initiative
Initiative for
The adaptation of African agriculture
to climate change
Presentation of the AAA Initiative
The AAA Initiative: An African Initiative for Africa
Launched ahead of the COP22 organized in Morocco, the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) aims to reduce the vulnerability of Africa and its agriculture to climate change. Its objective is to place the Adaptation of African Agriculture at the heart of climate debates and negotiations, and to attract a significant part of the climate funds. In terms of proposed solutions, the AAA initiative aims to contribute to the deployment of specific agricultural projects to improve soil management, agricultural water control, climate risk management and capacity building and financing solutions.
The initiative is an important response not only to climate change but also to food insecurity.
In fact, the AAA Initiative responds to the call of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by assisting african countries to operationalize their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The AAA initiative has been endorsed by the African Union as a major tool for channeling climate finance and for implementing projects to enable African agriculture to cope with climate change.
The AAA Initiative is governed by its annual Ministerial Conference of African Ministers of Agriculture. The Second AAA Ministerial Conference, held in November 2019 in the Kingdom of Morocco, reiterated its support for the AAA Initiative to coordinate Africa's efforts to adapt agriculture to climate change in order to achieve food security.
The AAA initiative is currently supported by 38 African countries and a strong coalition of international partners from the finance, agricultural development, scientific research and private sectors.
The AAA Initiative member countries are : Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritius, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, and Zambia.
Under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the AAA initiative has been managed since January 2019 by a dedicated foundation, which is mandated to implement the set objectives, but also to provide assistance, advice, capacity building and technical support to policy makers, local institutions, project developers and farmers in Africa.
Challenges
African agriculture, a vital sector that accounts for between 25 and 35% of direct employment, depending on the countries, and which generates the income of nearly 70% of the african population, is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change but also provides important solutions to combat climate change.
Africa has the strengths to make qualitative progress and position itself as a pioneer of tomorrow's innovations, thus opening up a huge pool of employment. It is estimated that with climate-friendly agricultural practices, Africa's annual agricultural production could triple from US$ 280 billion to US$ 880 billion by 2030.
Africa can demonstrate through its agriculture that it is fully able to adapt to climate change and is able to respond with greater resilience to the challenges of productivity and sustainable development to ensure food security.
Although it is responsible for less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is minimal compared to developed countries, the african continent faces enormous challenges in terms of adapting to climate change, in an already difficult context of weak economic and social development, threatened natural resources, demographic pressure and food insecurity :
According to a European Commission report (2014), the negative effects of climate change are reducing Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) by about 1.4 % to date and entail adaptation costs of up to 3 percent of GDP per year by 2030.
Six of the ten countries most affected by climate change in the world are in Africa, 65% of Africa's population is directly affected, and the continent already has more than 10 million climate refugees.
2/3 of Africa's arable land could be lost by 2025 due to climate change, worsening the effects of inappropriate human practices (overexploitation of land, use of inappropriate techniques, poor water control, etc).
According to some estimates, even if global warming were limited to 2°C , land degradation and loss of soil productive capacity would worsen and agricultural yields could fall by 20% by 2050.
Objectives
The AAA Initiative is supported by the "AAA Initiative Foundation" to ensure its effective implementation. The main objectives are :
to advocate for the vulnerability of African agriculture to climate change and, in particular, for adaptation.
To be a force of proposal to African public authorities in order to include, as a priority, projects related to the adaptation of African agriculture to climate change in their public policies.
Promote discussion and exchange of ideas on the issue of adaptation of African agriculture to climate change, including through the organization of events, meetings, seminars, conferences and international debates, as well as the production and publication of scientific and strategic studies and works.
provide assistance, advice, expertise, evaluation, audit and inspection services on the adaptation of African agriculture to climate change and all related strategic issues.
Facilitate access to investors, development partners, donors or funders for project initiators on the adaptation of African agriculture to climate change.
Supporting project initiators in the preparation and presentation of their projects to investors and donors.
Promote bilateral, regional and international cooperation between African organizations in charge of strategic issues related to the adaptation of African agriculture to climate change.
Foster the emergence of strategic coalitions and partnerships (with states, non-governmental organizations, private actors, funds, etc.) in engaging in climate change adaptation in African agriculture.
Governance
Three governing bodies support and orient the actions and projects of the AAA Initiative :
The Annual Conference of Ministers of Agriculture:
It has the mandate to provide guidance on the alignment of priorities and public policies of African countries, to improve the visibility of the needs of African countries in adapting agriculture to climate change and to increase the visibility of action.
To date, 38 African countries have joined the AAA Initiative and sit on the Annual Conference:
Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Côte d'Ivoire
Chad
Congo
Egypt
Ethiopia
Eswatini
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
R.D. du Congo
Rwanda
Senegal
Seychelles
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Zambia
The Board of Directors :
It plays the role of operational steering and decision making. It is composed of representatives of financial institutions, the private sector, eminent international experts and high ranking personalities.
Mr. Aziz Akhannouch,
Minister of Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests -Kingdom of Morocco Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AAA Foundation.
Mr. Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly,
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire , Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the AAA Foundation and President of the FAO Regional Conference of Ministers of Agriculture.
Professeur Shenggen Fan,
Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC.
Mr. Ahmed Réda Chami,
President of the Economic and Social Council of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Mr. Akinwumi Adesina,
President of the African Development Bank.
Professeur Rattan Lal,
Eminent professor at Ohio State University and Nobel Prize in Soil.
Mr. Tariq Sijilmassi,
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group Credit Agricole du Maroc.
Mrs. Agnes Kalibata,
President of Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa.
Mr. Hicham Belmrah,
President of the Executive Board Moroccan Agricultural Mutuelle of Insurance.
Mr. Juergen Voegele,
Senior Director of Agriculture at the World Bank.
Mr. Mohcine Jazouli,
Minister Delegate of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - responsible for African Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Mr Audu Ogbeh,
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Nigeria.
Mr. Seyni Nafo,
AAA Foundation Secretary General, AAI Technical Coordinator Spokesperson for the African Climate Negotiators Group.
The Scientific Committee
It plays a role of expertise and technical and scientific advice (validation of project development methodologies, ad hoc support for project development and support for research projects). It also ensures scientific and technological watch.
Partnerships
Discover all the supports of the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change.
The Initiative AAA Foundation has engaged with a diverse set of stakeholders in African agriculture to form key partnerships that will ensure that the AAA initiative effectively implements its mandate.
Some of these partnerships have been formalized or are in the process of being finalized in Memoranda of Understanding.
Technical and financial partners
Private Sector
NGO
