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Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Trans-frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) development have been a major focus area of cooperation between SADC and Germany for many years. Through the SADC/GIZ Climate Resilience and Natural Resources Management (C-NRM) Programme, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) promotes the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and mitigation in trans-boundary protected area management, thereby strengthening the climate change resilience of the local population in and around TFCAs. The SADC/GIZ Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management (C-NRM) Programme’s main objective is therefore to strengthen cross-border management of natural resources in the SADC region, as a new initiative that builds on the foundation laid by the Adaptation to Climate Change in Rural Areas in Southern Africa (ACCRA) programme. The C-NRM programme continues to build the capacities of SADC member states to integrate climate change aspects into agricultural programmes and investments. The C-NRM project has the following outputs;

• The strategic planning framework for mainstreaming climate change into cross-border NRM is strengthened
• The dissemination of knowledge on CSA and CSNRM is strengthened
• CSA and CSNRM measures are implemented in selected TFCA’s
• Priority COVID-19 sensitive measures of the SADC TFCA Tourism Programme are implemented in a climate-sensitive way.

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a sub-regional organization that was established by SADC Member States (MS) to coordinate agricultural research and development (AR&D) among its 16 Member States. With its headquarters situated in Gaborone, Botswana, CARDESSA‘s vision is to assist member states to attain food security and build a prosperous Southern African region with vibrant rural livelihoods. Its mission is to promote innovative research, technology generation and adoption for sustainable agricultural development through affective partnerships and capacity building.

CCARDESA therefore has a broad mandate to assist its Member States in coordinating their agricultural research and development and also to empower smallholder farmers to improve their product efficiency and generate increased incomes through active market engagement while navigating the current polycrises (Covid-19, worsening climatic conditions, worsening economic growth and the Ukraine war). All of these have negatively affected the global food security.

To mitigate against these negative effects, CCARDESA is supporting smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in response to the challenges posed by worsening climatic conditions. However, the main issue is that although CCARDESA has active outputs on areas of KM and information dissemination of their products, there is a serious limitation in audio- visuals as most of their products are in paper format which has been proven not to be as effective. Furthermore, the Internet of Things’ (IoT) main tenet is on digitalization and this is a better way to respond while bridging Africa’s youth demographic dividend.

Induced plant mutagenesis is a powerful technique to create genetic variation for agronomic traits and drought tolerance selection programs. The objective of this study was to determine the response of elite sorghum (Sor- ghum bicolor [L.] Moench) lines developed via gamma-radiation for grain yield, component traits, and drought tolerance to select best performing lines for cultivation in water-stressed environments. Ten newly developed mutant lines and four check varieties were evaluated in two growing seasons under drought-stressed (DS) and non-stressed (NS) conditions in Namibia. Mutant lines were evaluated using a factorial experiment laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications in custom-made rainout-shelter facility. Data on grain yield and yield-related traits were collected and drought tolerance selection indices were computed using mean genotype yield under non-stressed condition and drought-stressed condition. Data were subjected to standard analysis of variance, correlation and principal component analyses. The interaction effect of genotype × drought stress × season was non-significant for most assessed traits suggesting the relatively stable performance of the test lines for selection. Grain yield response of test genotypes varied from 0.55 to 2.27 t/ha under DS and 1.84 to 4.05 t/ha in NS conditions. Grain yield positively and significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with harvest index (r = 0.79), panicle weight (r = 0.75) and panicle length (r = 0.37), and negatively correlated with days to flowering (r = − 0.35) under DS condition. Principal component (PC) analysis identified two PCs accounting for 96.35 % of total genotypic variation based on drought tolerance selection indices. Biplot analysis using a combination assessed traits allowed selection of drought tolerant mutant lines designated as ML4, ML10, ML6, and ML5 with mean grain yield of 2.27, 2.05, 1.89 and 1.67 t/ha under DS conditions, in that order. The selected lines are recommended for further multi-environment evaluations for release and large-scale production in Namibia or other related agro-ecologies.

This article focuses on the results from trials developed to monitor the short-term effects of conventionally tilled systems versus CA on soil quality and crop productivity under conditions of the major cropping systems in central, north-central and north-eastern regions of Namibia. Conventional tillage (CT), Minimum tillage (MT), Minimum tillage, mulch (MT-M), Minimum tillage, rotation (MT-R) and Minimum tillage, mulch and rotation (MT-MR) were the primary treatments tested. Significant differences (p≤0.000) among the treatments were observed in the 0-60 cm soil profiles where MT-M plots had the highest soil moisture content (39.8 mm, Standard Error of Mean 0.2815) over the study period. A significant difference (p=0.0206) in grain yield was observed in the second season with CT plots yielding the highest grain yield (3852.3 kg ha-1, standard error of mean 240.35). Results suggest that CA has the potential to increase water conservation and contribute to reduction of the risk of crop failure. Climate change driven degradation under conventional tillage necessitate alternative sustainable tillage methods. Conservation tillage methods and conservation agricultural practices that minimize soil disturbance while maintaining soil cover need to be adopted more locally as viable alternatives to conventional tillage.

Plano de Gestão da Biodiversidade - Centro Regional de Liderança da Mandioca: Malanje-Angola

 Fundraiser for CCARDESA – Gaborone Botswana-Individual Consultant Selection

TORS: REVISION OF THE CCARDESA LONG-TERM STRATEGY AND MEDIUM-TERM OPERATIONAL PLAN

Africa: a new frontier for tree invaders?

Bemisia tabaci is an important vector of cassava brown streak viruses and cassava mosaic begomoviruses, the causal agents of cassava brown streak disease and cassava mosaic disease (CMD), respectively. A study was carried out to determine the genetic variability of B. tabaci associated with cassava and the occurrence of CMD in Zambia in 2013 and 2015. Phylogenetic analysis showed the presence of only the sub-Saharan Africa 1 (SSA1) genetic group in Zambia. The SSA1 population had three population subgroups (SGs): SSA1-SG1, SSA1-SG2 and SSA1-SG3. All three SSA1 population subgroups occurred in Western Province. However, only SSA1-SG3 occurred in Eastern Province, while only SSA1-SG1 occurred in North Western and Luapula Provinces. Adult B. tabaci were most abundant in Western Province in 2013 (11.1/plant) and 2015 (10.8/plant), and least abundant (0.2/plant) in Northern Province in both 2013 and 2015. CMD was prevalent in all seven provinces surveyed, with the highest incidence recorded in Lusaka Province in both 2013 (78%) and 2015 (83.6%), and the lowest in Northern Province in both 2013 (26.6%) and 2015 (29.3%). Although SSA1-SG1 occurred at greater abundances than the other subgroups, there was no direct association demonstrated between whitefly subgroup and incidence of CMD. Establishing which B. tabaci genetic groups and populations are associated with CMD and their distribution in the country is a key factor in guiding the development of CMD control strategies for cassava-dependent households.

The article is about the initiative taken by the government of Lesotho through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, whereby Intebsive Crop Production through formation of blocks is practised in order to increase production. This is done in an effort to attain Food Security.