Creating a climate-smart agriculture network for East Africa that will strengthen the livelihoods and food security of millions of farmers was the goal of a 3-day dialogue held in Nairobi, Kenya.

An article in All Africa reports that experts met to develop terms of reference for a Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Eastern Africa Regional Working Group that will promote faster adoption of CSA in the region and highlight its importance in increasing agricultural yields and productivity.

In addition to increasing productivity, climate-smart agriculture aims to adapt and build the resilience of agricultural and food security systems to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. It involves proven practices such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, crop rotation, mulching and residue management.

The article outlines a number of initiatives that are already supporting climate-smart agriculture, including the Africa Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance, which aims to help 25 million farming households across Africa practice climate smart agriculture by 2025. It was agreed to by the first Africa Congress on Conservation Agriculture in March 2014 in Lusaka, Zambia.

Another initiative is a program being implemented by the East Africa Community (EAC) together with COMESA and SADC which aims to bring significant livelihood and food security benefits to at least 1.2 million smallholder farmers through combining crop production with agroforestry and livestock management. In 2010 these three Regional Economic Communities (RECs) agreed to jointly implement a climate change program covering 26 African countries.

The event in Nairobi was hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supported by the EAC-COMESA-SADC Climate Change Programme.

Read the full story: East Africa: EAC and Partners Push Climate Smart Agriculture to Ensure a Food Secure Region