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The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) was established through a Charter, article 10 as a Sub Regional Organisation (SRO) headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. CCARDESA is a subsidiary of SADC Secretariat which coordinates the implementation of agricultural research and development (R&D) in the SADC region. It enjoys substantial support from Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), agricultural stakeholders in the SADC Region and development partners. Its main goal is to contribute to sustainable reduction in food insecurity and poverty in the SADC region as pronounced in the SADC’s regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the Dar es Salaam declaration on food security, and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) developed by the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). CCARDESA operates within the framework of CAADP Pillar IV which has the objective of enhancing the livelihoods of African farmers and pastoralists and is spearheaded by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA); and increase smallholder productivity and competitiveness through the implementation of Pillar IV of CAADP for the SADC region based on the Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP).

CCARDESA is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified audit firm or Certified Auditor(s) to provide Internal audit Services on a fixed contractual basis for a period of three (3) years. As part of the procurement process, all proposals are required to quote for all functions as outlined in the Terms of Reference.

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a Sub-Regional Research Organization (SRO) established in 2010 by the Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Its headquarters are in Gaborone, Botswana. CCARDESA is a subsidiary organization of SADC Secretariat and has the mandate of coordinating agricultural research and development in the SADC region.

Its main funding is from SADC Member States and international cooperating partners (ICPs). Furthermore CARDESA Secretariat is implementing projects that are funded by different donors.

It is against this background that CARDESA Secretariat intends to engage an independent external audit firm for the three years ending 31 December 2023, 2024, and 2025. The year-end of CCARDESA is 31 December for each year.

The audit shall be carried out in accordance with international audit standards issued by International Organization Federation of Accountants (IFAC). The audit shall be carried out by an external, independent and qualified auditor (Certified Public Accountant/Authorized Chartered Accountant) accredited with Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) and Botswana Accountants Oversight Authority (BAOA).

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a subsidiary organization of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). CCARDESA was established in 2010 but started its full operations in 2013. Its mandate for CCARDESA is to coordinate agricultural research and development in the SADC region and contribute towards improving food and nutrition security in the region. CCARDESA is currently coordinating the implementation of several Programmes and Projects linked to agricultural research and development that are supported by a diversity of partners.

Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Trans-frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) development have been a major focus area of cooperation between SADC and Germany for many years. Through the SADC/GIZ Climate Resilience and Natural Resources Management (C-NRM) Programme, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) promotes the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and mitigation in trans-boundary protected area management, thereby strengthening the climate change resilience of the local population in and around TFCAs. The SADC/GIZ Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management (C-NRM) Programme’s main objective is therefore to strengthen cross-border management of natural resources in the SADC region, as a new initiative that builds on the foundation laid by the Adaptation to Climate Change in Rural Areas in Southern Africa (ACCRA) programme. The C-NRM programme continues to build the capacities of SADC member states to integrate climate change aspects into agricultural programmes and investments. The C-NRM project has the following outputs;

• The strategic planning framework for mainstreaming climate change into cross-border NRM is strengthened
• The dissemination of knowledge on CSA and CSNRM is strengthened
• CSA and CSNRM measures are implemented in selected TFCA’s
• Priority COVID-19 sensitive measures of the SADC TFCA Tourism Programme are implemented in a climate-sensitive way.

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a sub-regional organization that was established by SADC Member States (MS) to coordinate agricultural research and development (AR&D) among its 16 Member States. With its headquarters situated in Gaborone, Botswana, CARDESSA‘s vision is to assist member states to attain food security and build a prosperous Southern African region with vibrant rural livelihoods. Its mission is to promote innovative research, technology generation and adoption for sustainable agricultural development through affective partnerships and capacity building.

CCARDESA therefore has a broad mandate to assist its Member States in coordinating their agricultural research and development and also to empower smallholder farmers to improve their product efficiency and generate increased incomes through active market engagement while navigating the current polycrises (Covid-19, worsening climatic conditions, worsening economic growth and the Ukraine war). All of these have negatively affected the global food security.

To mitigate against these negative effects, CCARDESA is supporting smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in response to the challenges posed by worsening climatic conditions. However, the main issue is that although CCARDESA has active outputs on areas of KM and information dissemination of their products, there is a serious limitation in audio- visuals as most of their products are in paper format which has been proven not to be as effective. Furthermore, the Internet of Things’ (IoT) main tenet is on digitalization and this is a better way to respond while bridging Africa’s youth demographic dividend.

