Statement of conclusions and recommendations on the regional consultation of the bearers of initiatives

Accelerating the implementation of ECOWAP/CAADP

With the technical support of:

I.Introduction

  1. Convened by the ECOWAS Commission, the «Regional Consultation of bearers of initiatives for the adaptation of West African agriculture to climate change in view of forming an alliance for the coordination and harmonisation of interventions towards the ECOWAP/CAADP implementation» was held on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of November 2013, at the Belle Côte Hotel, in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire).
  1. The objective of this regional consultation was to secure ownership and full contribution by bearers of initiatives of the process aimed at forming an Alliance / Action Group for the coordination and convergence of interventions on the adaptation of West African agriculture to climate change, within the context of the ECOWAP / CAADP implementation.
  1. More specifically, the meeting sought to:
  • discuss the conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation study/diagnosis of CSA in West Africa (« ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE IN WEST AFRICA »), conducted by Africa Lead and CILSS/INSAH on behalf of ECOWAS and with the support of Hub Rural;
  • analyse and amend the cover note and agenda of the regional forum of national and regional actors on the adaptation of West African agriculture to climate change, to be held in 2014;
  • define, in conjunction with the regional bearers of initiatives, the roadmap for the preparation of this Regional Forum, while specifying the role of each member of the Support and Monitoring Group, within their respective organisations;
  • and identify technical and financial partners’ contributions to the organisation of this Regional Forum in 2014.
  1. Took part in the meeting:

(i)members of the group of bearers of regional initiatives on the adaptation of agriculture to climate change in West Africa, among whom representatives of:

  • Scientific and technical organisations: UICN, ENDA, CARE, CCAFS, AfricaRice, GWP West Africa;
  • Regional networks of farmers organisations: ROPPA, APESS, RBM,CORET;
  • Civil society organisations: POSCAO, AFAO, WILDAF, REPAO;
  • Technical partners currently not members of the support and monitoring group: CSAO, FAO;

(ii)members of the support and monitoring Group, among whom the representatives of ECOWAS, USAID, GIZ, CILSS, IFORI and Hub Rural.

II.Opening

  1. The opening session registered three speeches:
  1. Mr Alain Sy Traoré, acting Director of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission, started off by welcoming the participants. He thanked everyone for accepting to take part in this important gathering, which denotes of their commitment to this process, he added. He also specifically thanked USAID, GIZ and Hub Rural for their support in the organisation of the meeting. Reaffirming the meeting’s objectives agreed upon, he insisted on the importance of the gathering, which in his view, should help avoid the unnecessary duplication of actions in the current context of scarce financial resources. In closing, he insisted on the need for consultation on climate change matters, as this would help harmonise actions, while prioritising the best initiatives.
  1. Speaking after Mr Traoré, the representative of GIZ Mrs Sonja Esche, first expressed her satisfaction at the organisation of this consultation meeting. She then went on to stress the level of commitment of ECOWASto the process; a commitment that has helped her achieve important progresses in the elaboration of policies, strategies and programmes related to the environment and more specifically agriculture, namely the formulation and implementation of NAIPs and the region’s RAIP. She further pleaded for a better integration of climate change issues in these programmes. In concluding, she insisted on the need for broader dissemination of the best practices recorded at the international level with regard to the adaptation of agricultural programmes to climate change.
  1. In his opening remarks, the representative of USAID, Mr Chris POSNIK, noted with appreciation the inclusion of themes such as the management of natural resources and climate change in the ECOWAS space, compared to other regions in Africa. He therefore congratulated ECOWAS and its collaborators in this regard. He reaffirmed the importance that USAID accords to the upcoming Forum scheduled for February 2014 and their commitment to the on-going consultation process.

III.Presentation of the objectives and expected outcomes of the meeting

  1. The executive director of Hub Rural, DrYamarMbodj, reiterated the objective and final purpose of the dynamics that ECOWAS seeks to promote, with regard to climate change adaptation strategies. The process aims at forming an alliance or an action group that would ensure better coordination and harmonisation of the interventions of the different regional actors in this field. Such a dynamic will help achieve greater efficiency and impacts, mutualise knowledge and efforts through the adoption of a strongly participative and inclusive approach. Finally, he gave information on the expected outcomes of each session of the meeting’s agenda.

IV.Conduct of business

  1. The opening ceremony was followed by four main sessions, namely: the introductory presentation of USAID, the presentation of Africa Lead and ISAH’s study, ECOWAS’ initiatives and those of regional technical cooperation and research institutions, the civil society, NGOs and FOs.

