A testament to the power of collaboration and innovation
Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA)
Together with our partners, we're scaling a climate-smart African future driven by science & innovation in agriculture.
“The Accelerator is a commitment to changing the lives of Zambian smallholder farmers. Crucially, it's not just about scaling - it's about leveraging scientific excellence to unlock Zambian agriculture's potential,” said Evans Chinembiri, the incoming AICCRA Zambia lead, as we launched an open call for the second cohort of the Accelerator program in Lusaka.
From our stories across May and June, learn how AICCRA partnerships are connecting CGIAR science to Africa’s long-term climate-smart aspirations in addressing soil health, supporting land restoration efforts, and through powerful cross-sector collaborations.
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Opportunity: Apply for the second cohort of the AICCRA Zambia Accelerator
The first cohort of the AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Program reached more than 580,000 farmers in Zambia with climate-smart innovations and leveraged a 200% return on the original funding.
Launched last week in Lusaka, Zambia, the open call for applications for Zambian small-medium agribusinesses to participate in the second cohort of the AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Program will run until 19th July 2024. We also held a virtual info and matchmaking session to explain the process and how to apply.
The second cohort partners will each receive up to USD 30,000 to enhance the delivery of climate information services (CIS) and scale innovations for ‘climate-smart agriculture’ including innovations in:
Gender equality, social inclusion, and digital agriculture are all factors incorporated into the partnership with each SME.
Delivering advanced soil health and fertilizer technologies at scale in West Africa
The Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel has officially opened in Ibadan, Nigeria, representing a concerted effort to transform soil health and agricultural practices in the region. The Hub is spearheaded by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with support from a consortium of key partners, including AICCRA.
By 2033, the Hub – officially launched at the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit last month - will help increase yields and income for three million farmers, improve soil health on 1.5 million hectares of land, and equip 1.5 million farmers to adapt to climate change.
West Africa Lead Robert Zougmoré joined the Hub's opening in Ibadan, Nigeria to share how AICCRA will build on our existing activities to contribute to the Hub's work including: soil information, knowledge management and sharing, agronomy recommendations, capacity development, policy support, and advocacy and awareness creation.
In his presentation, Robert highlighted established AICCRA initiatives across West Africa which already align to the ambitions of the Hub and serve as a springboard for rapid implementation and action for soil health in the region.
AICCRA's Additional Finance phase is officially launched in Nairobi
At a Public Forum held on 14 May, representatives from the World Bank officially announced the start of AICCRA's additional finance phase.
"Every $1 invested has the potential to yield $10 present value through the promotion of CGIAR science. CGIAR technologies shouldn't sit on the shelves; they're for the farmers. The World Bank is thrilled to support AICCRA to bridge science with agriculture for a sustainable future." - Katie Kennedy Freeman, Senior Agriculture Economist, World Bank Group
In a video played during the event, we heard from some of these farmers and AICCRA partners who, in their own words, described the impact of our collaboration. These stories were from the other five AICCRA focus countries alongside Kenya.
Later in the event, we heard about a powerful partnership delivering climate information services to hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in Kenya, featuring Simon Gachuiri of the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and Salim Kinyimu of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
In addition, the Forum, with stakeholders including farmers, private sector, academia and government, showcased the power of collaboration and innovation in addressing the pressing issues in Africa's agricultural sector.
AICCRA Kenya in the news:
Partner Perspective: How the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation became a climate policy influencer
Our inaugural ‘Partner Perspective’ story is the first in a new series which shares insights and learnings from the point of view of AICCRA’s national and regional partners.
Stephen Muchiri, the Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), recounts how EAFF has become an influential voice in UNFCCC climate negotiations.
“Under our recent strategic plan (2022-2028), the EAFF is prioritizing engagement in the climate policy discourse as a key focus and cross-cutting thematic area. Strengthening this aspect of our work will help farmers to represent their needs in national, continental and global debates and contribute towards policymaking, ultimately influencing their long-term resilience.... Our partnership with AICCRA is growing and it’s mutually beneficial; we are able to engage more and access a broader audience while AICCRA is able to reach its target audience of farmers and ensure their work is grassroots and farmer-relevant.”
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Africa's Great Green Wall Initiative to enhance ecosystems and livelihoods resilience
The original notion of the Great Green Wall (GGW) came about in 2007 with a goal to reverse desertification and land degradation across a band of countries in the Sahara and Sahel. It's evolved since then to encompass a broader array of landscapes and communities across the continent.
A new framework document for the GGW, with the African Union at the helm as the coordination and regulatory agency, is an important step to enhance the coherence and continental scope of the GGW initiatives.
The new Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) Strategy and its accompanying Ten-Year Implementation Framework (2024-2034) was developed by the African Union Commission, along with the technical and financial support of multiple partners including the European Union, the Catholic Relief Services and the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project.
Opportunity: Training Workshop on Lowlands Restoration
Due to population growth and climate change, lowlands are increasingly being utilized for agriculture, leading to rapid ecological degradation. There is an urgent need for guidelines on how to restore lowlands.
From G20 Global Land Initiative and Africa Rice Center, apply to attend a 5-day workshop with a set of master classes on technical sessions, case studies, field trips and group discussions around the topic of land restoration in Africa's lowlands.
Deadline to apply: 8 July 2024
Knowledge and Data: what we've delivered so far
As a CGIAR project, AICCRA contributes to the generation of agricultural research and development as a global public good. By sharing knowledge and learning resources, we’re supporting climate action on the ground, moving from access to use, and ensuring AICCRA’s work will reach far beyond the scope of the project.
Effective data management and knowledge sharing, including tracking our 'deliverables' ensures that project information is accurate, accessible and available for decision-makers.
In an analysis of our deliverables across 2021-23, some key trends emerged:
Partner Spotlight: ANACIM receives meteorological award
Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie (ANACIM), the national meteorological agency of Senegal, received an award for 'Best National Meteorological Agency in Africa' at the 3rd African Public Service Optimum Awards (APSOA) which celebrates the exemplary performance of senior civil servants, public and private institutions across Africa.
AICCRA is proud to partner with ANACIM in contributing to the enhancement of the forecasting capacities and storage of meteorological data through our activities in Senegal.
Félicitations!
A new climate-smart course at Murang'a University of Technology
At Murang'a University of Technology in Kenya, a new climate-smart agriculture course, developed in partnership with AICCRA, has launched!
The six modules are for students but also practitioners, policy makers and others interested in the field of sustainable agriculture. The courses provide concise and up-to-date information and are tailored to meet the demands of today’s workforce in the face of a changing climate.
For more info or to enroll, email: agriculture@mut.ac.ke
Watch: Bundled climate resilient innovations, using three case studies from AICCRA Zambia
As part of an ongoing series of knowledge-sharing and discussion-based webinars from AICCRA's Gender and Social Inclusion team, we held a conversation focused on sharing experiences on the importance of considering gender and social inclusion in the bundling of climate information services (CIS) & climate resilient innovation (CSA) using three cases from AICCRA Zambia as examples.
ICYMI: Explore a special feature on our 2023 outcomes
In a new special feature on AICCRA’s 2023 Annual Report, we've highlighted how over the last year, outcomes from AICCRA teams in our six focus countries – Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal and Ghana – and our growing network of regional and continental partners have contributed significantly to accelerating the impacts of CGIAR climate research for nearly 4 million African small-scale farmers.
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.
Country Manager, We Effect, Zambia
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