Induced plant mutagenesis is a powerful technique to create genetic variation for agronomic traits and drought tolerance selection programs. The objective of this study was to determine the response of elite sorghum (Sor- ghum bicolor [L.] Moench) lines developed via gamma-radiation for grain yield, component traits, and drought tolerance to select best performing lines for cultivation in water-stressed environments. Ten newly developed mutant lines and four check varieties were evaluated in two growing seasons under drought-stressed (DS) and non-stressed (NS) conditions in Namibia. Mutant lines were evaluated using a factorial experiment laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications in custom-made rainout-shelter facility. Data on grain yield and yield-related traits were collected and drought tolerance selection indices were computed using mean genotype yield under non-stressed condition and drought-stressed condition. Data were subjected to standard analysis of variance, correlation and principal component analyses. The interaction effect of genotype × drought stress × season was non-significant for most assessed traits suggesting the relatively stable performance of the test lines for selection. Grain yield response of test genotypes varied from 0.55 to 2.27 t/ha under DS and 1.84 to 4.05 t/ha in NS conditions. Grain yield positively and significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with harvest index (r = 0.79), panicle weight (r = 0.75) and panicle length (r = 0.37), and negatively correlated with days to flowering (r = − 0.35) under DS condition. Principal component (PC) analysis identified two PCs accounting for 96.35 % of total genotypic variation based on drought tolerance selection indices. Biplot analysis using a combination assessed traits allowed selection of drought tolerant mutant lines designated as ML4, ML10, ML6, and ML5 with mean grain yield of 2.27, 2.05, 1.89 and 1.67 t/ha under DS conditions, in that order. The selected lines are recommended for further multi-environment evaluations for release and large-scale production in Namibia or other related agro-ecologies.

This article focuses on the results from trials developed to monitor the short-term effects of conventionally tilled systems versus CA on soil quality and crop productivity under conditions of the major cropping systems in central, north-central and north-eastern regions of Namibia. Conventional tillage (CT), Minimum tillage (MT), Minimum tillage, mulch (MT-M), Minimum tillage, rotation (MT-R) and Minimum tillage, mulch and rotation (MT-MR) were the primary treatments tested. Significant differences (p≤0.000) among the treatments were observed in the 0-60 cm soil profiles where MT-M plots had the highest soil moisture content (39.8 mm, Standard Error of Mean 0.2815) over the study period. A significant difference (p=0.0206) in grain yield was observed in the second season with CT plots yielding the highest grain yield (3852.3 kg ha-1, standard error of mean 240.35). Results suggest that CA has the potential to increase water conservation and contribute to reduction of the risk of crop failure. Climate change driven degradation under conventional tillage necessitate alternative sustainable tillage methods. Conservation tillage methods and conservation agricultural practices that minimize soil disturbance while maintaining soil cover need to be adopted more locally as viable alternatives to conventional tillage.

Plano de Gestão de Resíduos - Centro Regional de Liderança da Mandioca: Malanje-Angola

The deep knowledge of genetic diversity in access, in the breeding program, and the contribution of genetic factors as well as the phenotypic expression is of extreme importance for the development of new cultivars and maintenance of the program. This research aimed to study the genetic diversity and selection of the best common bean genotypes with high agronomic performance in the Agrarian Station of Sussundenga-Mozambique. Twenty-two common bean genotypes were evaluated in a randomized block design with three repetitions in the 2021/2022 agricultural season. The agronomic characteristics evaluated were: the number of days to flowering, plant height, plant architecture, number of pods per plant, the weight of 100 seeds, and grain yield. The data obtained were submitted to individual variance analysis, followed by the Scott-Knott grouping test. For the effect of genetic divergence between the genotypes, multivariate analysis was used based on the generalized Mahalanobis distance and Tocher optimization method, UPGMA, and canonical variables for the projection of distance in the 2D plane. It was also verified by the Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient. The Singh criterion (1981) was used, indicating the characteristics Number of pods per plant (42.81%), the weight of 100 seeds (19.59%), and Plant height (16.08%) as the most important for the genetic divergence of bean genotypes.

The use of digital media in collection and disseminating information on various farming technologies and interventions has improved accessibility of information and feedback. It involves the collection and transmission of digitized content through the internet or computer networks and offline mobile applications (app). This includes text, audio, video, and graphics. The Agriv1(agriculture extension application) and Ulimi ndi Nyengo (web-based platform that transmits agriculture advisory services) were rolled out to perform stated actions. The agriculture extension applications and one of the social media platforms, Facebook were used in the dissemination of information through digital media. This form of technology through which information was shared provided end users or project beneficiaries’ easy access to vital information on interventions being implemented by the project.