A three-day policy dialogue on promoting climate change is underway at the University of Pretoria, South Africa to craft messages that will be relayed next week at the United Nations Water Conference in New York, the US.
The dialogue started on Monday and ends Wednesday and is being held under the theme; “Transition to climate-resilient farming systems in Sub-Saharan”, and is being held at the university’s Future Africa Campus.
It was organised by the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), a pan-African network that provides independent evidence to inform policy processes at national and regional levels.
“This dialogue will bring together researchers and practitioners from across Sub Saharan Africa to better equip farmers to become climate smart and resilient and provide evidence to inform key government and multilateral climate change programmes,” FANRPAN said.
About thirty papers will be presented in sessions, to allow ample discussion time on how to promote climate smart agriculture and climate resilient rural communities.
“This dialogue will provide a unique opportunity for stakeholders from Sub Saharan Africa to reflect together and craft messages that will feed into the UN Water Conference deliberations that will take place in a week later in New York,”
One of the roundtable sessions on Tuesday was on Investment Priorities for Transitioning to Climate-Resilient Farming Systems (TIARA) in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Better rainwater management is a way to increase food security, create jobs, and build resilient societies, suited to tackle the challenges from a changing climate. The TIARA project deepens the understanding of these connections and is paving the way for much needed investment in Africa’s rainfed agriculture, Kasonde Mulenga, the programme manager for Africa at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), said.
“Faced with increased threats from a changing climate, rainwater is key to a more productive and sustainable agriculture. Africa already has the basic structures in place, but a lack of investment is holding the continent back from reaching the full potential. The TIARA project is changing the trajectory of water investments in Africa, to match existing structures, making it possible to reap the benefits from better rainwater management,” he added.
