Review of Chapters in the Draft Climate-Smart Agriculture Manual Underway
Harare, Zimbabwe – Climate-smart agriculture (CSA), a new approach to development, can assist Zimbabwe in addressing the challenges of climate change and variability.
This is one of the key messages passed at the 2nd National Stakeholders Consultation and Review of Draft Climate-Smart Agriculture Manual for Agriculture Education in Zimbabwe. The workshop was organised in line with the Technical Assistance (TA) provided to Zimbabwe by the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and its implementing partner, United Nations Environment Programme – Technical University of Denmark Partnership (UNEP – DTU).
Earlier, a response plan was created to serve as the basis for all activities supported through CTCN, following Zimbabwe’s request for TA by the Request Proponent (Green Impact Trust) through the National Designated Entity (Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate) to CTCN. The main challenge identified in the proposal to CTCN was the gaps in the agriculture (extension) curriculum for use by professionals and practitioners.
A set of activities was also put in place for the crafting of a CSA Manual for Agriculture Education in Zimbabwe. The CSA Manual builds on the foundation stressed in national strategies and documents which is “to strengthen the capacity to generate new forms of empirical knowledge, technologies and agricultural support services that meet emerging research and development challenges arising from increased climate change and variability.”
The 1st National Stakeholders Consultation Workshop on the Development of a CSA Manual was successfully held on the 26th July 2016, in which 55 participants representing Government, Local Authorities, Private Sector, Parastatals, Farmers Organizations and Associations, Academia, Research Institutions, Smallholder Farmers, Civil Society Organisations, and Extension Officials attended the event. The Workshop process resulted in a selection of ten (10) themes which would constitute the CSA Manual for Zimbabwe. Soon after, a mix of national and foreign consultants per CSA Manual Chapter was recruited to draft the individual CSA Manual Chapters from mid-September to mid-November, 2016, for inclusion into the Final CSA Manual. The submitted CSA Manual Chapters by authors are presently undergoing a series of reviews to ensure that the local and outside experiences in research and development are taken into consideration.
The main objective of the 2nd Workshop was to ensure all criticism and stakeholders comments and (or) input is received to incorporate into the draft CSA Manual, and to set into motion processes that will guide the development of a CSA Strategy and Framework in Zimbabwe.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is embraced by many governments throughout the world, including the Government of Zimbabwe.