A.Overview of the challenges of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA): USAID experiences

  1. USAID presented an introductory overview of the challenges of climate-smart agriculture. The presentation was based on the premise that climate-related phenomena will translate into increased temperatures and irregular rainfalls, resulting in losses of land fertility. Climate change is inextricably linked to issues of food security, in terms of the availability, quality and accessibility of products for populations, more specifically for the most vulnerable ones.
  1. In order to overcome the challenges presented by climate change in terms of food security, interventions are required in two main directions: (i) the transformation of land, water and genetic resources in order to ensure greater productivity, (ii) the maximisation of synergies and the minimisation of compromises between productivity and environmental impacts. These are key components of a climate-smart agriculture, which in itself presents a triple advantage: (i) increased agricultural productivity, (ii) increased agricultural resilience, (iii) reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increase in sequestration thanks to the increase of carbon in the soil.
  1. Having said that, the adoption of a climate-smart agriculture presents numerous challenges of various natures:
  1. Technical, economic and social: (i) limited access to adequate technology, (ii) perception that climate change is a phenomenon which is too complicated and too distant;
  2. Environmental and governance-related: (i) improve national and regional policies, (ii) capacity building for local institutions;
  3. Related to the coordination of actions between (i) the local and the national realms, (ii) the national and the regional realms and (iii) the various technical partners.
  1. The presentation provided a few recommendations on research, institutional capacity building (empowering farmers to actively take part in the resolution of identified problems, the development of platforms linking stakeholders to the various value chains, develop credit and insurance facilities) the development of an efficient information and actions monitoring system.

B.Presentation of the ECOWAS/AFRICA LEAD/INSAH-CILSS CSA evaluation study within ECOWAS Member States

  1. Africa Lead and CILSS/INSAH presented the study’s results:Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture in West Africa. The presentation was structured in three parts:(i) general background, (ii) major outcomes, (iii) recommendations and conclusions. The study was mandated by ECOWAS and its technical supervision was allocated to Hub Rural. It falls not only within the context of the ECOWAP implementation, but also in the perspective of better integration of emerging issues into agricultural development policies and programmes, namely in the NAIPs and the RAIP.
  1. The background analysis recalls the importance of agriculture and food security in West Africa and outlines the major impacts of climate change on regional agriculture. It insists on the need for agricultural policies to take into account the phenomenon of climate change in order to develop strategies that would contribute to the enhancement of agriculture’s resilience to such impacts. The study was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team directed by Africa Lead, in conjunction with INSAH and national consultants from nine countries:Burkina-Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Côte-d’Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The methodological approach consisted of the analysis of policy papers, programmes and projects on the one hand, and interviews with resource persons and communities at the grassroots level during field visits, on the other hand.
  1. The main results of the study show that:
  1. There are more than twenty-two regional projects focusing on adaptation to climate change. In the nine countries covered by the study, 369 projects were recorded in sub-sectors such as: agricultural production, livestock farming, water management, water and land conservation, sustainable land management, and natural resources management;
  2. The study recorded un number of important technologies of adaptation to climate change. It further recorded a large number of local/indigenous knowledge related to: (i) the adaptation to rainfall variability via fish holes, (ii) irrigation technology, (iii) meteorological forecasting through the observation of birds nest positions, oxpeckers migration, the hatching of variegated grasshoppers, the migration of dorylus colonies.
  1. The study makes a number of recommendations to ECOWAS and its member states namely with regard to the need for an evaluation and implementation of short-term adaptation measures to climate change; making time to experiment and develop policies that would help minimise the impacts of climate change on agriculture and capitalise on its positive spin-offs. Set up national and regional multi-stakeholder task forces which would steer the strategies and programmes that integrate climate change in their components; develop a monitoring and evaluation system to oversee the integration of climate change in agricultural programmes, and their effective implementation.

C.Presentation of initiatives from regional research and technical cooperation institutions

CCAFS/ICRISAT

  1. CCAFS’s presentation focused on «The promotion of climate-smart agriculture in West Africa: Experiences from the CCAFS (Climate change, Agriculture and Food Security) programme». The objectives of the CGIAR research programme on climate change, agriculture and food security (CCAFS) are: (i) to identify and test, on behalf of the poor, existing adaptation and alleviation practices, technologies and policies for the rural populations’ food systems, adaptation capacities and means of subsistence; (ii) produce a diagnosis and an analysis which shall help support the inclusion of agriculture in climate change related policies and that of climate change issues in agricultural policies, both at the sub-regional and at the global levels. CCAFS therefore links knowledge to action by gathering together scientific and political actors. The results and data obtained are broadly available and accessible to researchers, political decision-makers and to the public.
  1. In West Africa, the CCAFS programme is hosted by ICRISAT, in Bamako. Its activities cover the entire ECOWAS region, but currently focus on five countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. Together with its regional partners, namely sub-regional (CORAF, ECOWAS, ROPPA, AGRHYMET, INSAH, UICN, CARE…), national (Research institutes, Directorates of agriculture, national farmers confederations ) and sub-national (dissemination services, producers organisations, NGOs) organisations, CCAFS has implemented participative research-action activities aimed at developing options and practices capable of improving the adaptation capacities of individuals and institutions vis-à-vis climate change, at the farm, national and sub-regional levels. Among other activities, the programme has set up national platforms of scientific and political dialogue for the adaptation of the agricultural sector to climate change and for informed decision making. This also involves accompanying countries in the development process of their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

