Conservation Agriculture crucial for strengthening smallholders’ resilience.

Southern Africa Regional Working Group meets in Harare

Judith Nyamandu, a Conservation Agriculture farmer, at her soya bean garden. Photo © Financial Gazzette/ Farai Mabeza

4 April 2015, Harare – There is urgent need to build resilience among smallholder farmers who face the full wrath of changing climatic conditions. Building smallholders’ resilience equips them to better cope with climatic shocks such as the El-Niño induced drought currently being experienced in Southern African. One way of doing this is through increasing smallholder farmers’ capacity to adopt agriculture practices such as Conservation Agriculture (CA).

Resilience building was the context in which the Southern Africa Conservation Agriculture Regional Working Group (CARWG) convened in Harare (30 and 31 March) for a meeting. The meeting served as a platform for discussion and exchange of information on lessons being learned on the role of conservation agriculture in contributing to the building of smallholder farmer resilience to climate shocks like the El Niño drought that is affecting Southern Africa.

In his opening remarks, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa David Phiri reiterated the Organization's continued commitment to supporting CA and other climate-smart agriculture practices within the region.

Phiri also noted that the Working Group was meeting at a time when the region was facing turbulent times. “This event takes place amidst a rocky agricultural, food security and nutrition situation as a result of an El-Niño induced drought”. He further added that it was important to support farmers to overcome climate-related challenges by developing their capacities’ to withstand shocks.

The meeting provided an opportunity for members of the CARWG to share updates on the evolution of the 2015/16 season including the impact of the current drought on farmers including those practicing the approach in their respective countries.

Keeping up the momentum

Among the major recommendations made at the meeting was the need to maintain and scale up the momentum and gains made in CA in the region, as well as to upscale evidence-based advocacy through identification and documentation of success stories, best practices and lessons learned.

There were concerns over the relatively low numbers of farmers adopting conservation agriculture in the sub-region despite the obvious need. Although the numbers of CA farmers in the sub-region has been rising, it was however noted that the percentages have not yet reached the benchmarks that can contribute to the attainment of the sub-region’s agricultural and food security developmental goals.

The CARWG ad hoc meeting is expected to feeds into a CA field study tour scheduled to take place in Zambia in mid April with support from FAO and the United States Agency for International Development- Office for Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The tour which will be running under the theme “Islands of Hope’’, will give an opportunity for CA stakeholders and Disaster Risk Reduction decision markers from across the region to visit CA farmers and to see for themselves the role CA can play in reducing the impact of the drought on crops.

Improving yields, increasing efficiency

Conservation Agriculture has been shown to improve yields, increase efficiencies in input use and maintain the productivity of land and water resources. The approach further contributes to increased profitability and sustainability of farming enterprises through the application of minimum tillage, permanent soil cover, and crop rotations.

In southern Africa, FAO has taken a proactive approach to promoting the practice as it has great potential to contribute to poverty alleviation and can contribute to the achievement of food security in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner.

The CARWG was formed in 2007 with the objective of coordinating CA activities and supporting policy frameworks and scaling up of the practice in the region. The regional working group brings together country level multi-stakeholder platforms that aim at harmonizing CA messages and sharing knowledge and best practices across the region.

More Information

Contacts

Sithembile Siziba | FAO Zimbabwe Communications |[email protected]