptation and ultimately promote resilience.

On Food, Agriculture and Water Day, we will publish a compendium of ten case studies that shine a spotlight on some of the best practice farmer-led approaches to adaptation. These initiatives, which range from climate-smart farming techniques, integrated and sustainable natural resource management, cooperative models and value chain capacity building, are tailored to unique national and regional challenges and highlight the value of local knowledgeand innovation. The purpose of this report is to promote knowledge exchange, inform policy-making, and attract financial support to scale up these successful strategies.

Explore the report here

Investing in climate-smart agriculture for adaptation and planning for long-term low emissions development

Wednesday 20 November | 15:00-16:30 (GMT+4) | Food and Agriculture Pavilion (F9, Zone E)

Representatives from Ethiopia and Kenya will share the national Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plans (CSAIPs) designed to align climate adaptation in agriculture with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Panelists will discuss how the approach of these countries can be replicated across Africa.

In addition, the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) will showcase the Technical Guide for the Development of Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) intended to support African countries by providing practical description of the various steps needed to develop holistic and economy-wide LT-LEDS. 

Learn more and watch the livestream

Le Plan d’Investissement d’une Agriculture Intelligente face au Climat du Sénégal (The Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan for Senegal)

Wednesday 20 November | 14:00-15:00 (GMT+4) | Sénégal Pavilion

The Ministry in charge of Agriculture and Livestock, through the National Platform for Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCASA Platform) will host a panel event to to share the Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP) - developed through AICCRA's work with partners in Senegal - with the different stakeholders (states, technical and financial partners, experts, civil society etc.) in order to explore an effective mechanism for resource mobilization and implementation. 

More details to come.

Strengthening gender-responsive climate policy and action through vulnerability hotspot mapping guiding investment decision-making in Africa

Thursday 21 November | 10:00-11:00 (GMT+4) | IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Pavilion (D9)

This event aims to raise awareness about the gender dimensions of climate change impacts on vulnerable communities engaging in food systems in Africa. We will share key outcomes of the gender and climate change vulnerability hotspot mapping exercise carried out between 2021-2023 in partnership with various organisations including the Africa Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES), Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), and the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform in Kenya, Zambia, Uganda and Botswana among others.

The mapping identified geographical locations where women are most at risk to climate change impacts, thus providing guidance in decision-making, especially regarding which sectors should adaptation investments be more concentrated and what actions should be taken to address such inequalities in food systems at local scale.

More details to come.

AICCRA researchers will be in Baku for COP29. For media enquiries, expert comment or more information about AICCRA's engagements in Baku, contact Amy Harris (Global Comms) at a.harris@cgiar.org