 IFPRI

  1. IFPRI’s presentation introduced its climate change adaption and food security model for West Africa: Impact areas and evaluation of the required investments. The model has two main objectives: (i) the inclusion of the issue of climate change adaptation in the elaboration of NAIPs (creation of scientific knowledge) and (ii) the enhancement of the synergy between sectorial agricultural and environmental plans on climate change adaptation. In more specific terms, IFPRI has embarked in a quest for elements of response to three major questions: (i) What is the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector and what is the scope of that impact? (ii) What are the adaptation measures and what is the required investment? and finally, (iii) How do these adaptation measures help alleviate the impact (green agriculture/climate smart agriculture). The methodological approach is based on the dialogue between stakeholders on the one hand, and a modelling based on three levels of analysis: (i) agricultural, (ii) sectorial and (iii) Macroeconomic. The project, scheduled to last three years, is in its pilot phase in Burkina Faso and Guinea, andis planned to expand over the other 13 ECOWAS member states.

 CILSS

  1. CILSS was founded in 1973. This institution which straddles West and Central Africa offers five types of services to member states: training, information, regional project management, support for policy making, anti-desertification strategies, maximisation and dissemination of best practices.
  1. In terms of knowledge production, CILSS has helped emphasise the vulnerability of local, national and regional economies vis-à-vis the variation of climate. Such vulnerability could translate into a loss of crops productivity from 5 to 50% by 2050, should adequate climate change adaptation measures not be implemented.
  1. With regard to the formulation and management of projects aimed at alleviating the effects of climate change and climate variations, several programmes have been implemented over the years. For instance (i) the regional programme on sustainable land management and climate change adaptation (PRGDT). The programme is subdivided into approximately twenty investment projects aimed at restoring degraded soils through sustainable management by the local communities of 15 West African countries. In addition to these programmes there was the FFEM CC Project on: Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change in agriculture and water sectors in West Africa
  1. CILSS also organises trainings leading to formal qualification and short courses for public servants in the food security sector. It also capitalises on and disseminates knowledge on best practices.

D.NGOs, FOs, CSOs, FAO and ECOWAS’ presentations

  1. Several initiatives driven by regional technical institutions were presented at the meeting. They were followed by a communication from ECOWAS on initiatives related to the inclusion of climate change adaptation strategies in agriculture.

 CARE

  1. CARE’s presentation was based on the results of a regional project implemented in four African countries, among which Niger in West Africa. It aimed at integrating a climate change adaptation approach in projects driven by the communities at the grassroots level, in order to enhance the resilience of populations that are vulnerable to climate change. The project has developed a toolkit for the vulnerability analyses. In Niger, the project has helped set up consultation frameworks at various levels. It has further helped strengthen the capacity of local populations to contribute to the formulation of community projects and communal development plans.

ENDA

  1. ENDA Tiers Monde (Third World) gave a presentation on its flagship programme on climate change adaptation titled: Agriculture and climate change: Experiences from ENDA Energy-Environment. The programme revolves around three axes of intervention. The first one is linked to capacity building through the training of decision makers and researchers, and the development and testing of vulnerability analysis tools. The second axis focuses on knowledge sharing. In that perspective, ENDA has since 2009 developed a knowledge sharing network on adaptation to climate changecalled AFRICAADAPT. The third axis focuses on the «Energy security for Food Security(SESAL)» project, which works with champion producers, by training and coaching them on subjects such as business plan, and by empowering them with regard to renewable energy technologies, biodigesters for the fertilization of soils and biogas supplies for domestic cooking and lights. Interesting results have been recorded in Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Mali.

 REPAO

  1. REPAO shared the results of the APPECAO programme which has helped developscenari and strategies for the adaptation of fishing in West Africa. The objective of this programme is to «identify adaptation strategies for fishing activities to climate change in order to facilitate the planning of climate change adaptation in public policies». The strategy scenari are based on several political, technological, economic, environmental and social criteria. The study of fishing activities scenarios in Senegal in 2050 has helped gather important information at the national and local levels: (i) the stakes of fishing in the past 30 years, (ii) the plausible future of fishing, (iii)Fishing CC adaptation strategies in order to avoid pessimistic scenarios and move towards the desired future (optimistic scenarios).

 ROPPA

  1. The Network of Agricultural Producers and Farmers Organisations of West Africa presented on its vision, remarks and actions on climate change. For the producers, climate change was nothing new. It is the root cause of the problems that negatively impact food security. Farmers therefore continuously develop climate change adaptation strategies ranging from the diversification of production to land restoration techniques and the combination of farming with livestock farming etc. ROPPA has developed actions focusing on (i) information and awareness, (ii) and the popularisation of technologies. It has two major initiatives in the pipeline, namely (i) the creation of a permanent platform of dialogue between FO networks and researchers, and (ii) and the upcoming opening of the ROPPA’s agricultural university which will focus on training trainers on climate change issues, among others.

 FAO