Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern African (APPSA) 2015 Annual Report

The Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern African (APPSA) is a six-year project (2013 – 2019) financed by the World Bank using a Specific Investment Loan (SIL) to the tune of US$ 90 Million. APPSA supports the objectives of the World Bank’s Africa Action Plan, which identifies regional integration as an important element to achieving higher economic growth and poverty reduction. The project’s objective is to increase the availability of improved agricultural technologies in participating countries in the SADC region through: (i) establishing Regional Centres of Leadership (RCoLs) on commodities of regional importance; (ii) supporting regional collaboration in agricultural research, technology dissemination, and training; and (iii) facilitating increased sharing of agricultural information, knowledge, and technology among participating countries. Implementation of APPSA is based on partnerships and collaborations among three participating countries (Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia). Malawi is focusing on maize- based farming systems, Mozambique on rice-based farming systems, and Zambia on food legumes-based farming systems (involving beans, cowpeas, groundnuts, pigeon peas, and soybeans). Additional countries within the SADC region are expected to join as APPSA evolves and expands