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Implementation of the CCARDESA MTOP is expected to have a positive impact on the environment by supporting the development and dissemination of agricultural technologies that promote sustainable use of land and water. The MTOP will also contribute towards reducing the vulnerability of poor rural households to climate shocks by promoting the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices. There is no doubt that CCARDESA’s footprint could be significant if no measures were put in place to guide the social and environmental responsibility of the work conducted in the sub-region.

This Manual is a guide for the operation of the CCARDESA grant system. The contents in this document have been written and arranged in a manner which is intended for use internally and externally by the respondents as well as any other interested stakeholders. The manual endeavours to explain the processes to be followed in order to make the grant system as transparent and efficient as possible. All CCARDESA stakeholders in SADC Member States, financiers and respondents to the calls must have confidence that the process of selecting and allocating resources is the most efficient. Detailed annexes are provided to give additional information, guidelines and formats to ensure the preparation of proposals is standardised and evaluation is made easy.

This study assesses the role of the farmer organizations in policy formulation and reform. It aims to strengthen farmer organisations‚ activities and the role and impact of economic and agricultural policies in the region integration process. Farmer organizations are not yet strong enough to effectively influence policy formulation, implementations and review in Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.

This report presents the final technical report that draw lessons on best practices for climate smart small-scale  agriculture  (C3SA) to be shared with stakeholders for the purpose of influencing policy and policy practices at all levels. The report is based on literature review and filed visits to Kilosa and Chamwino Districts in Tanzania.

A farmer in Kilolo explains why he practices burning and what he observes after burning. Photo: Kelvin Shikuku and Caroline Mwongera.

It is a moral outcry that almost 1 billion people go hungry to bed every night. At the same time climate change has devastating effects on our food production woldwide. The only solution is to double our food production in a climate smart way.

Namibia needs 4% agricultural growth per year to meet the food requirements for the growing population

The purpose of this Finance Manual is to provide Accounting and Financial Control guidelines to all staff at CCARDESA, particularly the Finance and Administration staff in implementing financial management and preparing CCARDESA’s statutory financial statements for the fiscal year and other reports. Further, it will serve as a guide to the day to-day finance and accounting policies and procedures.

Global food demand requires that soils be used intensively for agriculture, but how these soils are managed greatly impacts soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Soil management practices can cause carbon to be either sequestered or emitted, with corresponding uncertain influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The situation is further complicated by the lack of CO2 flux measurements for African subsistence farms. For widespread application in remote areas, a simple experimental methodology is desired. As a first step, the present study investigated the use of Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) instrumentation to measure the energy balance and CO2 fluxes of two contrasting crop management systems, till and no-till, in the lowlands within the mountains of Lesotho. Two BREB micrometeorological systems were established on 100-m by 100-m sites, both planted with maize (Zea mays) but under either conventional (plow, disk-disk) or no-till soil management systems. The results demonstrate that with careful maintenance of the instruments by appropriately trained local personnel, the BREB approach offers substantial benefits in measuring real time changes in agroecosystem CO2 flux. The periods where the two treatments could be compared indicated greater CO2 sequestration over the no-till treatments during both the growing and non-growing seasons.

The Government of South Africa, through the Department of Environmental Affairs, has set up the Green Fund to support the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and pro-employment development path. The Green Fund supports green economy initiatives, including research, which could advance South Africa’s green economy transition. In February 2013, the Green Fund released a request for proposals (RFP), ‘ Research and Policy Development to Advance a Green Economy in South Africa’, inviting interested parties with relevant green economy research projects to apply for research funding support. The RFP sought to strengthen the science-policy interface on the green economy by providing an opportunity for researchers in the public and private sectors to conduct research which would support green economy policy and practice in South Africa. Sixteen research and policy development grants were awarded in 2013. This peer-reviewed research report series presents the findings and policy messages emerging from the research projects.