ICRISAT will host a side event titled “A Systems Approach for Building Community Resilience” at the 2024 Biennial Africa Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Stakeholders’ Conference. The event, scheduled to take place at the Lemigo Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, from 11:45 AM to 1:30 PM CAT, will be hybrid, allowing participants to join online via Zoom.
Organized by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and partners, this side event offers a platform to discuss systemic solutions aimed at transitioning agri-food systems in drylands to more resilient and higher-yielding models.
Discussions will address the constraints that hinder stakeholders from transforming agri-food systems into climate-resilient entities. Key focus areas include integrating gender and social inclusion to enhance community resilience.
Additionally, the side event will highlight avenues to achieve community resilience in drylands by:
- Promoting technology scaling
- Modernizing agricultural advisory services
- Improving knowledge access
- Linking smallholder farmers to markets
- Building rural asset bases
- Promoting environmentally sustainable production practices
Panel and Moderation
The event will be moderated by Dr Martin Moyo, Principal Scientist, ICRISAT.
Panelists include:
- Dr Olivier Kamana, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Rwanda
- Prof. Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
- Dr Grace Kaudzu, Director, Department of Agricultural Research Services, Government of Malawi
- Dr Yohannes Subagadis, Africa Coordinator for Livelihoods & Landscapes, Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
- Dr Hakeem A. Ajeigbe, Research and Grant Manager, Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Nigeria
- Dr Shalander Kumar, Principal Scientist, ICRISAT
Objectives
- Increase awareness of scientific evidence demonstrating how a systems approach can offer holistic solutions for climate resilience and community sustainability.
- Enhance knowledge of available technologies for better adoption, with the goal of achieving sustainable impacts on food, land, and water through behavior changes that extend beyond individual plots and households.
- Provide policymakers with decision-making tools and technologies to support sustainable and resilient agri-food systems in the global south.