International Policy Research Organisations

International Climate Finance Funds require certain safeguards. For accessing the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Gender Assessments and Action Plans need to be developed, because impacts of climate change affect women and men differently. Women are the hardest hit by dramatic shifts in climatic conditions. Women’s mortality from climate-related disasters is higher than that of men. Compared to men, domestic burdens (e.g. collection of firewood and water) of women increase substantially with various manifestations of climate change.

International Climate Finance Funds require certain safeguards. As an example, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has a Indigenous Peoples Policy that reflects the importance of fully and effectively engaging with indigenous peoples in the design, development and implementation of the strategies and activities to be financed by GCF, while respecting their rights.

The Green Climate Fund is moving quickly to build a large and transformative project portfolio, with many projects already being implemented with the objective to adapt and/or mitigate to climate change.

However, there is a need to simplify and streamline the approval of certain small scale projects, particularly from direct access entities. In response, the GCF’s Board has approved a new approach: the Simplified Approval Process Pilot Scheme (SAP), which is now operating.

The Board approved the first SAP project in February 2018 – an initiative by the Namibian direct access entity Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) to improve the ecosystem management practices of farmers.

This brochure presents the 'Promotion of Science and Technology for Agricultural Development (PSTAD) in the SADC region' project, which has been implemented by CCARDESA.

The project was supported by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and implemented sub-regional organisations (SROs) and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in 34 African countries with funding from the African Development Bank. In the SADC sub region, PSTAD was being implemented in Angola, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Lesotho and Zambia.

The goal of the PSTAD project was to increase agricultural production and contribute to the achievement of food security and poverty reduction in Africa. Its main objective was to build the African agricultural research knowledge management capacity and support the dissemination and adoption of new and proven agricultural technologies.

CCARDESA's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: Evidence from CCARPASA Project.

This brief outlines the challenge of adapting to climate change, identifies recent engagement and practices, and proposes future regional and country-level responses, with a focus on the constraints and conditions of smallholder farmers in the region, and the natural resources base upon which agriculture depends. This CCARDESA Climate Change Adaptation Strategy eventually becomes an integral part of CCARDESA's Medium Term Operational Plan (MTOP) and longterm overall strategy to deliver its mandate in an effective manner.

Implementation of the CCARDESA Mid Term Operational Plan (MTOP) is expected to have a positive impact on the environment by supporting the development and dissemination of agricultural technologies that promote sustainable use of land and water. The MTOP will also contribute towards reducing the vulnerability of poor rural households to climate shocks by promoting the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices. There is no doubt that CCARDESA’s footprint could be significant if no measures were put in place to guide the social and environmental responsibility of the work conducted in the sub-region.

This Governance Manual is a guide to CCARDESA’s governance institutions (Ministers responsible for Agriculture and Food Security, the General Assembly, CCARDESA Board of Directors and CCARDESA Secretariat) in the conduct of their responsibilities and duties. It is also a reference document for all CCARDESA stakeholders who wish to know how CCARDESA is governed. It assures development partners that CCARDESA observes the principles of good governance to which they are bound in allocating their resources.

Climate change is projected to have serious impacts on the agriculture of southern Africa, affecting food availability, creating local production shortfalls and resulting in rising commodity prices. This report highlights the risks to agriculture and food systems that may occur in two counties of the region, Malawi and Zambia. The analysis uses the conceptual framework of climate-related risk from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to examine the impacts that climate change is likely to have on agriculture and food security. Country-specific trends in temperature and rainfall and projected impacts are summarised from the literature. The vulnerability of the agricultural sector in each country is discussed in relation to its sensitivity to change and coping and adaptive capacity, and the risks of climate change on agriculture and small-scale farmers in the two focus countries assessed. A prioritisation process is then carried out to rank different commodities in each country, with respect to four dimensions: the importance of the commodity to the economy of the country, the national yield gap compared with the regional average, the importance of the commodity in people’s diet, and the projected impact of climate change on yield. The results of the analysis highlight three commodities that could be prioritized for agricultural development interventions: maize, potatoes and beans in Malawi, and maize, pulses and sorghum in Zambia.

This study examines the vulnerability to climate variability and change of the conventional maize value chain in the mid and low altitude agro-ecological zones of Malawi, agro-ecological zone II of Zambia and agro-ecological zone III of Zimbabwe. The aim is to develop feasible priorities and strategies for climate variability and change adaptation based on farmer preference. A literature re-view for the countries Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe was conducted to assess the current and future impact of climate change and variability on the smallholder farming system. A mix of methods, which included participatory vulnerability assessment tools, focus group discussions and key in-formant interviews among 108 farmers from five communities, complemented the literature review. Data were collected on the current and likely future impacts and sensitivity of the systems and ad-aptation capacities.

Gender Assessment and Action Plan - Zambia Renewable Energy Financing Framework

This gender assessment provides a summary of the gender equality situation in Zambia with a specific focus on women’s financial inclusion in the energy sector. The assessment identifies potential entry points to promote women’s participation as business leaders and owners in renewable and clean energy.