As the dust of the recently concluded climate
march in New York begins to settle, global attention has once again shifted to
Africa as the fourth edition of the Climate Change Development in Africa
(CCDA-IV) conference sets sail.
With the screaming theme “Africa can feed
Africa now: translating climate knowledge into action”, the conference, which
is organised by the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with the African Union
Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (ADB) will hold in Marrakech, Morocco, from 8 to 10
October 2014.
According to Fatima Danton, the ACPC
Coordinator, the conference aspires 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.
Addressing the pre-conference event earlier
today, Ken Johm stated that 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.”
On her part, Olushola Olayide of the African
Union Commission expressed optimism that
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.
With Climate change complicating efforts to
find solutions to Africa’s inability to deploy its agriculture to match the
needs of its growing population, it has therefore become imperative for Africa
to consider 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.
As Agriculture remains a key driver of Africa’s
economic growth, providing employment opportunities for its young and rapidly
growing population, experts believe global attention will focus on the capacity
of the continent’s agricultural value chain to provide multiple entry points
and pathways for advancing Africa’s transformative agenda towards a green
economy and low carbon development.
It is hoped that 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.
For Africa to feed Africa, the conference must
also identify strategic areas for increased investment in climate change
research, development and innovation as well as explore ways of making technology
accessible and affordable for farmers, to enhance opportunities for easy access
to ag-ricultural 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.
Atayi Babs
Marrakech, Morocco
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