Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa

The Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development (CCARDESA) is a Sub-Regional Research Organisation established in 2010 by SADC Member States to coordinate agricultural research and development in the SADC region. CCARDESA was formally launched in July 2011 and became operational in 2013. It partners with national, regional, and continental institutions to advance the regional agricultural research and development agenda. 

Objectives

The objectives of CCARDESA are:

1. To coordinate and promote collaboration among regional and National Agricultural Research and Development Systems (NARS) through regional and international cooperation.
2. To facilitate the exchange of information and technology among the Member States.
3. To promote partnerships in the SADC region between public, private, civil society and international organizations in R&D.
4. To improve agricultural technology generation, dissemination and adoption in the region through collective efforts, training, and capacity building.
5. To strengthen research and development in States Parties by mobilising human, financial and technological resources to implement and sustain demand-driven activities.

Strategic Plans and Themes

CCARDESA is managed by a secretariat which reports to the Board. Since its inception, CCARDESA has received massive support from the Board of Directors and its operations have been guided by strategies embedded in the Medium-Term Operation Plan. Recently CCARDESA reviewed its Medium-Term Operation Plan to bring it update with the recently developed long term (10 years) Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan sets out the goals and visions while describing the general approach through which the goals, strategies and vision will be realized. To advance the research and development agenda and ensure that CCARDESA delivers on its mandate 6 thematic areas were carefully selected and included in the strategic plan. These are:

Agricultural productivity and food and nutrition security

This thematic area deals with promotion of agricultural productivity and food security in the SADC region. CCARDESA advances the research agenda coupled with supporting the generation and release of new agricultural technologies while at the same time improving the existing ones to promote agricultural productivity food and nutrition security. CCARDESA promotes climate resilience and various other technologies suitable to the region and responds to the challenges such as diseases and pests that the region is currently facing. Resilience to emerging agricultural risks: environmental, climate change and transboundary pests and diseases

Like the rest of the world, CCARDESA has not been spared from the shocks arising from changes in the climate due to global warming. The region has experienced increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones and excess rainfall. To cushion the farming systems from such shocks, CCARDESA implements climate resilience activities and programmes to mitigate and adapt to climate change. CCARDESA conducts capacity building activities for supporting the farmers to improve the resilience of their production systems to climate change. Innovative approaches that improve the preparedness of the value chain actors to future events are supported. This includes foresighting.  

Commercialisation of the agricultural sector and market access 

CCARDESA works towards clear identification and removal of the market-related barriers which hinder the economic progression of the Smallholder farmers. The SADC Regional Agricultural Policy (RAP), which informs CCARDESA's implementation plan, recognises the importance of improved domestic and regional agricultural markets in determining the competitiveness of the region's agriculture and improving incomes for the farmers. Graduation of farmers from small scale to commercial, as well as getting access to agricultural markets are among the priorities of CCARDESA.

Women, youth and social inclusion

Inclusiveness is important in the agricultural sector. This thematic area recognises that women and youth make essential contributions to the agricultural and rural economies in the SADC region and play crucial roles in contributing to food security. In all of its programmes, CCARDESA ensures that women and youth are included to set them on the same pedestal with other players in the agricultural sector. Women provide about 43% of the labour for agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding other household work. Hence CCARDESA's interest in strengthening their capacity so that their livelihood is improved.

Knowledge and information management, communication and policy support

This thematic area strives to retain CCARDESA’s position as a knowledge broker of agricultural information and research  in the SADC region. To counter the dearth of agricultural knowledge in the region, CCARDESA provides up to date information which is intended to support member states to make data-based decisions. CCARDESA hosts one of the most active knowledge management system in the SADC region which was developed in 2014 and has undergone a series of improvements. This is a dynamic website(ccardesa.org) with clients from all over the world with the majority coming from the SADC region. CCARDESA also leads an active discussion groups (Dgroups), has an interactive Facebook and has also a Mobile Learning Application designed explicitly for extension workers who directly support farmers. The Mobile App has practical knowledge products, quizzes and discussions that address the urgent and daily information needs of the farmers and the extension. The Mobile App is available on google play store for both android and apple users.

Capacity strengthening of CCARDESA and AR4D institutions

This thematic area deals with building the capacity of technical officers, farmers, women and youth aimed at improving their skills to better carry out their day to day duties in the field of agricultural development. To bridge the gap that exists as a result of the dearth of agricultural practical skills and knowledge, CCARDESA runs several training programmes which are designed and delivered to different target groups in improving their knowledge and skills in various areas. The training includes short and long term provided to farmers as well as staff in the public sector.

Strategic Partnership

Since inception CCARDESA has created and continues to create strategic partnerships and strengthen existing ones in order to deliver on its mandate. All partnership agreements are aligned to the objectives and functions of CCARDESA as prescribed in the charter. CCARDESA has strong partnerships with the private sector, public sector, Inter-governmental organisations, farmer organisations, UN Agencies, national and international research organisations, regional economic communities (RECs) regional organisations, commodity networks and NGOs.

Beneficiaries

Some of the direct beneficiaries of CCARDESA implementation include, the private sector, Directorates of Research, Directorates of Extension, National agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (NAKIS), Policymakers, Academia, Research institution and universities. The ultimate and indirect beneficiaries are the rural poor comprising smallholder farmers, women and youth agri-preneurs and pastoralists, as well as marginalized communities.