The Alliance
A unique partnership and systemic approach
to food insecurity and climate change in Africa

The Alliance
Overview of the Alliance and its Purpose in
the context of Africa’s development goals
Martin Bwalya

The Alliance
Considering CSA in the African context
Todd Rosenstock

What is climate-smart agriculture in Africa?
Uluguru Mountains in Eastern Tanzania

Word cloud of the FAO ‘CSA Sourcebook’

Importance of food security, adaption and
mitigation depends on location
Map: Wheeler & von Braun 2013
Food security
Adapta on Mi ga on
The African CSA Alliance works toward
CSA that supports food security & resilience
mitigation is co-benefit when possible

Kolero, Tanzania
Agroforestry
Nutrition security
Poverty alleviation
Natural resource
Improved
cook-stove
Conservation
agriculture
Participatory
approach
Increased yields
Soil quality & carbon
Reduced
degradation &
erosion
Dietary
diversity
Intercropping
Market access
Increase income

The Alliance
How the Alliance will work in practice
Martin Bwalya / Doug Brown

The Alliance
FMNR as a CSA practice
Doug Brown

What is farmer managed natural
regeneration (FMNR)?
FMNR is the systematic regeneration and sustainable
management of trees and shrubs growing from living tree
stumps, roots or seeds. It involves pruning and thinning of stems
and branches and the protection of regrowth from threats such
as fire, livestock or human damage. FMNR can be practiced on
farmland, forestland, grazing land and so called “wasteland”.

FMNR in practice

An example of FMNR in practice
12 April 2012 4 June 2013 9 March 2014

Social
•Fosters a will to change
•Creates an enabling environment
•Builds collaboration, networks
and partnerships
•Fosters tree ownership and land
tenure security for farmers
•Increases education and training
•Increases empowerment for
women
Environmental
•Restores tree cover
•Reduces erosion
•Enriches soils
•Increases water availability
•Controls wind and temperatures
•Increases biodiversity
•Climate change adaptation and
mitigation
Economic
•Increases incomes through:
– improved crop yields
– sale of tree products
– improved livestock
production
•Increases household assets
•Increases consumables/decreases
expenditures
•Offers new income opportunities
via carbon credit revenues
FMNR Benefits

Impact of FMNR in Niger

Project Example: Humbo, Ethiopia
Name: Humbo Community Reforestation Program
Location: Humbo, Ethiopia (6.743139, 37.868508)
Area Coverage: Approximately 2,728 hectares of natural forest
Number of beneficiaries: 41,529 (approximately 8,000 households)
2002
2010
Impact:
• 96,882 tons of CO2 sequestered as of 2014;
• 82.9% of HHs in the project area reported reduced soil erosion and 74.0% increased soil
fertility; and
• Steady increase in the frequency of animal sightings, tree planting, and ownership over
the course of the project.

Project Example: Talensi, Ghana
Name: Talensi FMNR Project
Location: Talensi District, Upper East Region, Ghana
Area Coverage: 161 hectares of new community-managed forest
Number of beneficiaries: 12,000 (approximately 1,472 households)
2010
2012
Impact:
• 161 hectares under new forest cover with average tree density of 2,343 per hectare vs. a
baseline of 5 per hectare;
• 336 hectares of farmland under FMNR management with average tree density 57 per
hectare vs. a baseline of 5 per hectare;
• Short-term Social Return on Investment (SROI) 6:1; and
• Long-term SROI 17:1 by year 7 and 43:1 by year 13.

The Alliance
Lessons from Securing Africa’s Future and the
relevance of CSA
Chris Shore

Risk = Hazard * Vulnerability
Resilience
Grow Resilience, reduce the risk
18

19
Improved and Resilient Livelihoods Sustain Ability of
Parents and Caregivers to provide well for their children
Empowered World View
Shock,
Emergency,
Vulnerability,
Situational
Awareness
Management
Systems
Economic /
Business
Systems of
Small-holder
Farming
On-farm and
Off-farm
Natural
Resource
Management
Systems

What are we building?

