Adaptation to Climate Change in Rural Areas in Southern Africa (ACCRA)

ACCRA is a SADC GIZ programme that supports the implementation of climate-relevant elements of the SADC Regional Agricultural Policy through strengthening the capacity of CCARDESA to act as a knowledge broker, coordinator and moderator for agricultural research and development.

The project carries out capacity building for technical staff and managers of different regional, national and local organisations, and it supports closer cooperation between regional and national institutions. At the regional level, it disseminates information about topics related to climate change and agriculture, tailored to the different target groups. At both national and local levels, it is selecting agricultural value chains for which it will identify climate-smart investments.

The project is working in three areas:

• Regional dissemination of knowledge for climate change adaptation in agriculture and climate-smart agriculture. SADC member states should gain access to improved knowledge management systems with which to promote the wider uptake of climate change adaptation in agriculture and climate-smart agriculture. Climate-smart agriculture increases the resilience of small-scale farmers, with production that is both better adapted to the changing climate and, as far as possible, more climate-friendly in itself. As such it increases productivity and income levels sustainably and improves food security. Climate-smart agriculture makes more efficient use of available resources, by combining agricultural research with indigenous knowledge, and applying practices and technologies for climate change adaptation
• Climate proofing of agricultural value chains. The project contributes to the improved capacity of SADC member states to disseminate and finance climate-smart practices in agricultural value chains by:
  • carrying out vulnerability assessments to identify climate risks as well as options for risk mitigation, and to increase the resilience of priority agricultural products
  • prioritising proven climate change adaptation practices in priority agricultural value chains
  • carrying out feasibility studies of agricultural practices and technologies
  • conducting limited pilots of promising agricultural practices and technologies in specific cases
  • developing investment proposals for the scaling up of best practices in climate-smart agriculture for submission to potential funders
• Accessing climate finance in the SADC region.
• Based on the climate-proofing projects feasibility studies for out-scaling climate-smart practices in SADC member states have been completed for different value chains (maize-legumes, sorghum and cattle/rangelands) and concept notes for investment were being developed.
• These are now being promoted at different levels, including through Ministries of Agriculture within the Member States, regionally through CCARDESA and directly through ACCRA.
• A range of partnerships with regional and international organizations have been formed and regional investment proposals are developed and promoted wherever an opportunity presents itself.
•  An investment proposal pipeline on CSA has been set up and ACCRA working with its partners have developed investment proposals for scaling up of best practices in climate-smart agriculture for submission to potential funders. 
• Together with the Botswana National Designated Authority to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), hosted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, ACCRA is implementing a GCF Readiness Project aiming at strengthening the NDA, its coordination mechanism and developing a GCF Country Programme