Research (3)
By: Kathlee Freeman
“For Africa to realize a food secure future, the majority need to take part in agricultural solutions, and that means young people,” according to Seble Samuel, Communications and Knowledge Management Officer with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security’s (CCAFS) East Africa region.
Indeed, young people are having something of a moment. From an increased focus on youth in agriculture by a number of international development agencies to Rwandan-born, U.S.-based choreographer Sherrie Silver celebrating the powerful role of young farmers. One thing that sets young people apart is their comfort with information and communication technologies (ICTs), including cellphones and their use to access the internet.
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“Show a young person a lucrative and promising market you will be surprised where they will get resources, products will be delivered!” Mike Mugendi, online discussion participant |
This trend was explored through an online discussion, held between 15 April to 17 May, on the Climate & Agriculture Network for Africa (CANA) platform in the run up to World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. Participants responded to questions about barriers to youth participation in agriculture, the role of ICTs in agrobusiness, and how non-farmers can use ICTs to support agriculture. Continuing this online conversation, a webinar was held on 29 May to further discuss youth, agriculture, and ICTs.
Panelists included:
- Catherine Mungai, Partnerships and Policy Specialist with CCAFS East Africa
- Joan Kerr, Director for the Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities (FBSC)
- Victor Mugo, Country Coordinator with the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (CSAYN) in Kenya and an Agricultural Risk Management Associate with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
- Seble Samuel (moderator)
Audience members were invited to ask questions, which ranged from how to incorporate innovative financing into ICT projects to engaging stakeholders in youth-led agriculture initiatives.
During the webinar, participants were also asked to provide their thoughts on barriers for youth adoption of ICTs. The majority of those who responded, 45 percent, felt infrastructure was the most serious constraint young people faced when trying to incorporate ICTs into the agriculture sector. Availability of culturally appropriate, relevant resources was another barrier to ICT use by young farmers.
The importance of education was made clear by panelist Kerr. “Agriculture education sows the seeds for elevating the status of young farming professionals to prosper,” she explained. Indeed, in a follow-up survey for webinar participants, training, along with costs and gender concerns, were noted as areas of interest for future discussions.
To watch the entire recorded webinar, click here. You will be prompted to provide your name and email address, and then taken directly to view the webinar.
Kathlee Freeman is a communications consultant with the CGIAR Research Program on Cimate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
Three countries in Eastern Africa join the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
By: Catherine Mungai (CCAFS), Maren Radeny (CCAFS), Seble Samuel (CCAFS), Hayden Montgomery (GRA) and Dawit Solomon (CCAFS)
Research findings on livestock greenhouse gas emissions in Eastern Africa are helping governments develop low-carbon and resilient livestock systems.
Climate change is transforming the planet’s ecosystems and threatening the wellbeing of current and future generations. To keep the increase in global temperature below 2°C and avoid dangerous climate change, reductions in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are urgently required.
Globally, the livestock sector contributes a significant share to anthropogenic GHG emissions, but the sector also has the capacity to deliver a significant share of the necessary mitigation effort. As such, low emissions livestock development offers countries an opportunity to achieve economic gains and respond to climate change simultaneously.
Three Eastern African countries join the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
African countries are taking ambitious actions towards reducing GHG emissions from agriculture. Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda are now among the 56 countries and the first three in Eastern Africa who have joined the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). This development originates from discussions initiated during the regional awareness raising workshop: 'Low emissions livestock: Supporting policy-making and implementation through science in East Africa'. The workshop was held at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 2-4, 2018.
By: Dansira Dembele and Samuel T. Partey (CCAFS West Africa)
The climate-smart agriculture profile of Côte d’Ivoire defines entry points for investing into and scaling climate-smart practices to achieve sustainable development.
Climate change and weather variability continue to challenge the agricultural sector of Côte d’Ivoire. The projected impacts of climate change include extended periods of drought, loss of soil fertility and shorter growing season. It will affect especially the northern part of the country, and is expected to cause major economic losses and hunger for more than 70% of the households. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is proposed as a solution to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security under a changing climate. The approach aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes; adapt and build resilience to climate change; and reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions, where possible.
Currently, the mainstreaming of CSA into national agricultural development planning is sought for by many countries in West Africa in pursuant of their commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To help countries succeed, it is imperative to identify, develop and appropriately package technologies and practices that underpin CSA and document the enabling institutions, policies and financial mechanisms in order to develop and promote practices. The development of CSA country profiles is based on this agenda and aims to define the entry points for investing into and scaling CSA.
Recent studies on agriculture and climate change in Africa point to a growing risk of failed seasons amongst farmers occasioned by a warmer climate. However, the situation is not all gloom and doom, as there are opportunities for innovation through adoption of appropriate climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and policies that can help smallholder farmers sustain and improve their livelihoods. CSA integrates the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) and entails a suite of technologies and practices that can increase productivity and incomes, enhance adaptation and build resilience to climate change, and where possible reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.