African countries face huge challenges in their agriculture sectors, especially in arid and semi-arid regions that are vulnerable to the shifting rainfall patterns induced by climate change.

There is however high potential for increased agricultural productivity in many areas. FAO assists in identifying the locally appropriate agricultural practices and setting conducive policies and institutional frameworks; it also provides support in bringing these options to the field.

At the regional level, FAO is a member of the Africa CSA Alliance for scaling-up Climate-Smart Agriculture in Africa. The Alliance comprises NEPAD (as the Chair), the Regional Economic Communities (COMESA), World Vision, CARE Worldwide, CRS, Oxfam and Concern as well as various technical and policy agencies such as FARA, FANRPAN, CCAFS, and PAFO. The Regional Alliance is supporting countries to mainstream CSA in their development plans and has started with projects on CSA in selected countries. These include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.