A market systems approach to scaling

Building on the success of the SME Accelerator in Zambia, the AICCRA team in Ghana and our national partners have launched a new Accelerator program, looking for ‘end-to-end' solutions for climate adaptation, finance, and the development of value chains. 

In July, 80 Ghanaian agribusinesses joined a virtual info and matchmaking event to hear from the Accelerator coordinators and build connections with other potential applicants – demonstrating a clear interest in creating collective and bundled solutions for climate challenges.  

Also this month:  

• Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan launches in Ethiopia 

• Model of partnership and scaling highlighted in Mali 

• New research published on climate adaptation tracking in Africa 

Subscribe to our newsletter or follow AICCRA on social media to stay up to date.

Introducing a new Agribusiness Accelerator in Ghana 

Through a new Accelerator Program, AICCRA Ghana is looking for applications from individual businesses or consortia (of up to 5 businesses) that can provide solutions for climate-related challenges which work ‘end to end’ across agricultural value chains.

Successful applicants will receive a grant and ongoing technical support from the AICCRA team and partners to scale climate-smart innovations to more areas and users. 

Learn more and catch up with the virtual info and matchmaking session here. 

Deadline to apply: 31 August 2024 

A collaborative path to resilience in Ethiopia 

Launched in July, the Ethiopia Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP) outlines an extensive investment portfolio that can serve as a model for feasible and viable projects to tackle challenges in Ethiopia's agricultural sector. 

Developed through a consultative process, a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, AICCRA and the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, the CSAIP highlights key investment areas such as the livestock value chain, enhanced forage production, packaged climate information services (CIS) and the implementation of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) practices. 

Research Highlight: A clear path to enhanced national adaptation tracking 

New research reviews 53 African Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and 15 National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) analysis of African national adaptation policy documents to determine their adequacy for national level adaptation tracking. 

Results indicate that while many African NDCs and NAPs lack sufficient information to fully enable adaptation tracking, existing adaptation policies can provide important groundwork for developing meaningful, context-fit tracking systems. In the paper, authors also uncover compelling examples of robust plans which hold lessons for upcoming climate talks.

An accompanying policy brief provides recommendations for the ongoing UAE–Belém Work Program, which should champion robust indicators reflecting climate risks, adaptation needs, and the priorities outlined in national policies. 

Authors: Andreea C. Nowak, Lucy Njuguna, Julian Ramirez-Villegas, Pytrik Reidsma, Krystal Crumpler, Todd S. Rosenstock

From farm to forum – a story from Kenya 

International partners of the AICCRA project visited a selection of the many project sites across Kenya, taking in a day-long tour of several farms where innovations in climate information services (CIS) and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) are being delivered with local partners.  

Two of those farms belong to Esther Mutuku and Phoebe Mwangangi, smallholder farmers who live in the town of Makindu, in Makueni County.  

Esther and Phoebe have both been outstanding ‘Lead Farmers’ who have accessed and used innovative and validated technologies, digital platforms and new systems that help them access, for example, drought-tolerant and early maturing seeds. 

These seeds have helped them strengthening their capacity to cope to the changing climate in Makueni, like elsewhere in Kenya. 

Raising climate-smart livestock in Senegal through a Community of Practice 

At the centre of the climate challenges facing pastoral communities in Senegal, a climate information services Community of Practice (CoP) is emerging as an innovative partnership model for building the resilience of agro pastoralists.  

The group brings together stakeholders, including state institutions, private sector and local radio stations to co-develop and disseminate climate services to help livestock farmers, dairy producers and other stakeholders make decisions regarding the use of inputs, feed, vaccination periods, access to water basins and more. 

The innovative nature of the CoP lies in its commitment to fostering collaboration exchange and production based on users' needs.

Chuka University supports climate-resilient farming in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya 

To promote sustainable agricultural development and enhance the resilience of rural communities to climate change impacts in agriculture, Kenyan universities are building their capacity to teach new curricula to students and deliver demonstrations and trainings. 

Chuka University, a public university in Tharaka Nithi County, has made the teaching of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) a priority, and partnered with AICCRA to build its capacity to teach new curricula to students. 

“Climate change is real, the young generation should take up the challenges to learn, research and innovate for a better tomorrow.” - Joyce Njihia, MSc student at Chuka University.

And, introducing a new climate-smart agriculture course available at Chuka University: 

A model of successful partnership in Mali

In Mali, AICCRA employs scaling mechanisms such as the Pay-As-You-Go business model, the Center for Mechanized Agriculture, a digital platform for climate information services, savings clubs for women, on-farm demonstrations, farmers’ field days, and capacity building to ensure the widespread dissemination of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and climate information services (CIS).  

This partnership and scaling model is rapidly transforming rice-based systems in Mali, enhancing resilience to climate change, improving food and nutrition security, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Leveraging vocational education for climate action in Ethiopia 

We held a workshop in Ethiopia to revise the Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension (CRMAE) curriculum for national dissemination. The CRMAE curriculum is designed to target agricultural extension workers, leveraging both formal and informal educational pathwayrs.  

In Ethiopia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia and the Ministry of Labor and Skill along with the Ethiopian Meteorology Institute and International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia Climate School, are working together to streamline and nationalize this curriculum for extension workers who are well-positioned to directly support farmers in decision making.

Read more.

Indigenous traditional knowledge meets scientific weather predictions for improved production 

Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) has adopted Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP), a mechanism for collective sharing and interpretation of climate information for informed decision-making tailored to specific communities. 

AICCRA has supported PSP as an entry point to enhance the use of climate information services (CIS) and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) for local conditions in conjunction with traditional and indigenous knowledge. 

In Baringo, Kenya, a PSP meeting brought together county officials, scientists, agricultural and livestock officers, crop and livestock farmers from all 30 wards to present the downscaled county rainfall forecast for March-May 2024. 

Attendees have gone on to share the information with their networks, including through barazas (public meetings), farmer field days, church gatherings and digital platforms.

Coming up: AICCRA at the second RUFORUM Triennial

In August, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is holding its second Triennial Conference, under the theme “Operationalizing Higher Agricultural Education and Research Ecosystems for Innovation, Industrialization and Economic Development in Africa: A Call for Action.” 

AICCRA's West Africa Lead Robert Zougmoré will be present in Namibia to take an active part in debates on higher agricultural education and sustainable food security in Africa, as well as insights on how to leverage capacity building for climate adaptation across Africa through the AICCRA model.

What we’re reading 

Exploring adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers in dryland farming systems and impact on pearl millet production under climate change in West Africa 

Understanding and identifying appropriate adaptation options is an important prerequisite for scaling solutions to climate-related challenges such as those facing millet production in West Africa. 

New research, using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model, evaluates adaptation strategies for pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in rainfed farming systems in Nigeria and Senegal.

Authors: Folorunso M. Akinseye, Inoussa Zagre, Aliou Faye, Jacob Emanuel Joseph, Omonlola N. Worou, Anthony M. Whitbread

Read these stories and more on our news page or follow us on social media (@CGIARAfrica) for ongoing updates.

Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) is a project that helps deliver a climate-smart African future driven by science and innovation in agriculture. It is led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and supported by a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank.