Global Center on Adaptation, AfDB Hosts Regional Forum on the Future of Resilient Food Systems in Africa | African Development Bank

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), in collaboration with the African Development Bank and the Wangari Mathai Institute, has concluded a three-day regional forum on the future of resilient food systems in Africa.

The Forum, called the Future of Resilient Food Systems in Africa – AAAP Digital Solutions for a Changing Climate delivered training aimed at strengthening the capacity of stakeholders across East Africa to design and implement solutions to improve food security and climate resilience and to facilitate knowledge sharing among farmers on approaches to the use of Digital Climate-Informed Advisory Services, or DCAS, to scale up.

Digital climate advisory services are tools and platforms that integrate climate information into agricultural decision-making. These services range from digital mobile apps, radio and online platforms to digitally enabled print bulletins based on climate models and extension services using climate information platforms.

DCAS offers crucial opportunities to build the resilience of small-scale producers in the face of the worsening impacts of climate change. From seasonal forecasts to pest advice, effectively designed services provide producers with the tools to adapt to climate shocks and plan for new climate conditions.

Globally, more than 300 million small-scale agricultural producers have limited or no access to such services because services are still fragmented, unsustainable across project cycles, and underserved.

At the opening ceremony of the forum, Professor Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of Global Center on Adaptation, called for urgent financial support to put Africa on the path of food sovereignty.

“Africa urgently needs support to scale up the implementation of adaptation solutions that are already delivering good results for irrigation, development of drought-resistant seeds, crops and livestock diversification,” he said.

“Through the African Adaptation Acceleration Program, AAAP, we are rolling out a $350 million project to build resilience for food and nutrition security in the Horn of Africa by mobilizing new digital climate technology for market intelligence, insurance products, financial services that can and should be tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers,” he added.

On behalf of the African Development Bank’s Regional Director General for East Africa, Nnenna Nwabufo, Dr. -Summit on Food Sovereignty and Resilience organized by the African Development Bank.

“The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) is already contributing to closing the adaptation gap in Africa by supporting African countries to make a transformational shift in their development trajectories by putting climate adaptation and resilience at the heart of their policies, programs and institutions. There is no doubt that AAAP will be a strong part of the Country Food and Agricultural Delivery Compacts to accelerate the transformation of Africa’s food systems and build a more resilient Africa,” he said.

Professor Stephen Kiama Gitahi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, reiterated the relevance of the forum, pointing out that 70% of the population in East Africa live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. He encouraged the trainers to simplify the modules in a way that removes fear of technology and accelerates adaptation for rural farmers. Citing the legacy of the late Professor Wangari Maathai, he stated:

“We recognize that there are climate adaptation gaps in rural communities and that these can be smartly bridged with the use of digital smart farming and climate innovations to create a major conservation impact in our region.”

The forum brought together stakeholders from ministries of agriculture, related government agencies, public research institutions, farmer organisations, universities and non-profit organizations working on climate adaptation for food security in East Africa. They included participants from Djibouti, Eritrea, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Mauritius, Tanzania, Seychelles, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Kenya.

About Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from international to local, in partnership with the public and private sectors. Founded in 2018, GCA operates from its headquarters in the world’s largest floating office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. GCA has a global network of regional offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Dhaka, Bangladesh and Beijing, China.

About the Wangari Maathai Institute, University of Nairobi
The Wangari Maathai Institute (WMI) for Peace and Environmental Studies is a global center for education and research in environmental governance, governance, peace and conflict, and the nexus between peace and democracy. The center was established in 2009 with the support of the Government of Kenya (GoK), the African Union (AU) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to celebrate and immortalize the work of the late Nobel laureate
prof. Wangari Maathai who was a world champion in environmental conservation and governance. The center trains future environmental leaders and champions. The center is located in the serene environment in the Upper Kabete suburb of Nairobi City.