22

23

The Alliance
Thank you
If you’d like to continue to be involved, please leave your details before you leave
http://africacsa.org/
@africacsa

“Smart”
agriculture is
“climate-smart”
FAO. 2013. Sourcebook on Climate-Smart Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
http://www.fao.org/climate-smart-agriculture/72611/en/
• The best CSA
practices provide a
triple win:
o Improve reliability,
sustainability,
productivity and
profitability of
agricultural
production systems
o Adapting and
building resilience
to climate change
o Build soil carbon
and above ground
biomass – reducing
and/or removing
greenhouse gas
emissions, where
possible

Assessment of Practices for CSA
Global: Mean Assessment Aggregated Assessment
Practices Production Resilience Mitigation Co-benefits Constraints
Soil fertility Nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. urea) ǂ +++ +/- - -- --
Integrated nutrient mgmt. (e.g. banding, microdosing) ǂ ++ - - --
Reduced residue burning ɣ ++ + ++ + -
Reduced tillage / no-till ɣ + + + ++ -
Green manures (reduced fallow) ɣ +++ ++ + -
Fertilizer trees (e.g. Faidherbia albida) ɣ +++ +++ +++ +++ -
Conservation agriculture (mulch, no-till, etc.) ɣ ++ ++ ++ ++ --
Conservation ag with fertilizer trees ǂ +++ ++ +++ ++ --
Grain, livestock, and fertilizer tree integrationǂ +++ ++ ++ ++ -
Genetics Improved crop variety (breeding, engineering) ɣ ++ ++ + ++ -
Water use Water pumps for irrigation (petrol)ǂ +++ ++ -- - --
Irrigation techniques (amount, timing, technology) ɣ ++ ++ +/- + --
Microcatchment (e.g. Zai pits, microbasins, terracing)ǂ ++ ++ + --
Rainwater catchment, storage, delivery (e.g. farm ponds) ǂ ++ ++ ++ --
Livestock Rotational grazing ɣ + ++ +++/--- --
Improved breeds ɣ ++ +++/- + --
Stocking density management (i.e. herd size/land area) ɣ + +++ -
Improved feed management (higher feed quality) ɣ ++ + +++/- -
Manure management (e.g. lagoons, barn design) ɣ ++ ++ +++ ++ --
Anaerobic digestion of manure ɣ ++ ++ +++/- ++ --
Rice Midseason drainage of paddies ǂ + ++ +++ + -
Urea deep placement (fertilizer application)ǂ + +/- -- - --
Aerobic rice ǂ + + +++ +
Information Technology Planting date recommendations ɣ ++ ++ + ++
Sentinel warming systems (drought, pests) ɣ + ++ + +

CSA Practices for the Mixed-Maize Agriculture
System
Africa: Maize-mixed Aggregated Assessment
Practices Production Resilience Mitigation
Soil fertility Nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. urea) ǂ +++ +/- -
Integrated nutrient mgmt. (e.g. banding, microdosing) ǂ ++ -
Reduced residue burning ɣ ++ + ++
Reduced tillage / no-till ɣ + + +
Green manures (reduced fallow) ɣ +++ ++
Fertilizer trees (e.g. Faidherbia albida) ɣ +++ +++ ++
Conservation agriculture (mulch, no-till, etc.) ɣ ++ ++ ++
Conservation ag with fertilizer trees ǂ +++ ++ +++
Grain, livestock, and fertilizer tree integrationǂ +++ ++ ++
Genetics Improved crop variety (breeding, engineering) ɣ ++ ++ +
Water use Water pumps for irrigation (petrol)ǂ +++ ++ --
Irrigation techniques (amount, timing, technology) ɣ ++ ++ +/-
Microcatchment (e.g. Zai pits, microbasins, terracing)ǂ ++ ++
Rainwater catchment, storage, delivery (e.g. farm ponds) ǂ ++ ++
Information Technology Planting date recommendations ɣ ++ ++
Sentinel warming systems (drought, pests) ɣ + ++