Shaping African agriculture for greater impact

Amid a climate crisis, there is an urgency for us to act on the science and innovations we know work, so that actionable solutions can reach smallholder farmers in Africa as they make decisions about which crops to plant, when to plant, and how to use or sell their produce.  

We know that to achieve a climate-smart future for African agriculture, our efforts must be integrated: bringing together science, policy, finance and education. And understanding the social and environmental aspects of why a farmer may or may not follow a climate-smart approach to agriculture.  

That's why AICCRA and partners are committed to working closely with a diverse set of national and regional actors at all levels for solutions. AICCRA's recent stories explore how we’re working together in Africa's agriculture sectors to achieve greater impact for smallholder farmers through technical guidance, creative stakeholder engagement, scaleable solutions for farmers, and scientific evidence for policy action.

WATCH NOW: The leaf helping yam farmers stop pests

In a brand-new series of films, #TheClimateAndUs, we meet Kwasi Baafol Samuel, a yam farmer in Adomano, Ghana who benefits from climate-smart, One-Health innovations being scaled by AICCRA. 

The series was produced for CGIAR by BBC StoryWorks and presented by the Global Climate and Health Alliance. The first film in the series highlights how soaring temperatures are creating the perfect climate for pests to thrive. In Ghana’s farms, termites and yam beetles are on the rise.  

As crops diminish, farmers are turning to a safe and affordable solution derived from a Neem tree.  

As part of AICCRA Ghana's activities with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), find out how AICCRA partners are using nature to help protect Ghana’s crops from climate-driven pests and diseases.  

Climate-smart innovations in Ethiopia's wheatbelt

A recent field visit to the Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center and Iteya farming community in Ethiopia’s Oromia region demonstrates how access to climate services and innovations for climate-smart agriculture are improving the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers. In three of Ethiopia’s regions, such innovation has reached 230,000 people so far. 

In a new blog, co-authored with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), we explore highlights of the field visit.  

Dr. Kindie Tesfaye, Principal Scientist at CIMMYT and an activity leader for AICCRA in Ethiopia, explained during the visit how researchers at Kulumsa are not only generating technologies but also delivering them to farmers by bundling services with climate advisories. 

“Seeds alone do not do the job. Information alone does not do the job. Inputs alone do not do the job either. They need to be integrated; that’s why we’re bundling these services for farmers.’’

The blog also showcases a Public Forum that was held during the same week in Addis Ababa, gathering representatives from public institutions, the private sector, development partners, and research organisations. 

The purpose of the Forum was to discuss ways to strengthen collaborations and partnerships that support various national initiatives in Ethiopia for the science-based transformation of its agricultural sector to boost economic growth and community resilience. 

"By strengthening the technical, institutional & human capacity of Ethiopian institutions... [AICCRA] is helping to deploy climate information services and packages of technology & innovation more effectively for climate-smart agriculture." - Dr. Namukolo Covic, ILRI Director General Representative to Ethiopia

In Senegal, goat milk yogurt proves a remedy for infant malnutrition

Research supported by the AICCRA team in Senegal shows that goat milk yogurt has nutritional values similar to breast milk and can help address undernourishment among children in the north of the country.

With ISRA CERAAS , we explored the role of goat farmers in contributing to meeting early nutritional needs, and how an agro-ecological approach to farming can help to improve the overall outputs of goats by adjusting their feed intakes and introducing improved breeds.

Accelerating Action for Africa's Soil Health

Soil is where our food systems begin, yet soil health has largely been left out of multinational climate conversations thus far. The inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi provided a critical convening for the continent to scale up climate action and highlight the key role with achieving soil health at its foundation. The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), with organizational support from AICCRA and the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), convened an important side event focused on soil.

Speaking at the event, Dr Manyewu Mutamba, Head (Ag) of Agriculture, AUDA-NEPAD, emphasised that soil health is a “proven gamechanger” when it comes to building climate-resilient food systems.

He also stressed that the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit to be held in 2024 will provide a roadmap for Africa’s soil and food systems, underpinning this as a critical moment for transformative action.

A new study finds global climate change adaptation actions are too uncoordinated

An assessment of more than 1,400 scientific studies on climate change adaptation provides the first global analysis of actors engaged in climate adaptation and the roles they are playing. A key message that emerges from the study is that adaptation to climate change still tends to be isolated and uncoordinated, with individuals or households the most prominent actors implementing adaptation. 

Alcade Segnon, Science Officer for AICCRA West Africa, contributed to the study and highlighted how the unique model of AICCRA's research for development is already helping to bridge some of these gaps between science and action.

“AICCRA works to build and deepen the partnerships between a whole range of organisations and stakeholders to deliver climate-smart innovations in agriculture for African farmers. The stronger partnerships fostered between scientists, researchers, the private sector and public institutions will help collectively identify ‘best-bet’ innovations that help farmers adapt and speed up their deployment.”

Creative arts and aquaculture merge in Zambia

Establishing open and informed engagement with stakeholders is best practice - it makes projects more environmentally and socially sustainable. 

However, devising engagement spaces and platforms that are inclusive and encourage consistent stakeholder participation—particularly at the grassroots level—is challenging.

In Zambia, AICCRA partnered with Kasama Arts to reach 40,000 people through community drama, art, TV and radio, encouraging the take up of climate-smart innovations in aquaculture. 

"It has been our ambition to promote sustainable farming practices with our style, but technical content and resources have been our constraints. Our partnership with AICCRA has lifted this veil for us. We are now empowered to foster collaborations with other partners to continue with the use of arts and drama in facilitating the uptake of climate-smart aquaculture practices among smallholder farmers.” -Peter Chinunda, Executive Director, Kasama Arts Group

These platforms provided safe spaces for open dialogue, exploration of diverse perspectives and the facilitation of co-created solutions that address the unique concerns and interests of various stakeholder groups - especially women.

Watch: Meet Tankude Mabel, a cowpea farmer from Tanobaose, Ghana

Women play a critical role in mitigating and adapting to climate change for their communities. We believe if women farmers are supported in accessing climate-smart technologies and innovations, and if policies and tools are designed to also work for them, it can lead to greater resilience for households, communities and economies.

Meet Tankude Mabel, a farmer in Tanobaose, Ghana, who has been introduced to dual-purpose cowpea seeds and improved planting methods through the work of AICCRA Ghana and partners, resulting in higher yields from her crops.

COMING SOON: AICCRA at COP28

Projects led by AICCRA in our six focus countries—Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia— and across the West Africa and East and Southern Africa regions, show that co-innovation and robust partnerships can forge a viable path to scaling climate-smart agriculture and climate information services for millions of Africa's small-scale farmers. 

We're excited to share this approach and our learnings from the last several years in our engagements and conversations at COP28 UAE - highlighting the integral role of stakeholders and our partners across the agricultural sector in strengthening sustainable climate resilience for farmers and their communities.

Stay tuned for all the details of the AICCRA team at #COP28 - coming soon!

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.