News

• Decision-makers, researchers, the private sector and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector are meeting in Lomé (Togo) to reflect on and lay the foundations for setting up a platform for dialogue between decision-makers and researchers;
• Supporting scientific knowledge, technologies and innovations for climate-smart agriculture (CSA), this platform is an instrument that will help strengthen the resilience of West and Central Africa's agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries systems to climate constraints;
• CORAF initiated the creation of this platform within the framework of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ex-Pillar 4 (CAADP-XP4), a European Union intervention administered by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

[Lomé, Togo, March 29, 2022] - At the initiative of CORAF, some sixty (60) key players in the West and Central African agricultural sector are meeting in Lomé from March 29 to 31, 2022, to reflect on how to deploy a platform for dialogue between decision-makers and researchers, for the effective promotion of climate-smart agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries production systems throughout the sub-region.

Under the leadership of CORAF, the platform for dialogue between decision-makers and researchers aims to play a key role in mitigating the effects of climate change on agriculture, by promoting climate-smart knowledge, technologies and innovations.

The food systems of West and Central Africa are suffering the drastic effects of climate change, which threatens the de facto food and nutritional security of more than 550 million inhabitants and creates a risk of worsening rural poverty",

says Dr Abdou TENKOUANO, Executive Director of CORAF.

Faced with this threat, stakeholders agree that it is now more than ever time to act, by putting in place a framework that enables us to take advantage of scientific and technical knowledge, and available technologies and innovations, to curb the effects of climate change.

"It is more than urgent to act now to build agricultural and food systems that are resilient to the effects of climate change in West and Central Africa. And climate-smart agriculture is proving today to be the most effective way of developing the agricultural sector in this context", maintains Dr TENKOUANO.

In fact, this workshop is a continuation of the previous Dakar and Kinshasa consultations organized by CORAF, which led to the relaunch of the Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (AIC) in West Africa, and the establishment of a similar Alliance for Central Africa.

It will also provide participants with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the results of African states' participation in the 26th iteration of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26), in particular their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Workshop objective

The overall aim of the workshop is to consolidate partnership relations between itself, in its role as coordinator of agricultural research and development in West and Central Africa and representing the "supply pole", and the "demand pole" of scientific knowledge, technologies and pro-AIC innovations, with a view to deploying the platform for dialogue between decision-makers and researchers in West and Central Africa.

The "demand pole" here is made up of the AIC Alliances and the public administrations in charge of CDNs.

"The AIC Alliances and CDN processes will help identify the demand for climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies, which CORAF intends to consolidate for the deployment of the platform for dialogue between decision-makers and researchers, as well as state and non-state actors, for the effective promotion of agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries production systems in West and Central Africa", explains CORAF's Executive Director.

Once deployed, it is expected that the dialogue platform between decision-makers and researchers will promote and facilitate the cross-fertilization of technology demand formulated by users, with technology supply proposed by researchers, with the aim of a more effective response to climate change and greater resilience of agricultural systems",

Once deployed, it is expected that the dialogue platform between decision-makers and researchers will promote and facilitate the cross-fertilization of technology demand formulated by users, with technology supply proposed by researchers, with the aim of a more effective response to climate change and greater resilience of agricultural systems".

Dr Abdou TENKOUANO, Executive Director of CORAF.

The creation of the dialogue platform is part of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program ex-Pillar 4 (CAADP-XP4). CAADP-XP4 is funded by the European Union and administered by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It is part of the European Union's Development of Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) program.

Read also:

• Regional consultations to set up a platform for dialogue between decision-makers and researchers officially launched in Lomé 
• Climate-smart agriculture: spearheading agricultural development in Africa
• Relaunch of the Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture in West Africa
• Towards the creation of an Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture in Central Africa
• EU funding to help CORAF combat climate change and hunger