Fourth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IV) Africa can feed Africa now: translating climate knowledge into action Concept note

Fourth Conference on
Climate Change and Development in Africa
(CCDA-IV)
Africa can feed Africa now: translating climate knowledge into action
Concept note

Concept note ClimDev-Africa
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I. Background
Despite the global economic downturn, African economies have grown over the past
decade, and growth is expected to continue at an average rate of 5.3 per cent in 2014
(African Economic Outlook, 2013). However, the wealth generated from economic
growth has yet to spread to the poor majority, whose livelihoods depend mainly on
climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and fishing. The inability of Africa’s
agriculture to match the needs of its growing population has left around 300 million
people hungry and forced the continent to spend billions of dollars on food imports
annually.
Climate change is expected to complicate efforts to find solutions to the problem, as
it causes severe disruptions to agricultural production systems, the environment and
biodiversity. According to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, a rise in temperature of more than 2°C could exacerbate
the existing food deficit and prevent the majority of African countries from attaining
Goal 1 of the Millennium Development Goals (reducing extreme poverty and ending
hunger by 2015). Africa must, therefore, consider other options, such as improving
agricultural performance and enhancing capacity, with a view to turning climate
challenges into opportunities and facilitating broad-based poverty reduction and food
security for all.
Africa has the potential to rise to the challenge and reverse the perennial food deficit
scenario. Given the continent’s vast land resources suitable for agriculture (60 per
cent of which are unutilized) and ample freshwater bodies, Africa could transform its
agricultural production systems. If African farmers were empowered with climate
change information and knowledge, they would be able not only to produce food for
themselves and their families but also to set up businesses and earn an income. In
addition, by spreading climate knowledge, losses resulting from storage, high
transport costs and poor processing and retailing practices could be reduced.
Focusing on agricultural value chains, rural entrepreneurship and information and
communications technology could also bring lucrative employment opportunities to
rural areas and curb the rate of youth rural-urban migration. Attracting and retaining
young people in the agricultural sector is critical for enhancing the performance and
sustainability of agriculture.
Africa’s capacity to feed itself now and in the future will require increased
investment in climate change research, biotechnology research and development and
innovation. In addition, there is a real need to make technology accessible and
affordable for farmers, to enhance opportunities for easy access to agricultural
finance and insurance, to facilitate trading and access to markets at all levels, and to
create an enabling environment for private sector investment in the agricultural value
chain. Enhanced agricultural performance cannot be achieved without investing in
clean and efficient energy. Equally important is a better understanding of the
agriculture, energy and water nexus, and of how Africa can harness ecosystems and
natural capital to feed itself.
Agriculture will remain a key driver of Africa’s economic growth, providing
employment opportunities for its young and rapidly growing population. The
continent’s agricultural value chain provides multiple entry points and pathways for

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advancing Africa’s transformative agenda towards a green economy and low carbon
development. The four sub-themes of the Fourth Conference on Climate Change and
Development in Africa will provide in-depth analyses of the agricultural value chain,
with a view to reinvigorating productivity and achieving food security and
sufficiency throughout the continent. The sub-themes will also identify strategic
areas for aligning the agricultural value chain and propelling Africa into green and
low-carbon development. The ensuing discussions on the green economy will bring
together the elements that emerge from the sub-themes.
The Climate for Development in Africa programme (ClimDev-Africa) is organizing
the Conference as part of continuing efforts to promote the use of climate
information to enhance agricultural performance in a changing climate and to
maintain the momentum of economic growth, with a view to helping Africa to feed
itself and eliminating poverty. The Conference will focus on how the continent can
feed its people and sustain growth in the face of climate change challenges.
Specifically, it will address how to make use of available climate information, clean
energy technology, innovation, research and development to enhance agricultural
performance and achieve economic structural transformation. The Conference will
provide a platform for sharing experiences, addressing emerging climate challenges,
drawing upon new knowledge, and exploring opportunities related to climate change,
to enhance the agricultural value chain and ensure food security both now and in the
future.
The theme of the upcoming Conference, “Africa can feed Africa now: translating
climate knowledge into action”, is especially relevant as the African Union has
declared 2014 the year of agriculture and food security.
The Conference will be held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 8 to 10 October 2014.
II. Objectives of the Conference
The overall objective is to provide a platform for deliberations on how Africa can
utilize climate knowledge to transform its agricultural production systems in order to
feed itself, both now and in the future, and to improve the socioeconomic well-being
of its people.
More specifically, the objectives are to:
1. Understand the role of climate data, information services and climate
knowledge in transforming and managing risks and opportunities throughout
the agricultural value chain;
2. Examine the implications of recent climate trends and projections for
agricultural production systems and related infrastructure;
3. Better understand the importance of natural capital and ecosystem services in
agricultural performance and sustainability;
4. Identify finance and technology challenges and opportunities for climate-
resilient agricultural value chains;

