Organized by ReSAKSS-SA and IWMI, a regional methodology workshop on Strengthening Capacity for Strategic Agricultural Policy and Investment Planning and Implementation in the SADC Region was held on August 22 in Pretoria, South Africa.

It is a follow up to the workshop held in June 2012 which focused on revising the data collection instrument for 2012 CAADP SADC-RISDP M&E as part of the preparations for the 2012 Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR) for Southern Africa. As the revised questionnaire for 2012 had already been circulated to national collaborators in July 2012 and data collection had already begun, the purpose of the August workshop was to review the national data collection process for the 2012 ATOR for Southern Africa, to speed up the data collection for 2012, and to strengthen capacity on monitoring and evaluating agricultural sector performance, growth and poverty trends in Southern Africa in the context of CAADP and SADC-RISDP.

In the opening speech, Pius Chilonda, the Head of IWMI-SA, emphasized the importance of speeding up the data collection exercise and further reminded national collaborators about the need for publishing their work. The new ReSAKSS-SA Coordinator Greenwell Matchaya chaired the workshop. The workshop was attended by participants from Madagascar, Lesotho, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa.  Angola, Swaziland and Mauritius were not represented due to various reasons.

Read the full report >>