Document

Climate variability and change is projected to increasingly affect smallholder farming systems in southern Africa and the maize value chain will particularly suffer from the late onset of and more  erratic rainfalls. Heat stress will further affect maize-based cropping systems as temperature is projected to increase by 2.1-2.7°C

This Pilot Study is a summry to address increasing threats of climate change and declining soil fertility, a cross regional agronomic study was conducted in southern Africa, covering 19 on-farm communities in contrasting agro-ecologies ranging from around 500 mm to more than 1800mm of rainfall. The 19 on-farm communities have been under long-term research by CIMMYT and national partners in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The aim of this study was to assess how different climate-smart agriculture technologies perform under a variable climate and to pilot new doubled-up legume systems of groundnuts with pigeonpea in 6 selected target communities.

This study examines the vulnerability to climate variability and change of the conventional maize value chain in the mid and low altitude agro-ecological zones of Malawi, agro-ecological zone II of Zambia and agro-ecological zone III of Zimbabwe. The aim is to develop feasible priorities and strategies for climate variability and change adaptation based on farmer preference. A literature review for the countries Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe was conducted to assess the current and future impact of climate change and variability on the smallholder farming system. A mix of methods, which included participatory vulnerability assessment tools, focus group discussions and key informant interviews among 108 farmers from five communities, complemented the literature review. Data were collected on the current and likely future impacts and sensitivity of the systems and adaptation capacities.

This brochure explains what climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is and what is new and different about it. CSA options and benefits for farmers at a local level are being addressed and examples of best practices, technologies and services given. The enabling environments for CSA at regional and national level are being described and the important aspects regarding equity, gender and youth highlighted. Global climate agreements frame climate action on the ground and the already visible climate change impacts in SADC justify why wee need CSA to ensure agricultural productivity and food security.

This presentation made during the tackling climate change in agriculture training in Zimbabwe, talks about climate change elements and  interventions in the RAP.

This  report  analyses  the  status  of  incorporation  of  climate  change  adaptation  and  climate-smart agriculture (CSA) measures in the SADC Member States’ agriculture and food security frameworks and policies. It  details the current situation in the SADC member states  with respect to  the existence of policies, strategies and programmes that were primarily designed to build resilience to climate change among famers.

CCARDESA developed its 5-yearMedium Term Operational Plan (MTOP) in 2013, which was approved by the General Assembly in May 2014. The Development of the MTOP involved a number of stakeholders who were consulted and made input towards the content of the plan. The consultation process involved the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES), development partners, international agricultural research centres, farmer organizations and others. 

The MTOP outlined CCARDESA’s priorities and general approaches to programme implementation between 2014 and 2018. It also contained an elaborate list of activities under 5 thematic areas, expected outputs and a results framework. Within the results framework, indicators were identified, supported by specific annual cumulative targets during the 5 year period. This MTOP will end in December 2018. 

The Operational Plan of an organisation is always anchored on the corporate strategic plan and is designed to translate the plan into actionable components within a given time frame. Unfortunately, the CCARDESA MTOP for the period 2014-2018 did not stem from a documented corporate strategy. This was a major weakness of the first five years of operation, notwithstanding the fact that the MTOP still gave a valuable basis for annual activity planning and guidance to the organisation between 2014 and 2018. 

Since the current MTOP will expire in December 2018, CCARDESA is in need of a long term Strategic Plan which will provide a corporate definition of the visionary road that the institution should travel in the next 10 years. On the basis of the Strategic Plan, a concise and clear medium term operational plan shall be developed, to provide the implementation details of the Strategic Plan in the initial 5 years. 

In order for CCARDESA to adequately serve its clients and deliver on its mandate, the Strategic Plan would need to respond to the needs of the SADC region in relation to the development and deployment of agricultural innovations and management practices. Along with this, the supportive environment such as gender, youth empowerment, sustainable use of natural resources, climate change and adaptation of agricultural practices within agricultural value chains to the envisaged changes, enabling policy frameworks and social/environmental responsibility have to be favourable and clear within the Strategic Plan. Furthermore, the Strategic Plan will need to be ‘forward looking’ by recognising the current situation in the SADC region and clearly showing that CCARDESA, through the implementation of the strategy, will be an indispensable relevant factor in contributing to the objectives set forth in the key policies of SADC Member States as well as the continental and global commitments they have signed for. 

As a subsidiary organization of SADC, CCARDESA has to fulfil its role of contributing to the improvement of food security and livelihoods of the people, especially the small scale farmers and rural communities in general. Some of the key regional policy and strategic issues the CCARDESA Strategy will have to address are the regional needs expressed in the SADC Regional Agricultural Policy (SADC–RAP) and its investment plan, the revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the SADC Food and Nutrition Strategy (2015-2025), the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Road Map (2015-2063), the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2015), and others. 

At continental and global level, the Strategy will have to address the needs contained in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), together with the Malabo Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, SDGs 1, 2 and 12 are the most critical to which CCARDESA is required to contribute directly. 

CCARDESA therefore seeks the services of two consultants to develop its strategic and operational plans, both of which should be responsive to the needs of the region and set the organization on a trajectory that will bring impact to the food security and livelihoods of the communities in Southern Africa. 

Objectives

The overall objective of this assignment, therefore, is to develop a detailed 10-year CCARDESA Strategic Plan and a 5-year medium term operational plan, based on the needs of CCARDESA and its stakeholders. 

Background

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a Subsidiary organisation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It was established in 2010 by Member States of SADC, and tasked with the mandate of coordinating agricultural research and development in the region. CCARDESA’s mandate is aligned to the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan, the SADC Regional Agricultural Policy and its investment plans, the CAADP/Malabo Declaration Commitment as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CCARDESA works closely with regional and international partners to facilitate generation and use of essential agricultural technologies and management practices. It also supports the exchange ofinformation and technology among Member states. 

Assignment

The operations of CCARDESA are guided by its strategy and an operational plan. The current Medium Term Operational Plan (MTOP), which provides details of the technical focus of the organisation for a period of 5 years, will elapse on 31^stDecember 2018. The organisation therefore needs to develop a new Strategic Plan which will provide the priority boundaries of operation of CCARDESA for the next 10 years. The content and orientation of the CCARDESA strategy will be based on the available regional strategic priorities, current topical issues and envisaged trends of interest to the agricultural sector. The Strategy will be accompanied by an MTOP, which will articulate the operational details for the next 5 years. The MTOP is therefore the action guiding tool for achieving the objectives and targets of the Strategy. 

CCARDESA is therefore inviting applications from qualified and experienced individuals to carry out the task of developing its 10 year Strategy and a Medium Term Operational Plan for 5 years. This is one assignmet but requires the services of two experts. Therefore it is applicants are required to submit their bid as a pair of two experts with profiles indicated in the Terms of Reference.

Details of the assignment are contained in the attached TORs. 

Falling prices of cotton, normally referred to as ‘‘white gold’’ is not good news for small- scale farmers in Eastern province, as the crop has been a source of livelihoods to them for many years. A significant decrease in the number of small-scale farmers currently growing cotton in the province has resulted in an increase in poverty levels. This has exposed small-scale farmers whose livelihood is derived from farming to much more challenging survival mechanisms.

Fleming Chookole, 49, of Mwiinga village in Chinkankata district in Zambia has returned to farming after abandoning it for blacksmithing for several years. Today, he is a lead farmer and inspirational Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) farmer among villagers- thanks to the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) which introduced the crop and soil improvement programme to Fleming and his community.