Despite continuous positive economic growth at an average of 5% per year, Africa needs accelerated economic development if it is to cope with the increasing demands for food, water and energy challenged by a rapidly growing population, rapid urbanisation and climate change. The pressure on African countries to boost productivity and accelerate growth is now higher than ever, and is being further complicated by the potential adverse impacts of climate change and extreme weather events, such as the 2015-16 El Niño.

The briefing paper argues that in order to achieve the targets set out in the Malabo Declaration, African governments must support programmes that will contribute to strengthening smallholder farmers’ resilience and improving their livelihoods. To do so national investment plans are increasingly taking up climate-smart agriculture objectives and while this is a good start, more action has to be taken to scale-up programmes that have proven impactful and scalable. The briefing paper highlights 15 success stories that have had substantial impact and can be taken to scale or replicated in other contexts.