FANRPAN Annual Regional Policy Dialogue

29 September – 3 October 2014. Antananarivo, Madagascar. The 2014 FANRPAN Annual High-level Food and Nutrition Security Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue was attended by over 225 delegates from 22 African countries and beyond including all 17 FANRPAN member countries.

The theme focused on:

• Family Farming: FANRPAN recognises "Family Farming" as farming operations owned and operated by rural household farming families; and the majority of which are poor.
• African Agriculture: FANRPAN acknowledges that over 80% of farmers in Africa are in family farming. These family farmers continue to stay at the heart of Africa's agriculture as they are generators of African agriculture competitiveness, growth and job creation.
• Climate-smart agriculture: Climate-smart agriculture seeks to increase sustainable productivity, strengthen farmers' resilience, reduce agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration.

Related global and regional initiatives:

• The recently formed African and Global climate-smart agriculture Alliances, which FANRPAN endorses and is part of, launched respectively as follows:
• African Chapter launched in Malabo on the 25th of June 2014
• Global Chapter launched in New York on 24th September 2014
• The declaration of 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security by the African Commission, and
• The United Nations declaration of 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF).

View programme

Extracts:

• Post-harvest losses and implication on Family Farming: Fisheries Systems by Mr John Linton (NRI)/Dr Sloans Chimatiro
• An overview of the FANRPAN Post-harvest loss management (PHLM) projects by Dr Bellah Mpofu (FANRPAN)

His Royal Highness, Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso
(on the left) with Mr Talentus Mthunzi the
AfricaInteract Coordinator for Southern Africa

AfricaInteract Study Reports Launch

Launch of the AfricaInteract study Reports titled: Review of Research and Policies for Climate Change Adaptation in the (i) Agriculture, (ii) Urban, and (iii) Health Sectors in Southern Africa”

His Royal Highness, Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso then presented the three reports as follows:

1. The "Review of Research and Policies for Climate Change Adaptation in the Agriculture Sectors in Southern Africa"; written by Prof Paul Mapfumo, Dr Abdulai Jalloh and Dr Sepo Hachigonta.
2. The "Review of Research and Policies for Climate Change Adaptation in the Health in Southern Africa"; written by Dr Mao Amis, Dr Abdulai Jalloh and Dr Sepo Hachigonta.
3. The "Review of Research and Policies for Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas in Southern Africa"; written by Ms Miriam Madalitso Joshua, Dr Abdulai Jalloh and Dr Sepo Hachigonta.

Special thanks were given to CORAF, FANRPAN and the funding agency IDRC who enabled production of what HRH the Prince referred to as valuable gifts.

Documentary (Video) - FANRPAN Climate Smart Agriculture best practices Documentary, was shown to the participants.

• Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes greenhouse gases (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals. 
• CSA promotes agricultural best practices, particularly integrated crop management, conservation agriculture, intercropping, improved seeds and fertilizer management practices, as well as supporting increased investment in agricultural research. 
• CSA encourages the use of all available and applicable climate change solutions in a pragmatic and impact-focused manner. While resilience is key, CSA is a broad approach which for more innovation and pro-activeness in changing the way farming is done in order to adapt and mitigate while sustainably increasing productivity. 
• CSA practices propose the transformation of agricultural policies and agricultural systems to increase food productivity and enhance food security while preserving the environment and ensuring resilience to a changing climate