Agricultural Technologies for Combating Climate Change in Africa
Fri, 02/02/2018
During the ReSAKSS Annual Conference the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) organized a talk on the topic: Agricultural Technologies for Combating Climate Change in Africa. The goal of increasing agricultural productivity and enhancing food security in Africa to keep pace with projected population growth is being threatened by the impact of climate change. The increasingly unpredictable and erratic nature of climate on the continent is greatly impacting agriculture that is predominantly rainfed because of its high climate sensitivity; and thus, has placed an extra burden on food security and rural livelihoods.
Technology innovation and diffusion could serve as incubating grounds for pioneering practical solutions for addressing agricultural production in Africa. Therefore, the development and use of climate-smart agricultural technologies with good potentials to mitigate the adverse effects of unpredictable change in climate is a major milestone towards sustainable agricultural production and food security in Africa.
Mitigating the impact of climate change on agriculture using different technologies is one of the key priority areas of intervention for the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) towards ensuring a food secured Africa. Other organizations, such as the CGIAR, regional and national organizations, as well as the private sector have also been working on the development of novel technologies to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security in Africa. The various initiatives ranging from climate-smart crop and animal production technologies to knowledge-based and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), need to be consolidated and linked to the activities of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) for effective uptake and impact in Africa.
The objective of this Side Event was to bring together different stakeholders developing and using technologies targeted at combatting climate change in Africa to:
- Showcase the different climate-smart technologies being used or in the pipeline to mitigate actual and potential negative impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and food security in Africa.
- Share lessons learnt and challenges in implementing and adopting these technologies.
- Link different technologies to CAADP climate-smart agriculture program to enhance sustainable implementation and adoption in CAADP investment plans.