Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Monday, October 13, 2014

Fourth conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa

8 - 10 October 2014. Marrakesh, Morocco. Fourth conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa. Some 500 African climate research and impact communities representatives met in to agree on a research collaboration platform on climate science in Africa.

This meeting was organized under the aegis of the World Meteorological Organisation and ECA/Africa Climate Policy Centre "to devise an institutional platform for linking African climate science research and knowledge to inform adaptation decision-making in Africa", according to Ms Fatima Denton, Director of the Special Initiatives Division at the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Breakout sessions: 
  1. Sub-theme I: Improving and harnessing climate data, information, and knowledge for agricultural production, water resources management, and food security in Africa.
  2. Sub-theme II: Agricultural opportunities for renewable energy development in Africa.
  3. Sub-theme III: Enhancing Africa’s capacity to mobilize, access, and implement climate finance for agricultural development.
  4. Sub-theme IV: Innovation and technology to enhance agricultural transformation in a changing climate.
Extract: Topic 4.1 Agricultural research and innovations with emphasis on low-carbon development
  • Chair: Dr. Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya
  • Paper 1: Evidence of Impact from Successful Climate Smart Agriculture Approaches in Africa - Presenter: Dr. Mary Nyasimi
  • Paper 2: Fighting climate change and feeding Africa using steep land: a green solution in an Africa grass species - Presenter: Dr. Effiom Oku
  • Paper 3: Precision-nutrient sensitive based conservation agriculture toward sustainable intensification: Nitrogen and weed management in maize-wheat system - Presenter: Mr. Anthony Oyeogbe
  • Paper 4: Use of Gliricidia sepium as coppicing fallow technology in efforts to improve soil productivity and food security for degraded soils and a changing climate of Tanzania - Presenter: Deodatus Stanley Kiriba
Side events:
  1. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) side-event
  2. Network of Africa Science Academies (NASAC) side-event
  3. Climate Change National Focal Point discussions
  4. Gender, Youth, and Climate Change (in collaboration with ECA’s Social Development Policy Division (SDPD)) 
  5. The Climate Change, Agriculture, Trade, and Energy Nexus
  6. The role of the media in communication of climate-related impacts and adaptation options
  7. The role of African farmers in local adaptation initiatives
  8. Vulnerability of agricultural production in the African Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
  9. Capacity Development for Climate Change (C3D+) (bringing the various national and global partners to this programme).
  10. A focus on sharing lessons among the African pilot countries
Opening the meeting, Ms Denton prodded participants to conscientiously promote what she called "utilitarian science" that would help Africa to take its full place on the world's development train.
"This laudable initiative should aim at science that gives the power to the people; science that would allow the sahelian farmers to make strategic choices; science that will strengthen the productive capabilities of research institutions in Africa; and science that enables Africa to rise above current challenges"
She promised that under the auspices of ClimDev-Africa programme, the African Climate Policy Centre is initiating a -1 Million Dollar capacity building programme to support the training of young African scientists in all areas of climate change and development.

She traced ClimDev's support to the project back to its inception at the Arusha (Tanzania) conference and promised continued assistance in the provision of space, time and resources because the objectives of CR4D chime with the overall goals of ClimDev-Africa.



Dr. Ademola Adenle Oxford University Uk



Dr. Abdellatif Khattabi of the IPCC adaptation team and of the National School of Forestry Engineering in Rabat Morocco speaks about the influx of illegal migrants into Morroco enroute for Europe - attributed to the climate changes and other related social and political pressures.



Professor Yacob Mulugetta, Chair of Energy and Development Policy, Dept of science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, University College London.




Background documents
Side event documents:

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