In the advent of climate change, which has brought about varying weather patterns in Southern Africa, agricultural experts and extension officers have a crucial role to play in disseminating correct information and knowledge about Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) so that farmers continue to be productive.
Climate change cannot be overlooked as it has been negatively impacting agricultural production in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States, leaving millions of people food insecure. Knowledge about the connection between water, energy and food production, also known as the Water, Energy, Food (WEF) nexus) is crucial for farmers to lessen the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural production.
It is against this background that the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA) organised a Training of Trainers workshop for agricultural extension workers and experts to learn more about the practice of CSA, in Harare, Zimbabwe from 20th March to 24th March 2023.
The trainees learnt more about CSA and tools that have been developed by CCARDESA and its partners to ensure mainstreaming to other SADC Member States to enhance more effective contributions towards resilient food systems in the Region. This was meant to strengthen the capacity of Member States to implement commitments taken under the Paris Agreement, mainstream climate adaptation and mitigation in national sector strategies and to access finance to lessen the impact of climate change.
In separate interviews, officers who attended the workshop lauded the training saying it provided them with more knowledge of CSA and equipped them with the right skills which they will pass on to the farmers so as to improve productivity.
Ms Mailes Zulu, project manager for Save the Environment and People Agency, a Zambian organisation which is running an agro-project in the country, said she learnt a lot about CSA during the workshop which had opened her mind on the importance of harnessing and conserving water and energy for agricultural production. She said she now understands that losses in farming start from the very beginning when one chooses the type of seed to plant, through the application of fertilizers, weed control, and up to harvesting. She will thus work on these areas to improve her production.
“This was a very good course and it will help us farmers a lot. The most cost-effective way to unpack the things learnt here is taking them to the people, either through Whatsapp groups or bringing them together to demonstrate what we learnt,” said Ms Mailes Zulu.
Mr Philimon Kamanga, the project coordinator for SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (SACREE) , said the workshop was well coordinated by the key stakeholders on CSA and that the handbook produced will act as an important guiding tool to send the right messages on the importance of energy to farmers and extension workers in the SADC Member States.
Ms Kesegofetse Mayane, a senior cooperative auditor in the Department of Agribusiness in the Ministry of Agriculture in Botswana, said the workshop had enabled her to understand many things that contribute to agricultural production and she will disseminate lessons learnt to farmers in Maun, where she is based, so that farmers increase their productivity.
TOT capacity building workshop was attended by participants from Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as representatives from the GCCA+, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and Accelerating Impacts of Research Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) implementing countries.
The workshop unpacked CSA and explored options for selected value chains; enhanced understanding on the horticultural vegetable value chain; and familiarised participants with the Water, Energy Food (WEF) nexus model with emphasis on different irrigation systems, water harvesting, and water use efficiency practices.
