Page 103 - FAO-IPCC Expert meeting on climate change

Appendix 01: Speakers’ summary notes
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1. The first programme focuses on the sustainable management of soil resources with a triple objective: (i) improved soil fertility; (ii) increased carbon sequestration capacity of soils, in line with the recommendations of the French “4 for 1000” initiative; and (iii) conversion of annual and itinerant cultivation into fruit trees and agroforestry.
2. The second programme aims to ensure the sustainable management of agricultural water on the continent, from supply to efficient use, through adopting appropriate techniques that have already proved their effectiveness on the African continent. In this, AAA is in line with the FAO global platform on water scarcity launched at COP22 in Marrakech.
3. The third programme seeks to improve management of climate risks, notably through developing farm insurance schemes and implementing early warning systems.
4. The fourth programme sets out to provide smallholder farmers with appropriate innovative funding mechanisms to remove constraints on adopting best agro-ecological practices and enable investment in land management and production.
The specificity of the AAA initiative should be a major focus in agricultural development and climate change circles.
It is in line with the UNFCCC framework and aims to develop tools that will enhance Africa’s skills on climate
issues, facilitate technology transfers, and promote South/South cooperation. This initiative directly follows the Paris Agreement’s advances regarding agriculture and food security. It is also in line with the conferences of Maputo (2003) and Malabo (2014), as well as the objectives of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) of the African Union. The AAA initiative is also aligned with the Dakar Conference (BAfD - 2015), and with the Abidjan Declaration (FAO - 2016) for the transition towards more productive and resilient African agriculture.
The AAA initiative concerns all stakeholders: governments, international institutions, the private sector, civil society, the scientific community and contributes to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
A global, multi-stakeholder coalition supports the AAA initiative. On 29-30 September a high level meeting bringing together the key stakeholders supporting it took place in Marrakech. The coalition has adopted the Marrakech Declaration on the Initiative for the Adaptation of Agriculture in Africa. At present, 28 African countries, most of the development partners and financial institutions, major agribusiness players and many NGOs are supporting AAA. A Scientific Committee comprising 40 eminent scientists also backs the initiative.
The AAA is in line with the Initiative for Adaptation in Africa (IAA), announced by the Egyptian President at the
COP21 on behalf of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN), promoted by the African Group of Negotiators at the UNFCCC. The AAA initiative could be considered as the agricultural component of the IAA initiative.
The AAA portfolio contains 42 projects originating from African countries, NGOs and private sectors partners, covering all the adaptation solutions proposed. Some of these are being implemented while others are under construction.
FAO-IPCC Expert meeting on climate change, land use and food security