Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa
Under FSRP, CCARDESA focuses on activities that can improve the extent to which the food systems of the SADC region can maintain satisfactory level of production under the pressure of climate change.
The problem
In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, at least 60% of 364 million people from the 16 member states, directly or indirectly dependent on agricultural activities for their livelihoods. However, primary production in this sector predominantly takes place under rain-fed conditions by smallholder farmers. And productivity among the smallholder farmers has been declining due to a number of reasons, which includes climate change, low capacity for the rural communities to adapt to change, and degradation of the natural resource base that supports agricultural production.
The FSRP
The Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP) is a regional project supported by the World Bank (WB). The project is being developed in phases, with the first phase of 6-year duration focusing on Madagascar in Southern Africa, Ethiopia in East Africa, IGAD and CCARDESA. Future phases are expected to increase the number of countries and regional organisations both in Southern and East Africa regions.
Key intervention
The FSRP focuses on building resilience of the food systems of countries and regions by using smart approaches that circumvent the effects of climate change on agriculture. The programme is to deal with and resolve the underlying structural challenges of food insecurity and reduce beneficiaries’ sensitivity to unpredictable climate events, crises, and conflicts.
