GACSA Co-Chair Martin Bwalya and GACSA Facilitation Unit Coordinator Andrew Enow will discuss in a dedicated session the role of alliances in fostering and championing efforts at upscaling CSA at the 2nd Annual Forum of the Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance. They will represent GACSA by sharing experiences and recommendations on the topic “Strengthening CSA Alliances – Collaboration towards attaining the 25X25 vision”.  

The agricultural sector features prominently in the majority of INDCs submitted by African countries as a result of national policies and actions geared at integrating climate considerations into national agricultural investment plans and implementation strategies. Ahead of the UNFCCC COP 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco, the Forum will provide the needed platform for African countries and all players to share perspectives on the agriculture sector and the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) which were submitted to the UNFCCC before Paris COP 21. 

The Forum will provide an opportunity for AU member countries, private sector, civil society groups and representatives from AU member states, to share experiences and evolving good practices, and identify common interests and opportunities for action related to engaging in UNFCCC processes and updating of INDCs to NDCs where desired. Analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicate that thirty one countries, including 40 percent of LDCs, specifically refer to CSA in their INDCs. About one-third of these countries – all in Sub-Saharan Africa – highlight CSA as an approach to pursue both adaptation and mitigation goals.

The Forum will deliberate on Africa’s efforts to bring out practical and grassroot-based action on agriculture and climate change and open up new opportunities for collaboration as well as strengthening or refining of existing ones– both in terms technical collaboration as well as finance-investment partnerships.

The key objectives of the Forum are:

• Understanding the( I)NDCs and its implications for African Agriculture
• Sharing country and REC experiences in terms of achievements and challenges on CSA and the needed solutions
• Knowledge on financing agriculture based (I)NDCs in Africa
• Enhanced collaboration and networking under the Africa CSA Alliance/Platform
• Facilitate participatory analysis of approaches and lessons learned to support countries to scale up implementation of CSA approach
• Improved knowledge of continental and regional support programmes and approaches
• Fostering the continental-level drive and movement on Climate Smart Agriculture