CCARDESA Showcases Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices at the Inaugural African Conference on Agricultural Technologies in Kenya
The participation of CCARDESA at the ACAT 2023 was led by Executive Director and Head of Mission, Prof Cliff Dlamini.
The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development (CCARDESA) participated at the inaugural African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (ACAT) held from the 30th of October to the 3rd of November 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference, which was held under the theme, “Agricultural Resilience through Innovation”, brought together more than 500 delegates from Africa and beyond, including policymakers, industry leaders, representatives of farmers' organizations, women and youth, innovators, and researchers.
CCARDESA is the main technical wing of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) for agricultural research and development. Hence, the organization’s participation at the ACAT was an opportunity to learn from other continental agricultural research organizations and forge new partnerships and collaborations, while promoting scientific knowledge sharing and exchange.
Led by the Executive Director and Head of Mission, Prof Cliff Dlamini, CCARDESA exhibited outputs from projects coordinated by the institution in the SADC region. These included the six-year World Bank funded Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA). CCARDESA displayed publications such as brochures, booklets, pamphlets, and samples of different improved seed varieties. Joining CCARDESA under the APPSA umbrella, were representatives from the two current implementing countries (Angola and Lesotho), who showcased products from their respective countries generated under Regional Centres of Leadership (RCoLs) that are being development under the APPSA initiative.
In addition to APPSA interventions, CCARDESA also exhibited outputs from the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ex-Pillar 4 (CAADP XP4), the Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management (C-NRM), the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), and Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+).
The 5-day event was officially opened by the Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary, Honorable Mithika Linturi, who represented President William Ruto. In his remarks, Honorable Linturi highlighted that increased adoption and use of agricultural technologies are key to boosting food and nutrition security in the continent. He also added that climate change poses a serious threat to food security, as rising temperatures, frequent droughts, and floods are consistently devastating crops in the continent. Hence, the need to effectively apply science, technology and innovations in agriculture.