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5. Build on the recommendations of the Third Conference on Climate Change and
Development in Africa and the climate research frontiers identified at the 2013
African Climate Conference.
III. Expected outputs and outcomes
A. Outputs
• Conference summary statement
• Conference report
• Policy briefs
• Web publications
• Daily publications
• Press releases
• Peer-reviewed Conference proceedings
B. Outcomes
• Greater understanding of the importance and necessity of collecting climate
data and generating and disseminating information and knowledge, in order to
help Africa to feed itself in the face of climate change
• Better understanding of recent climate change trends and the implications for
Africa’s agricultural production and development
• Improved knowledge of the linkages between food, energy, water and
ecosystem services in the agricultural value chain
• Increased focus on investment and partnerships within the field of climate
research for development by African Governments and partners
• Improved knowledge of the opportunities for clean energy development
• Better informed African negotiators in the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change process with regard to improved agricultural
production
• Concrete recommendations to inform negotiations in the run-up to the twenty-
first session of the Conference of the Parties
• Enhanced knowledge and understanding of the impact of climate change on
rural and urban interdependences
• Recommendations on how to translate climate change knowledge into action to
enhance Africa’s agricultural performance and boost food security
IV. Sub-themes
Sub-theme 1: Improving and harnessing climate data, information and knowledge in
support of agricultural production, water resources management and
food security in Africa
Sub-theme 2: Agricultural opportunities for renewable energy development in
Africa
Sub-theme 3: Enhancing Africa’s capacity to mobilize and access climate finance
and investment for climate-resilient agricultural transformation
Sub-theme 4: Innovation, technology transfer and deployment to enhance
agricultural transformation in a changing climate

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Sub-theme 1: Improving and harnessing climate data, information and
knowledge in support of agricultural production, water resources management
and food security in Africa
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in Africa: it accounts for about
30 per cent of gross domestic product and 50 per cent of total exports, and employs
more than 70 per cent of the population in most non-oil exporting African countries.
However, the sector is vulnerable to climate variability and change as it relies
heavily on rainfall. General circulation models predict that temperatures will increase
in Africa, which will have a negative impact on the continent’s agricultural
production. The impact of climate change is particularly serious in Africa because of
the continent’s low adaptive capacity, which is due to its institutional, economic and
financial limitations.
Understanding the potential impacts of current and projected climate change on
African agriculture and identifying ways to adapt and mitigate them is critical to
improving agricultural performance and sustainability. An understanding of the role
of ecosystems, natural capital and efficient agricultural water management is also
key to improving productivity. African countries must, therefore, adopt and develop
policies that strengthen agricultural water resources management, all while taking the
needs of the continent’s ecosystems into consideration, with a view to making
agriculture inclusive and resilient to the predicted impacts of climate change.
In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on improving climate data and
information in Africa by upgrading observation networks, retrieving and storing
records and assimilating sparse observations with remote-sensor and reanalysis
products. The improved climate data and information could be further analysed and
packaged into standard baseline climatology, knowledge-bases and decision-support
tools, tailored to the prevailing climatic conditions in Africa. The packaging and
translation of available climate data into useful information for end users, and the
scaling up of services, could contribute significantly to reducing the risks and
uncertainties presented by a changing climate. Improved climate information will
also make for better management of agricultural water resources, timely planting and
harvesting, storage, processing and transportation to markets. Climate knowledge
bases and decision-support tools would provide climate-related scientific evidence
for policy formulation and decision-making in the agricultural sector and in other
development sectors. They would also provide evidence for plausible adaptation
options and alternative climate-resilient development pathways in Africa.
Urban dwellers will also be affected by climate extremes because they depend on
food from rural areas and may suffer from escalating prices stemming from shortfalls
in agricultural production. As a result, bridging the rural-urban divide and
strengthening linkages between the two communities is essential for enhancing
agricultural performance, preventing and managing risks, reducing vulnerability, and
building a climate-resilient agriculture sector that is capable of producing enough
food for Africa and surplus to sell on other markets. Farmers in rural areas need to
have direct access to urban markets to increase their income and encourage shifts to
higher-value crops and livestock.

