Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA)

"Capacity building is more than an exchange of skills and knowledge, it is an imperative step in ensuring a well-equipped ecosystem for long-term resilience and adaptation," says Alcade C. Segnon, Science Officer for AICCRA in West Africa.? Sustainably scaling climate-smart agriculture innovations requires a deep pool of skilled individuals and organizations with the capacity to deliver on their vision. That’s why we work closely with partners and leverage CGIAR science and innovation to enhance the skills of agricultural stakeholders and to strengthen the technical capacity in Africa’s institutions. >>> In our latest newsletter, explore stories from West Africa and beyond, where strong partnerships and capacity building efforts are helping to scale the use of climate-smart innovations by meteorological staff, policymakers and farmers. Highlights include:?? ?? World Bank-funded programs join forces to scale climate-smart villages ??? From data to action - tools that bridge agrometeorological gaps in Zambia ?? Regional coordination results in pioneering plan to tackle pests and diseases #ReadyToScale | Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CORAF | West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development, AGRHYMET REGIONAL CENTER International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), AGNES Africa and more.

?????????????? ???? ?????????????? ????????: ?? ?????????????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? Experts, innovators, and local stakeholders gathered in Saly, #Senegal for a workshop aimed at advancing?climate-smart agriculture (CSA)?and?climate information services (CIS). The?'Senegal Scaling Week' focused on building pathways for?inclusive and responsible scaling?of climate-resilient solutions. Together, we explored practical innovations and tools like the?iSAT digital tool?climate information services and agro-advisories, animal feed, climate-smart cowpea varieties, a locally-led community of practice (CoP) method for sharing sustainable livestock practices. ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ??????????????????: 1?? Bundling CSA & CIS for greater impact?– By combining climate solutions (knowledge, financial, consumables and physical services), we empower farmers with the tools they need to thrive in a changing climate. Bundled solutions reduce costs and increase accessibility for those who need them most. ?? 2?? Scaling with purpose?– Scaling isn’t just about reaching more users—it’s about embedding solutions in local systems, ensuring long-term sustainability, and fostering collaboration across sectors. It’s crucial to anticipate risks, foster inclusion, and adapt to community needs. ?? 3?? Social inclusion is key?– Responsible scaling means addressing inequalities, particularly gender barriers. We discussed how innovations must be accessible to everyone, including women, to ensure equitable progress in agriculture. ?????? 4?? Moving beyond numbers?– Success isn’t just about quantitative reach. It’s about measurable impacts on communities—whether that’s in?food security,?climate resilience, or?social inclusion. ?? ???????? ??????????:?The journey continues as we build on the insights from this workshop to develop detailed roadmaps for?sustainable scaling. We’ll continue working with local governments, development partners, and the private sector to refine our strategies and ensure lasting impact. A heartfelt thank you to?Livestock Division, Animal Industries Division, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI),?Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, ICRISAT, ANACIM | Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie,?ANCAR,?#RESOPP, JOKALANTE, AVSF - Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Senegal, ADID, APAFIL and all our partners for their commitment and collaboration! ???? Looking forward to seeing how these discussions will shape the future of?agriculture in Senegal?and beyond! CGIAR Hanna Ewell Mathieu Ouedraogo Issa Ouedraogo Robert Zougmore Dr. Omonlola Nadine Worou

For #IWD2025, we're highlighting two inclusive scaling pathways which illustrate how integrating women as decision makers and leaders in climate-smart scaling strategies is leading to sustainable and equitable impact. Scaling agricultural innovations is often measured by how many farmers adopt a technology or how quickly an innovation spreads. ? However, this approach can overlook a crucial factor: who benefits from scaling? ?? Without a focus on inclusivity, scaling risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than driving meaningful, sustainable change. Responsible scaling ensures that women and disadvantaged groups are not only recipients of innovation but also active decision-makers in shaping their agricultural futures. ?? Hear more from Hanna Ewell on how AICCRA's inclusive scaling approach isn’t just about expanding climate-smart innovations—it’s also about ensuring that scaling is just, sustainable and effective. Read the story: https://lnkd.in/eF8E3wrv #InternationalWomensDay | CGIAR, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Evan Girvetz, Todd A. Crane, Liz Ogutu, Esther Nzuki

For #IWD2025, we're highlighting two inclusive scaling pathways which illustrate how integrating women as decision makers and leaders in climate-smart scaling strategies is leading to sustainable and equitable impact. In #Senegal, the Gender-Smart Accelerator program was designed to address challenges women face in accessing inputs, resources and finance and to develop a pipeline of gender-responsive climate-smart agriculture (CSA) business models to be matched with private sector investments. The program focused on: ?? Investing in gender-responsive innovations: working with participants to design robust market-based solutions that address both business challenges and gender disparities ?? De-risking investments: the dual approach of CSA and strengthened business capacity leads to reduced financial risks for investors ?? Prioritizing small-scale farmers and agri-SMEs: scaling access for women-led initiatives on CSA technologies, financial products, and market opportunities improves climate resilience across value chains ?? Hear more from Ena Derenoncourt, MBA on the impact of the Accelerator program. Read the story: bit.ly/AICCRA_IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay | Women's Investment Club (WIC), CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF), Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Evan Girvetz, Liz Ogutu, Sophia Huyer

