Agriculture remains a central pillar of African economies, employing a large share of the population and contributing significantly to gross domestic product across many countries. Across the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region, however, the sector faces mounting pressure from climate-related disruptions, including recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall patterns, and land degradation that continue to affect productivity and food security.
Against this backdrop, the IGAD convened the Regional Forum on Scaling Climate-Smart Agriculture from March 3 to 4, 2026, at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa. The event was organized through the Food Systems Resilience Program in partnership with the World Bank and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA).
The forum brought together ministers, technical experts and development partners from Eastern and Southern Africa under the banner “CSA Connect Africa.” Discussions focused on expanding climate-smart agriculture beyond pilot initiatives and integrating it into broader regional agricultural and investment frameworks.
Participants examined how policy alignment, regional cooperation and technological innovation could support the expansion of climate-resilient agricultural practices across the continent. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) — an approach that integrates productivity, adaptation and mitigation goals — was a central theme of the dialogue.
The World Bank and partner countries have also developed Food Systems Climate Action Plans (FS-CAPs) to support these efforts. The plans provide analytical assessments, investment priorities and financing pathways intended to guide the adoption of CSA practices. They are designed to integrate with National and Regional Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs and RAIPs).
These frameworks are also linked with continental initiatives including the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP 2026–2035), the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) and Agri-Connect.
Organizers said the integration of these frameworks is intended to strengthen policy coordination and align national climate initiatives with broader regional and continental strategies, while improving the ability of countries to mobilize international investment.
During the forum, officials also highlighted ongoing regional initiatives led by IGAD, including a study on the establishment of Climate-Smart Agriculture centers of excellence and the development of a digital agro-advisory platform aimed at providing farmers with localized climate and agricultural information.
Other initiatives include the establishment of regional fertilizer and soil health hubs under programs jointly implemented by IGAD and CCARDESA. Organizers said the initiatives are intended to support soil management, improve agricultural data systems and strengthen regional coordination on climate-resilient farming.
The forum also sought to promote collaboration among governments, development partners and the private sector, with discussions focused on mobilizing financial resources and expanding cross-border partnerships to support the scaling of climate-smart agriculture.
Ethiopia, like many countries in the region, faces recurring climate-related agricultural challenges. Speaking at the forum, Aweke Mulualem (PhD), Director of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Center at the Agricultural Transformation Institute, said Ethiopia is working to expand climate-resilient agricultural practices across different farming systems.
“In Ethiopia, climate-smart agriculture is part of a broader effort to support farmers, pastoralists and agropastoralists,” he said.
Aweke said the strategy includes land restoration, improved water management, soil health initiatives such as fertilizer blending, the promotion of drought-tolerant crop varieties and the use of digital advisory services designed to provide farmers with timely agricultural information.
He also noted that the World Bank’s Food Systems Climate Action Plan supports these initiatives by outlining potential financing mechanisms and implementation pathways.
“We are making sure that youth and women play key roles in climate-smart agribusinesses, as resilience must also be economically sustainable,” he said.
Aweke added that the establishment of centers of excellence and digital advisory systems could help translate policy frameworks into field-level implementation for farmers, pastoralists and agroforestry practitioners.
Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Bright Kanyotore Rwamirama, also addressed the forum, highlighting food insecurity and the limited adaptive capacity of regional food systems as major development challenges facing Eastern and Southern Africa.
He said climate change requires greater alignment between Food Systems Climate Action Plans and national, regional and continental investment frameworks.
Rwamirama pointed to Uganda’s World Bank-supported agricultural transformation program, valued at approximately USD 350 million, which aims to increase productivity while promoting environmentally sustainable production practices.
The minister called for greater regional cooperation, noting that climate-related disruptions often affect multiple countries simultaneously.
“Climate shocks are transboundary in nature; we cannot succeed working in silence, and a program approach is the way to go sustainably,” Rwamirama said.
Abdoulaye Ibrahim Ag-Idrissa, IGAD’s program manager for land and water management, said agricultural innovation must transcend beyond simple invention to become a verifiable, collective responsibility that drives rural transformation and cross-border policy harmonization aimed at improving rural livelihoods.
“Innovation by itself is not sufficient; we need to scale up and we need to have coordinated solutions to improve lives for vulnerable people,” he said. “Climate-smart agriculture constitutes a collective response to our population and for our future generations.”
Daher Elmi, IGAD’s director of agriculture and environment, said countries in the Horn of Africa are confronting “structural” climate crisis, evidenced by five consecutive failed rainy seasons.
He noted that repeated droughts, declining soil fertility and dependence on imported food and fertilizer have exposed regional economies to global price fluctuations. Elmi said the region also possesses significant agricultural potential, citing large areas of arable land, a young workforce and expanding digital infrastructure that could support the transition toward more climate-resilient farming systems.
According to Elmi, IGAD has launched initiatives including the Digital Agri-Climate Advisory Service and a regional Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub to provide farmers with data, technical support and improved inputs aimed at adapting to climate variability.
Because climate impacts and food systems often extend across national borders, he said, regional coordination and stronger private sector engagement are necessary to expand climate-resilient practices.
“Accelerate technology adoption and delivery systems. Digital advisory services, stress tolerance, seed varieties, water-smart technologies, regenerative soil practices, and private sector value chains must reach farmers faster and at scale,” Elmi said.
A representative from the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) also emphasized the importance of linking national agricultural initiatives with regional and continental frameworks.
The representative outlined three approaches to expanding agricultural innovation: “scaling up,” which focuses on influencing policy and institutional frameworks; “scaling out,” which expands the reach of technologies and practices to more farmers; and “scaling deep,” which addresses social norms and traditional practices that influence agricultural adoption.
“When you bring modern trends, we have to sit down with communities and try to scale deep, dealing with traditions,” the representative said, adding that successful adoption often requires engagement with local customs and community institutions.
The forum concluded with discussions on the role of private sector investment in addressing financing gaps for climate-resilient agriculture. Participants noted that in many African countries roughly 70 percent of rural households depend on agriculture as a primary livelihood.
Ethiopia’s agricultural sector reflects many of the challenges and policy responses discussed during the forum. Government initiatives in recent years have focused on expanding domestic food production and irrigation-based farming.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural Transformation Institute show that Ethiopia’s National Wheat Program reached a new production level by early 2026.
During the first half of the 2025–26 production year, covering the Meher and early Bega seasons, national wheat output reached 12.67 million tons. According to official figures, irrigated wheat cultivation expanded to about 2.7 million hectares, with authorities targeting 4.2 million hectares in the coming seasons.
Cluster farming programs have also been promoted to allow smallholder farmers to combine plots for mechanized harvesting and coordinated distribution of inputs such as fertilizer and improved seed.
The 2025/26 agricultural season is the first full production cycle following recent macroeconomic reforms, including the introduction of a 25 percent tariff on wheat flour imports and a shift toward a market-based foreign exchange system. According to Ministry of Agriculture data, the measures are expected to reduce commercial wheat imports by about 24 percent.
Agricultural conditions, however, remain uneven across the country. Reports of crop failure in parts of East Hararghe and Oromia contributed to food insecurity concerns in early 2026, while rising fertilizer and fuel prices have increased production costs for farmers. In pastoral areas of southern Ethiopia, recovery from earlier drought conditions continues to affect livestock production and rural livelihoods.
