Climate Smart Agriculture Programme

1. Climate Smart Agriculture

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation),
reduces/removes greenhouse gases (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and
development goals (UN-FAO-http://www.fao.org/climatechange/climatesmart/en/).
CSA promotes agricultural best practices, particularly integrated crop
management, conservation agriculture, intercropping, improved
seeds and fertilizer management practices, as well as supporting
increased investment in agricultural research.
CSA encourages the use of all available and applicable climate
change solutions in a pragmatic and impact-focused manner
(Farming First Coalition - http://www.farmingfirst.org/). While
resilience is key, CSA is broader and calls for more innovation
and pro-activeness in changing the way farming is done in order
to adapt and mitigate while sustainably increasing productivity.
CSA practices propose the transformation of agricultural policies
and agricultural systems to increase food productivity and enhance
food security while preserving the environment and ensuring resilience to
changing climate.

2. FANRPAN Climate Smart Agriculture initiatives:

The Evidence-based Policies for Climate Smart Agriculture (EPCSA);

Strengthening Evidence-Based Climate Change Adaptation Policies (SECCAP);
Strengthening Institutional Capacity on Climate Smart Agriculture (SICCSA);
Limpopo Basin Development Challenge (LBDC);
AfriCAN Climate; and
Southern African Agriculture and Climate Change - A Comprehensive Analysis.

The FANRPAN CSA programme currently covers the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The objectives of the programme are to:

Conduct comprehensive analysis of CSA policies, programmes and institutional arrangements in focal
countries;

Generate CSA research- based evidence;

Strengthen CSA institutional capacity and support capacity building of young professionals on CSA and food
security research;

Develop evidence-based institutional and substantive policy recommendations;

Support advocacy campaigns for the development and implementation of responsive CSA policies;

Support the uptake and up-scaling of CSA practices as best practice in Africa;

Improve and support integrated water management.

The ultimate goal of the FANRPAN CSA programme is

to contribute to a substantial increase in food
production and improved food security in Africa and to
build resilient communities that can withstand the
impacts of climate change.

3. FANRPAN CSA framework

Undertake desktop case studies to generate

evidence on CSA initiatives
Share best practices on CSA initiatives at national
and regional multi-stakeholder platforms;
Support African countries to improve their
knowledge base and capacity to facilitate climate
resilient development;
Provide recommendations for domestic-level
policies that are conducive to the development
of climate-smart agriculture;
Provide training to various stakeholders on how
to communicate climate change and CSA
initiatives to influence policy; and
Enhance international and, in particular, SouthSouth cooperation by identifying hot-spots, in
terms of issues and assistance needs, where such
cooperation may play a key role.

Dry Dam as a result of Drought

5. Target Beneficiaries
The CSA programme engages small-scale farmers in 16
African countries, targeting women farmers, given their
critical roles in agriculture and food security in Africa.
Special emphasis is put on vulnerable, poor households
that are vulnerable to food insecurity under a changing
climate

4. Expected Results
Key expected results include the following:

Basis for a common African position on the

agriculture
agenda in climate change
negotiations;

A web-based knowledge platform for up-to-date

of climate-related research results, involving
multiple stakeholders including researchers, local
authorities, NGOs, SMEs, handicraftsmen, artists
and educational partners;

A portfolio of good practice actions on climate

change adaptation and mitigation in Africa
identified and accessible, with approaches to
adapting to differing contexts identified;

Researchers and journalists trained on how to

communicate science to policy makers;

Platform for regular thematic discussion amongst

decision-makers, researchers, farmers and
journalists created;

National and Regional climate change policies

influenced;

http://www.fanrpan.org/themes/resources/

FANRPAN Regional Secretariat

141 Cresswell Road, Weavind Park 0184,
Private Bag X2087, Silverton 014, Pretoria, South Africa
Telephone: +27 12 804 2966. Facsimile: +27 12 804 0600. Email: policy@fanrpan.org. Website: www.fanrpan.org