News
Addressing the data and research gap on the adaptation status of Africa’s food systems
The AGRA delegation joined the Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA) in a session titled, “Scaling Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Livestock Systems in Africa”, to reflect on the recently published State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2022. The discussion highlighted the need for more granular data to support evidence-based decision-making at the farm, regional and national levels. The expert panel concluded that data collection has to be driven by country-level leadership.
AGRA has contributed to the data mapping of community vulnerabilities to different types of exposures (drought, flood, pests and diseases) and the response capacity of the respective communities to absorb these shocks and adopt the best practices for bringing sustainability and resilience to farming systems.
Microsoft, through its Africa Transformation Office (ATO), partnered with AGRA to promote data-driven agriculture in improving food security and promoting climate-smart practices in smallholder agriculture. In a session focused on Big Data and smallholder farmer interventions, experts discussed the parameters for successful digitization and scaling of climate smart initiatives. Key issues highlighted were the importance of prioritizing the needs of the beneficiaries in the design and implementation (i.e. smallholder farmer communities), and addressing the current data fragmentation in Africa’s food systems.