Agriculture

The adoption of this strategy is seen as a pivotal moment that will lay the groundwork for agri-food systems across the continent, and enable countries to act. (Image source: African Union)

As part of its new plan to achieve complete food security in a decade, the African Union (AU) has adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45% by 2035 and transform its agri-food systems

With Africa's population likely to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, there will also be numerous challenges that the continent will experience in regard to food demand. This signifies the need to improve agricultural production, productivity, food processing, and trade.

The adoption of the new development strategy took place after the African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) held in Kampala, Uganda, adopted the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa, which will be implemented from 2026 to 2035.

The strategy will ensure a reduction in Africa's post harvest loss by 50%, tripling intra-African trade in agrifood products and inputs by 2035, and raising the share of locally processed food to 35% of agrifood GDP by 2035. The adoption of this strategy is therefore seen as a pivotal moment that will lay the groundwork for agri-food systems across the continent, and enable countries to act.

"This Africa of having no food and begging is not the real Africa, but the colonial and neo-colonial Africa. It is a shame," said Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, urging the extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) to promote value addition. "The battle for value addition has been a big one because lobbies want to keep Africa as a raw-materials-producing continent. Adding value to agricultural products ensures vertical integration in the agricultural sector—from the garden to the table and from the farm to the wardrobe," he said.

He also called on fellow leaders regarding non-tariff barriers (NTBs), requesting them to open up the borders since they continue to undermine the advancement of agriculture in Africa. On his part, the AUC Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, noted that the ambitious CAADP Programme has been implemented since 2014 within the framework of the Malabo Declaration. He however, expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of progress. Preparatory work undertaken by the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, the Regional Economic Communities, experts from Member States, and technical and financial partners to form the Kampala Declaration was welcomed by the AUC chairperson.

Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie emphasised the urgent need renewed collective commitment and concerted action to achieve Africa’s shared vision for a food-sovereign and prosperous Africa, with the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Amb. Josefa Sacko highlighting that the Kampala declaration was different from the Malabo and Maputo declarations since it included a comprehensive strategy and action plan.

According to AUC Chairperson, Faki, the Kampala Declaration symbolises collective efforts made upstream in identifying all the negative factors that lie at the root of the low rate of the attainment of our set objectives for the Agricultural sector on the continent. The AU Commissioner Sacko also highlighted that the new CAADP strategy and action plan 2026-2035 in Kampala would enable member states to start implementing soon after adoption, in turn shaping the transformation of Africa's agrifood systems over the next decade. 

“We now have a clear roadmap, a theory of change that outlines the pathway to transformation, realistic and implementable strategic objectives, a broad policy scope enhancing food system approaches, and targets that reflect the continent's aspirations,” Sacko said, adding that the inclusive design process ensures that the continent is well prepared to work towards the agriculture transformation vision outlined in Agenda 2063.

The programme is aimed at tackling challenges such as land restoration, carbon neutrality, and smallholder farming sustainability. (Image source: ICRISAT)

A three-week international training on landscape resource conservation recently concluded at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) bringing together 24 participants from 14 countries 

These include Ghana, Tajikistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, Morocco, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Liberia, Mali, Chad, Sri Lanka, Lesotho, Iran, and the Philippines. The programme is aimed at tackling challenges such as land restoration, carbon neutrality, and smallholder farming sustainability. It also provides a platform for sharing global best practices. During the training, director general-interim of ICRISAT, Dr Stanford Blade highlighted the importance of two-way knowledge exchange and encouraged continued collaboration beyond the workshop.

Key themes such as landscape hydrology, land resource inventory, natural resource management (NRM) structures, digital tools for landscape management, water budgeting, climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable farming practices, and nutrient management were covered during the training. Participants were also urged to translate their learnings into tangible actions.

At the inaugural session, Dr Ramesh Singh, principal scientist & cluster lead-ICRISAT at Development Centre, provided an overview of the course, while ICRISAT’s Global Research Programme directors, Dr Sean Mayes and Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, emphasised the role of collaborative research in addressing global challenges.