For #IWD2025, we're highlighting two inclusive scaling pathways which illustrate how integrating women as decision makers and leaders in climate-smart scaling strategies is leading to sustainable and equitable impact. In #Ghana, a Village Savings and Loans Assocation (VSLA) *Plus* intervention focuses on: ? Women as decision-makers: the women's groups prioritize, implement, and scale climate-smart innovations based on their lived experiences, rather than just delivering solutions ?? Financial empowerment: by embedding climate-smart agriculture into existing savings and loan structures, women are better equipped to invest in and sustain these innovations ?? Scaling beyond technology: women are active participants in shaping climate-resilient agricultural pathways that work for them, ensuring that innovations are not only effective but also inclusive and locally owned ?? Hear more from Faustina Obeng Adomaa on how the VSLA Plus is working to build climate resilience in Ghana. Read the story: bit.ly/AICCRA_IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay | International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Mustapha Alasan Dalaa, Ghislain Tepa-Yotto, Sophia Huyer

? The 2025 International Women’s Day theme "For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment." is a call to unlock decisive progress toward gender equality. To accelerate gender-responsive climate action, we must amplify and scale innovations and practices that empower women as active decision makers and leaders in climate adaptation, just as they do men. In ???? Ghana and ???? Senegal, we've found two pathways that are working. For #IWD2025, read a story highlighting two AICCRA initiatives — the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) *Plus* model in Ghana and the Gender-Smart Accelerator program in Senegal — which illustrate how integrating women into scaling strategies is leading to more sustainable and equitable impact. With thanks to Esther Nzuki, Hanna Ewell, Faustina Obeng Adomaa and Ena Derenoncourt, MBA for their contributions. ?? https://lnkd.in/etw6pK6y #InternationalWomensDay | CGIAR, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Women's Investment Club (WIC), Evan Girvetz, Liz Ogutu, Mustapha Alasan Dalaa, Ghislain Tepa-Yotto, Sophia Huyer

The Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa takes centre stage in Addis Ababa this week at a high-level learning event hosted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), with support from The World Bank. Parmesh Shah—the Bank's Global Lead on Data, Digital Agriculture and Innovations at its Agriculture and Food Global Practice—today highlighted AICCRA's work on delivering quality climate information services with partner AGRHYMET REGIONAL CENTER as a synergy point for FSRP. "I strongly feel that AICCRA and FSRP should be twinned...if both the programs are in the same direction and can be twinned, then our impact will be faster...I feel that AICCRA has many digital and data components which FSRP can benefit from." Watch more from the event: https://lnkd.in/e3Khbsfh #ReadyToScale

?? The Regional Pest and Disease Outbreak Preparedness and Response Plan in West and Central Africa shifts the region from reactive crisis management to proactive risk mitigation. ?? Developed under the leadership of the ECOWAS Commission and the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC ECCAS), with support from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CORAF | West and Central Africa for Agricultural Research and Development and AICCRA, this plan leverages foresight analysis to improve preparedness and response strategies. Beyond enhancing food security and safeguarding livelihoods, the plan strengthens regional collaboration among governments, researchers, and institutions while equipping stakeholders with strategic decision-making tools to tackle emerging agricultural threats. ?? “This plan allows us to shift from reactive responses to a proactive approach in addressing agricultural crises and climate change, fostering regional collaboration.” said Robert Zougmore, AICCRA Director. ??Check the image below to explore the key milestones in developing this plan. ??Read the full story here : https://lnkd.in/etTDzg9W #ClimateResilience #Agriculture #FoodSecurity #PestManagement ? Alcade C. Segnon, Nieyidouba Lamien, Christel Kénou, Henriette Kaba, Nestor NGOUAMBE, Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, Honoré Tabuna, The World Bank, CGIAR, CGIAR Climate Impact Platform , and many more.

??During the recent #GHACOF69,?ICPAC and AICCRA supported national gender experts and sector focal points in climate-sensitive sectors to participate in the process, leading to a notable increase in gender-sensitive advisories and impact assessments. Hear more from?Joyce Jelagat, gender and climate expert at ICPAC and Akumu Christine, principal gender officer from Uganda, on why it matters ??

???? Mali is developing a National Climate Change and Gender Action Plan (NCCGAP) to ensure that national climate policies and agricultural strategies incorporate gender considerations for an equitable future. A recent workshop in Bamako brought stakeholders together to review policy gaps, define concrete actions for integrating gender into national plans, and shape the NCCGAP for inclusive solutions. During the workshop, we spoke with Mr. Mahamadou Sidibé from the Office du Niger (a key AICCRA partner) about the work they are doing in alignment with the plan: "Building on existing efforts, we aim to engage women's platforms and support staff in facilitating mutual learning groups and demonstrating climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and technologies. We are also establishing farmers’ field schools exclusively for women to ensure they have access to information on CSA and climate information services. This will allow women to witness the performance of agricultural practices and technologies on an equal footing with men. Our approach focuses on inclusive access, including seed multiplication and distribution for vulnerable groups, as well as specialized training sessions for women." Learn more about the plan: https://lnkd.in/euvz-YTz With Africa Rice Center Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT CGIAR ACAD-MALI MALI-METEO Elliott Dossou-Yovo, Ph.D. Sophia Huyer Philomena Chioma Ogwuike Neville Suh Jonathan Guindo Samuel Guindo Almamy Doumbia Haissa Toure and many more.