CCARDESA Content

In fulfillment of the Charter, CCARDESA held its first General Assembly in March 2014 in Boipuso hall, Gaborone, Botswana. The General Assembly was attended by several stakeholders which included, development partners, the Forum for Agricultural Research (FARA), other sub regional organisations namely ASARECA and CORAF and more impotently stakeholders who constitute the CCARDESA.

The General Assembly appointed Dr Mick Mwala as its first Chairman and deliberated on several issues which shape the operations of CCARDESA as a sub-regional organisation. This included the objectives of CCARDESA, its historical background, current initiatives of the organisation as well as suggestions of changes to the charter.
Main outcomes included:

1. The election of the first chairman
2. Approval of external auditors
3. Approval of the CCARDESA Medium Term Operational Plan (MTOP)
4. Nomination of new board members and
5. The amendment of the Governance manual and the Charter estab-lishing CCARDESA

This brochure was developed by CCARDESA to highlight constraints of adopting mechanization in Conservation Agriculture and possible suggestions to improve mechanization in CA.

Regionally as well as internationally, Conservation Agriculture research has proven to show numerous benefits, as it is evident that multiple donors continue to invest in the promotion and the adoption of CA technologies. These benefits range from:

• Improved soil fertility and moisture retention, resulting from long-term yield increase, decreasing yield variation and greater food security.
• Stabilizes soil and reduce erosion.
• It contributes in the reduction of surface water and groundwater contamination.
• Reduces on-farm costs: saving in time, labour and mechanized machinery.

This brochure explains the concept of Conservation Agriculture, its benefits and how to deal with pests and diseases when adopting conservation agriculture.

Maize is an important strategic crop which is grown by millions of farmers in the SADC region as both a food crop and a cash crop. This staple food of most countries in the SADC region is threatened by the occurrence of the Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) which has been reported in East Africa. The disease was first reported in Kenya, (South Rift Valley – Bomet and Naivasha districts) in September 2011, although its extent at that point suggested that the disease had been present for some time. MLND has also spread rapidly into Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan (FAO, 2013).
Recent reports indicate high possibilities of this disease spreading to the Southern African countries which if not contained could result in devastation and food insecurity to the SADC region from possible crop failure and reduced yields given the role of maize as the main staple crop for many countries in the region. Maintaining vigilance and taking proactive action by all key stakeholders is necessary to manage this threat

This is a presentation made during the tackling climate change in agriculture training in Zimbabwe. It talks about different concepts and technologies for sustainable use of water and soil.

This resource is a presentation of the activities for knowledge sharing at CCARDESA. The main emphasis is on the Southern African Agricultural Information System (SAAIKS). SAAIKS is a system which is developed by CCARDESA to facilitate regional sharing of information in Southern Africa. The system exists to complement other initiatives which include the CCARDESA website and social media platforms.

This is a presentation by TechFeed Botswana during a dry season management workshop. The presentation presents methods of managing livestock and pastures during dry season with emphasis on supplementary feeding.

This is a presentation of use of ICTs in Agriculture by Mr Makoko during the dry season management workshop. The presentation focuses on the Agricultural Early Warning and Market Information System (AMEWI) which was developed by Agribusiness Forum Botswana and other partners.

This is presentation by Moagi Letso during the dry season workshop. The presentation focuses on fodder production for use during the dry season.