National Media

This article is a success story in the production of groundnut seed in Zambia. When groundnut seed production was introduced in Minga area in Petauke district, it relieved farmers of the pressure of having to rely on cotton as the only valuable cash crop.
Unit Seed Company in partnership with small-scale farmers in Minga area engaged in seed production of groundnut. The farmers were provided with groundnut basic seed by Unit Seed Company and produced certified seed, which the company buys and then sells to prospective markets

This resource is an APPSA success story of introducing high yielding rice varieties in Malawi.  As part of efforts to improve rice production and increase export volumes, the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) introduced
three high yielding rice varieties with a yield potential of up to 6.5 T ha-1. These are Kayanjamalo (6.5 T ha-1), Katete (6.0 T ha-1) and Mpatsa (5.8 T ha-1). These varieties were released in 2014 under the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development. Since the release of the varieties, APPSA has been promoting these three varieties in Nkhotakota, Salima and Zomba districts targeting smallholder rice farmers. With desirable traits such as high yields and short height, the varieties gained popularity among the farming communities and within three years the number of adopters increased by more than 80%.

This is a success story produced by the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) under APPSA. Through partnerships with the Department of Agriculture and other players, the World Bank funded Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) supported smallholder farmers with necessary information and technologies to transform
the way they grow their soybean in order to increase farm yields and income. In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture under Extension Services the project mobilised lead farmers to host demonstration plots showcasing improved soybean production technologies.

This resource is one of the APPSA success stories for Mozambique. It narrates the story of Mrs Isaltina Aly Trigo. Mrs Trigo is a smallholder farmer from Malema district in Nampula province. She has been growing soybeans for the past several years. Like many other farmers in the area, she views soybean as a crop with cash potential. The crop produces high yields, and is relatively unaffected by pests commonly found among other staple crops. Although technologies for increased soybean production and productivity, local processing and utilization options have been developed for use by farmers, Mrs Trigo and many other smallholder farmers are not aware of these technological options. This is attributed to among other reasons, inadequate popularization of these technologies. In 2013 the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) began working with Mrs Trigo and other farmers in Nampula province in up-scaling improved soybean processing and utilization technologies so as to improve food and nutrition security as well income generation for the smallholder famers. Since working with the project, Mrs Trigo has been processing her soybeans into milk and bagias. Initially, the soybean milk was just for home consumption while the bagias were for home consumption and for sale. With time, she increased the quantities of her processed products, and started selling both products.

This presentation contains information on the institution CCARDESA and its famework. It covers:

• realities of climate change in SADC
• CCARDESA mandate and ICKM actions
• the ACCRA project and the ICKM component
• the SAAIKS platform (conception and development)
• Lessons learnt
• Way forward

Review of research findings, options for mitigation and recommendations for development cooperation

An easily manageable methodology that provides hands-on strategic orientation to those developing realistic and realisable measures for sustainable food loss reduction. The methodology is designed to serve as a pre-screening for further in-depth-studies and to identify leverage points for reducing losses at the various value chain stages — from farming, through handling and processing, to retail trade.

Ce dossier souhaite apporter un éclairage plus approfondi sur la thématique des pertes alimentaires et présenter les champs d’action actuels, l’expérience acquise et les défis à surmonter dans ce domaine.

This resource is a presentation made by CCARDESA during the AFAAS Extention week 2017, It focuses on the approach of the Adaptation to Climate Change in Rural Areas of SADC (ACCRA) Programme’s  approach to capacity building for scaling Climate Smart Agriculture in southern Africa and the & lessons learnt.

This climate proofing tool is part of the training package on Tackling Climate Change in Agriculture: Approaches to climate change adaptation and climate smart agriculture in southern Africa. It is based on the Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Co-operation Climate Proofing Tool initially developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and GIZ in 2009. This climate proofing tool expands the original tool towards a stronger focus on climate change adaptation in agriculture in southern Africa, and places more emphasis on knowledge co-generation with respect to the specific case study system at hand. It has been adapted to southern Africa by the SADC Adaptation to Climate Change in Rural Areas in Southern Africa (ACCRA) Programme. ACCRA has been established by the German Government through the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), funded by the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ). The programme is implemented by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research & Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA).

The training package combines a range of different technical/topical modules with this climate proofing tool and its practical application within specified case studies. This climate proofing tool forms an integral part of the training package.

The climate proofing tool consists of a series of steps which will be implemented in small groups, who will work together throughout the training course. Each group will focus on a particular case study or system of interest – an agricultural system or value chain.

The climate proofing steps include:

• Assessing the current and future climate risks
• Identifying adaptation options
• Selecting adaptation measures

Pre-defined case studies form the basis of applying the climate proofing tool. The selection of the case studies will have been done in advance by the programme implementing the training or by the participants themselves, or both. The case studies have been prepared with details on existing climate conditions, systems characterisation including biophysical, as well as socio- economic aspects.