AICCRA and ICPAC strengthen the capacities of Agricultural experts from ASARECA and CCARDESA member states

By Genevieve Apio, Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo, and Brook Makonnen

Gaborone, Botswana – African institutions CCARDESSA (https://www.ccardesa.org/) and ASARECA (https://www.asareca.org/) have been urged to hasten efforts to leverage the capacity of Africa’s experts and institutions such as the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (https://www.icpac.net/) and national initiatives to jointly work to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Addressing participants during a pivotal capacity-building training workshop at The Grand Palm Hotel in Gaborone, on September 16, the AICCRA Regional Program Leader Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Solomon Dawit said the training provides essential capacities in enhancing efforts and creating awareness on climate change.

 

Dr. Dawit Solomon, —AICCRA Regional Program Leader Eastern and Southern Africa.

Dr. Dawit’s key message resonated with the opening remarks by CCARDESA Executive Director, Prof. Cliff Dlamini who highlighted past and future collaborative efforts of CCARDESA, ASARECA, and CGIAR in addressing the effects of climate change and the need for regional coordination to leverage climate information from the global and regional climate modelling forecasting agencies for uptake at national level to transform agricultural food systems and economic transformation.

 

Prof. Cliff Dlamini- CCARDESA Executive Director

“Through this partnership, I am hopeful that the capacity of participants will be enhanced, equipping them to tackle climate change through both mitigation and adaptation strategies,” Prof. Dlamini said. He emphasised the critical role of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global frameworks. “Access to critical information is essential in empowering institutions and individuals to make impactful decisions.”

He also underscored the importance of gender inclusivity in CSA, pointing out that, “Gender is not just about women, it includes both men and women. “Given the vulnerability of women and the significant proportion of women and youth in our population, we must ensure they are prioritized in this training,” he noted. “Some hazards are mistakenly perceived as inevitable when, in reality, they stem from poor planning. We must develop strategies to mitigate these risks.”

The five day workshop from September 16-20 is aimed at enhancing the skills of agricultural experts in Southern and Eastern Africa. It is organized under the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Project in collaboration with the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), in partnership with ASARECA and CCARDESA.

During the training experts in the CCARDESA and ASARECA sub-regions were skilled in Climate basics to equip them with knowledge and critical thinking skills to navigate the complex and rapidly evolving field of climate science; understanding of climate science; climate information services for informed decision-making; early warning systems for disaster risk reduction, providing timely information to minimize the impacts of climate-related hazards;  disaster risk management Including  identifying, assessing, and prioritizing climate risks;  climate change and gender to cope with the long-term impacts of climate change; and gender-sensitive climate information services to address gender differences that limit  access to and use of climate information services.

 

Experts during the meeting 

Beneficiaries of the training included Agricultural experts/officers, researchers, climate and agriculture academicians, and policy makers among others. Participants not only gained foundational knowledge but also acquired practical skills to effectively interpret and apply climate information. This will enable them to make informed decisions in agricultural planning and management, essential for regions increasingly vulnerable to climate unpredictability.

Commenting on the training, Dr. Abebe Tadege, Climate Change Officer at IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC)  said understanding the basics of climate change, enables advocates and negotiator for investment in climate change priorities to pitch critical elements of climate induced risks in the global agenda. Dr. Tadege also underscored the role of ICPAC in sharing its experiences to advance climate action. :With ICPAC’s extensive presence in the region, we are well-positioned to share invaluable experiences in this field,” he remarked.

 

Dr. Abebe Tadege, Climate Change Officer at IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC)

The Executive Director of the National Agriculture Research Development Institute (NARDI), Dr. Charity Kluger said the training was spot-on the needs of agriculture and food security experts as it retools the experts to advise and facilitate development of interventions that enable countries make decisions for resilience to climate change. “Climate issues cannot be overemphasized Dr. Kruger asserted.. “We must ensure that we enforce collective action and facilitate learning across all sectors.”

Dr. Charity K. Kruger, Executive Director of the National Agriculture Research Development Institute (NARDI)

Mr. Moses Odeke, ASARECA Acting Head of Programmes highlighted the escalating seriousness of climate change, calling it a “climate crisis” that has triggered a “vicious cycle of vulnerability,” making it increasingly difficult for communities to recover. “Vulnerable groups, including children, women, and the elderly, have borne the brunt of this crisis,” he emphasized, drawing attention to the disproportionate impact on these populations.

Mr. Moses Odeke, Acting Head of Programmes, ASARECA

Mr. Odeke noted that countries in eastern and southern Africa are particularly vulnerable, with many already experiencing significant consequences of climate change. “The impacts are already being felt across the region, from droughts to floods, heat waves, and tropical cyclones,” he said, pointing out that these climate hazards have severe implications for agriculture, economic growth, and development.

Referring to key frameworks like the SADC Resilience Framework 2020-2030, Mr Odeke added, “This framework confirms that the primary climate hazards we face—drought, floods, tropical cyclones, and heat waves—are severely affecting food security and livelihoods.” He emphasized the urgency of addressing these challenges to protect the region’s future, noting that “climate change has already dealt a major blow to agriculture, economic growth, and overall development.”

Why the training?

Africa suffers acute vulnerability to the impacts of climate variability and change. For instance, the agricultural sector, which is a cornerstone of the economy in these regions, faces significant threats from changing weather patterns, such as increased frequency and intensity of droughts and floods. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the regions are also experiencing warmer temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more extreme weather events, which directly threaten food security and livelihoods.

Based on the foregoing,  agricultural experts need to be equipped with knowledge and skills in climate science to better understand these changes and develop strategies that mitigate their impacts on crop and livestock productivity, water availability, and food security among men and women. Moreover, effective disaster management and early warning systems are critical to reduce the risks associated with climate-induced disasters. However, many countries in the regions lacked the infrastructure and expertise to predict and respond to such events effectively. The South-South knowledge exchange and capacity-building training initiatives organized by regional partners such as the Accelerated Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) and IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC) empower experts to utilize climate information services and establish robust early warning systems and enhance preparedness and response capabilities. By promoting skills in climate risk management and adaptation strategies, such initiatives help bridge the gap between scientific research and practical application, experts enabled experts to implement policies and practices that safeguard agricultural productivity and community well-being

The workshop’s expected outcomes are far-reaching. Agricultural experts are expected to have a stronger grasp of climate change, leading to an increased use of climate information services and greater implementation of early warning systems and climate risk management strategies.

This training workshop, spearheaded by AICCRA, CCARDESA, and ASARECA, underscores the importance of building adaptive capacity in the face of climate change, a priority emphasized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The workshop aimed to empower experts to drive sustainable agricultural policies and practices that safeguard food security and community well-being in Southern and Eastern Africa by bridging the gap between scientific research and on-the-ground application.