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This sub-theme seeks to assess the implications of recent climate trends for
agricultural production in Africa and to encourage the use of such information to
advise policymakers on their investment priorities. It also seeks to encourage the best
use of climate change opportunities for adapting African agriculture to climate
variability and change, in order to enhance agricultural performance so that Africa
can eventually feed itself. The sub-theme will examine options for making timely
climate information available to end users – that is, farmers – at the local level. It
will also initiate dialogue among policymakers and other stakeholders on how to
narrow the urban-rural divide. Lastly, it will discuss options for strengthening
linkages throughout the agricultural value chain, as well as the impact of migration
on food production and security.
Discussions under sub-theme 1 will focus on the following topics:
Topic 1.1: Improving the capacity of climate knowledge management, forecasting
and projection, and early warning and disaster management in the
agricultural sector
Topic 1.2: Climate impacts and trends in agricultural production systems: options
for enhancing responsiveness through timely climate information at all
levels
Topic 1.3: Harnessing ecosystems and natural capital to enable Africa to feed itself
in a sustainable manner
Topic 1.4: Policy options and measures for bridging the rural-urban divide and
reducing vulnerabilities to climate change
Sub-theme 2: Agricultural opportunities for renewable energy development in
Africa
Lack of access to energy is one of the main challenges hampering economic
development in Africa. Food security – which is the ultimate goal and a prerequisite
for achieving transformative and sustainable development – cannot be achieved
without sufficient energy. Just 31 per cent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa
has access to electricity, a figure that drops to 14 per cent in rural areas. Energy
drives not only agricultural production, transformation and value addition but also
transportation, trade and consumption. An insufficient energy supply and limited
access to generated power have contributed immensely to continued poverty in
Africa.
Many experts believe that the continent’s energy deficit could be addressed
adequately by promoting the development of green energy. The impact of climate
change on renewable energy systems (e.g. hydropower) is significant, as climate
change can affect hydrological flows and the allocation of variable and scarce water
resources among competing end users. The complexity of risk-benefit management
of climate change in the energy sector and the broader consideration of competing
uses of water call for the need to enhance awareness, mainstream climate change into
energy policies and coordinate planning along the water-food-energy nexus. The
issue of food security in Africa, therefore, should be seen in connection with secure
energy and water supplies and the impact these supplies could have on agricultural
productivity and ecosystems in a changing climate.

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The issue of innovation in forestry and biofuel resources will need to be addressed as
it impacts agricultural productivity. Indeed, over 80 per cent of Africa’s population
relies on biomass as a primary source of energy, and the demand for forest resources
is not showing any signs of abating (ECA, 2014). The growing demand placed on
forest resources requires an improved management framework, better forest stock
data and an overall biomass management strategy and policy. The development of
biofuels and their potential impact on agriculture in Africa should be fully examined.
Energy technologies have a direct beneficial effect on food security and enhanced
efficiency throughout the agricultural value chain. Effective deployment of energy
technologies would entail implementing best practices and technologies and creating
policies that fully address the links between energy technologies and food security.
Topic 2.1: Understanding the water-food-energy nexus in a changing climate
Topic 2.2: Leveraging renewable energy technology opportunities in the
agricultural value chain
Topic 2.3 Biomass energy and biofuels: challenges and opportunities for food
security
Sub-theme 3: Enhancing Africa’s capacity to mobilize and access climate
finance and investment for climate-resilient agricultural transformation
The resilience of Africa’s agriculture in the face of a changing climate requires,
among other things, enabling policies and strategies for accessing finance and
increasing investment in the sector. Climate financing is one of the mechanisms that
could be used to exploit opportunities related to climate change. Strategies and
incentives such as the Clean Development Mechanism, the programme for reducing
emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD
and REDD+) and the green climate fund, which are designed to reduce emissions
from forests and enhance carbon stocks, have emerged as key international financing
mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
However, until now, the continent has had little access to global financing
mechanisms and has hardly participated in carbon markets. Indeed, so far Africa has
only managed to obtain 2 per cent of all the projects registered under the Clean
Development Mechanism, and thus needs to strengthen its capacity to access and
absorb funds available from external sources and create an enabling environment for
private sector investment.
Agriculture also offers great potential for mitigating climate change through carbon
sequestration. The amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in this sector annually is
estimated at 6 billion tons, 70 per cent of which lies in developing countries. The
Kyoto Protocol, however, overlooks carbon sequestration in agriculture, making it
ineligible for climate financing despite its potential for providing additional income
opportunities for farmers. In the Nairobi work programme, African leaders and other
developing countries called for the agricultural sector to be included in global
climate financing and for the introduction of a mechanism to assess and valorize

