Agric transformation under spotlight of Climate Change and Development in Africa confab

The 4 Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IV) conference will put spotlight on climate knowledge opportunities that can transform agricultural production systems to feed Africa sustainably.

In recognition of 2014 as the year of agriculture, the CCDA-IV will be convened in Marrakesh, Morocco from 8-10 October 2014 on the theme: "Africa Can Feed Africa Now: Translating Climate Knowledge into Action".

The Conference series is a policy influencing space organized each year under the auspices of the Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme.

The overall objective is to provide a platform for deliberating on how Africa can utilize climate knowledge to transform agricultural production systems in order to sustainably feed itself and improve the socio-economic wellbeing of its people.

To continue on a trend that commenced during CCDA-III, this year’s conference will lay focus on impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups and also integrate strong participation of civil society groups, with the aim of perceiving the realities, opportunities and challenges faced at the grass-root level, for which policy makers and researchers in attendance can begin to design interventions.

The targeted vulnerable groups include farmers, women, the youth and pastoralists.

CCDA is a unique space where stakeholders come together to discuss the interrelationships between climate change and development, with Africa as the main focus.

ClimDev-Africa partners, as well as other stakeholders, share their programmes’ achievements as well as challenges they face on key climate change issues and seek new knowledge on ways to better cope with them in the interest of Africa’s development.

It further builds a consensus amongst policy makers, academicians, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders on best approaches of integrating climate change opportunities in policies, strategies, planning and practices in Africa.

ClimDev-Africa is a consortium of three leading pan-African institutions – the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).