Participants engaged in immersive tour experiences which included an ICRISAT field visit and a one-week exposure visit to landscape intervention sites in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The tour included the World Heritage Irrigation Structure – Sukma Dukma Dam – and visits to ICAR institutes IGFRI and CAFRI, which specialise in grassland and fodder research, as well as agroforestry.

“This training is not just an academic exercise; it embodies the spirit of South-South collaboration. I urge you to stay connected and build on this resource base to drive meaningful change,” Dr Blade emphasised. He also acknowledged the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, for facilitating the programme. 

The project aims to enhance disease prevention, early detection, and coordinated response mechanisms across the region. (Image source: FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has joined forces with key stakeholders to strengthen One Health-based PPR in the Greater Virunga Landscape (GTVC)

From 11-14 February 2025, government representatives, PF project implementing entities, international organisations, and implementing partners meet in Kigali to align efforts and develop a comprehensive 2025 workplan for the Strengthening One Health-Based PPR in the Greater Virunga Landscape (SOHGVL) project. Supported by the Pandemic Fund Secretariat, the project aims to enhance disease prevention, early detection, and coordinated response mechanisms across the region.

The workshop will refine the project’s Theory of Change, establish reporting and coordination mechanisms, and facilitate field visits to assess on-the-ground challenges. Additionally, implementing entities—including FAO, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)—will review progress and define strategies to accelerate implementation. Delivery partners such as the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Gorilla Doctors, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) will also contribute expertise in conservation and animal health.

The project will further strengthen the intergovernmental collaboration of the three partner states especially the pillar of community conservation by working together with those communities in tackling the challenge of preventing pandemics and thereby protecting the people, their animals, the wildlife and the environment in which they live and depend for their livelihoods, says Dr Andrew Seguya of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC). 

The meeting is set to finalise a detailed 2025 workplan and a broader three-year strategy, establishing a results-driven framework for tracking progress and strengthening health security in the region.

This initiative aims to teach the use of this simple tool, and to enable the people trained to benefit their communities. (Image source: Burkina Faso Hydromet Project)

Farmers from the Balés region in Burkina Faso participated in a training session on the installation and use of farmer rain gauges

The session was conducted by teams from the Burkinabe Red Cross (CRBF) and the National Meteorological Agency of Burkina Faso (ANAM). This initiative, mandated by the Hydromet Burkina Faso project, aims to teach the use of this simple tool, and to enable the people trained to benefit their communities. 

The objective of these sessions is to build community capacity to use meteorological and agrometeorological instruments and help communities identify the agroclimatic profile of their province to effectively determine the start and end dates of the rainy season. This method helps determine which inputs are best suited to their specific context. Training sessions have been held in the Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso in Boussé, Ziniaré, and Zorgho, as well as in Gaoua (Poni, Diebougou, Noumbiel, and Ioba), Dedougou Boromo, Manga and Koudougou.

Burkina Faso's recorded climate events are becoming increasingly unpredictable, frequent and intense. Besides having significant impacts on the lives and livelihoods of rural communities, the hardest-hit communities are also forcibly displaced by the impacts. Burkina Faso received financing from the World Bank Group and the Green Climate Fund under the Strengthening Climate Resilience Project (Hydromet) to address this situation. With a total budget of US$33mn, the project aims to help beneficiaries adapt their lifestyles and livelihoods to a changing climate to protect themselves against the increasing risk of climate-related disasters.

To improve the delivery of hydrometeorological services to end users, the Burkina Faso Hydromet Project, in collaboration with the National Meteorological Agency, acquired and distributed 9,700 rain gauges to farmers nationwide. A rain gauge is an instrument that measures rainfall at a given point. It measures the amount of rain that falls in an area over a period of time. The Hydromet Project will therefore help improve the reliability of weather forecasts by providing various types of support to the National Meteorological Agency, the General Directorate for Water Resources, and the Early Warning System in the Ministry of Agriculture.