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agricultural carbon sequestration. Such negotiations should be continued in ongoing
global climate finance negotiations, while efforts should also be made to improve the
continent’s capacity to access the climate adaptation and mitigation funds already
available. Moreover, the capacity of African countries to absorb climate funds should
be enhanced. Developing innovative domestic financing mechanisms and creating an
enabling environment to encourage private sector investment in agriculture are also
vital to ensuring enhanced agricultural performance and food security in Africa.
This sub-theme thus seeks to address climate finance issues in negotiations, with a
view to enhancing Africa’s capacity to access global climate financing, developing
effective local financing mechanisms and creating an enabling environment for
private sector involvement in the agricultural sector. The sub-theme will provide
opportunities for sharing experiences regarding the development and implementation
of national climate change policies and strategies for accessing climate financing,
including through the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture. The role of
gender and the private sector in enhancing Africa’s capacity to mobilize, access and
implement climate finance will also be discussed.
Topic 3.1: Options for enhancing Africa’s capacity to access climate finance
mechanisms for agricultural transformation
Topic3.2: Agriculture in the negotiations on the Framework Convention on
Climate Change: what are the opportunities for Africa?
Topic3.3: Finance mechanisms (including REDD+, the green climate fund,
insurance schemes and private financing)
Topic 3.4: Enhancing private sector financing and investments in climate-resilient
agriculture
Sub-theme 4: Innovation, technology transfer and deployment to enhance
agricultural transformation in a changing climate
Millions of Africans who live in rural areas are directly dependent on agriculture,
and they encounter technical, economic, social, cultural and traditional obstacles to
improving their livelihoods. To cope with these obstacles, they rely on indigenous
knowledge and innovation through local experimentation and adaptation, but that is
not enough to deal with the complex problems facing the agricultural sector.
Emerging issues, including climate change, require complementary innovative,
science-based technologies and supportive policies. Scientific advancements and
innovation are the keys to transforming African agriculture. In this context,
significant efforts have been made during the past decade to develop, for instance,
high-yielding crop varieties that are resistant to drought, pests and disease, through
public and private partnerships and international research institutions.
The potential of such agricultural advances and technologies to improve the
economic welfare and food security of smallholder farmers is largely underutilized,
as much of the findings remain in research centres, unknown and unutilized by
farmers. Indeed, many public research institutions do not have sufficient resources to
disseminate, distribute and push for the adoption of their research outputs in rural

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areas. Adoption of new technologies is limited by elevated input costs and the
potential risks involved, which put off many smallholder farmers. Information and
communications technology could also play a significant role in improving the
productivity of the agriculture sector through the timely provision of decision support
and climate information to end users, using platforms such as mobile phone networks
and rural radios. However, information and communications technology is not fully
integrated into national agricultural strategies in Africa, and consequently the
majority of such initiatives are used in small-scale pilot projects and do not target
overall agricultural developmental policy goals.
This sub-theme will review existing technological innovations, including information
and communications technology, which could be leveraged to address the impacts of
climate change and increase agricultural production, food security and the
transformation of the agricultural value chain.
Topic 4.1: Agricultural research and innovations, with a particular emphasis on
low-carbon development
Topic 4.2: Strengthening policies and financing for development and the transfer of
green technologies in agriculture
Topic 4.3: Options for enhancing the use of information and communications
technology in disseminating climate information throughout the
agricultural value chain
V. Format of the Conference
The Conference will consist of a high-level dialogue, plenary sessions, parallel
sessions, pre-events, side events and post-events. A number of eminent participants
will deliver keynote addresses on the challenges and opportunities that climate
change presents, and the implications for food security. Speakers and experts will
provide the contextual analyses for achieving the overarching goal of ensuring food
security. The Conference will also feature prominent roles for civil society
organizations, gender groups, young people and farmers.
On the first day of the Conference, a high-level plenary session will be held, during
which ministers and prominent experts will discuss the theme and set the tone for the
rest of the Conference. The session will be followed by a number of speeches
introducing the plenary discussions on each sub-theme. A plenary session on the
green economy perspectives of the four sub-themes will conclude the first day.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage the panellists and presenters to
further explore the points raised in the presentations.
To open up the space for more in-depth discussions on specific climate change and
development topics identified under the sub-themes, the second day will be dedicated
to five parallel sessions. Presentations, tailored to each topic, will be moderated by
experts on each sub-theme.

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A. Pre-events
A pre-event forum will be held to discuss the role of regional integration and trade
liberalization in food security in Africa, gender issues, and the urgency of
mechanizing smallholder agriculture.
B. Side events
1. United Nations Environment Programme
2. Network of African Science Academies
3. National focal point discussions on climate change
4. Gender, youth and climate change (in collaboration with the Social
Development Policy Division of the Economic Commission for Africa)
5. Climate change, agriculture, trade and energy nexus
6. Role of the media in communicating climate-related impacts and adaptation
options
7. Role of African farmers in local adaptation initiatives
8. Vulnerability of agricultural production in Africa’s small island developing
States
9. Capacity development for climate change
10. Sharing lessons among the African pilot countries
C. Exhibition
A poster exhibition, to be held on the margins of the Conference, will provide an
opportunity for networking and exchanging views on the options within and outside
Africa for translating climate knowledge into action, in order to achieve climate-
resilient agricultural transformation and cope with the impact of climate change.

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