Working Guideline


Working Guideline

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL STRUCTURES TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE (CA) IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION

Text extracted from the report of November 2007 Regional CA Workshop held in Harare

Following group work, plenary presentations and a wide-ranging discussion on structural needs for the promotion of CA in SADC member countries and at regional level, participants agreed

  • that CA National Taskforces be set up, revived or enhanced as necessary in each SADC member state and

  • that a CA Regional Working Group (CA RWG) comprised of representatives from each member country (one Focal Person per country) and coordinated jointly by Martin Ager of the FAO Sub-Regional Harare Office and James Breen (now Irene Kadzere), FAO Regional Emergency Agronomist, be set up.

CA National Taskforce

The CA National Taskforces will be comprised of representatives and implementers of CA in the country (Government, Private Sector, NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, Farmers Unions, UN Agencies, Donors, Global/National Agricultural Research Institutes and Universities).  The Functions of the CA National Task Forces will be (not presented in order of priority):

  1. Provide a forum to facilitate linkages/networks for CA
  2. Facilitate  Training and Adoption of CA
  3. Advocate / Influence Agricultural and other Policy on CA.
  4. Raise issues, such a Gender relationships and how they may influence CA
  5. Advocacy / awareness / Information dissemination
  6. Provide a forum for debate and facilitate  further reflective learning
  7. Recommended Strategy / Protocols for Facilitation / Roll out of a CA
  8. Ensure that CA Principles / protocols are clearly defined
  9. Define and facilitate resourcing of CA and research studies as required
  10. General Guidelines as to composition of Task Force
  11. Facilitate  further learning

The Terms of Reference (TORs) for Focal Persons are to:

  1. Liaise with national and regional FAO, MoA and relevant authorities
  2. Identify CA stakeholders in the country
  3. Catalyze the establishment, resuscitation or enhancement, as needed, of the local CA National Taskforce

CA Regional Working Group (CARWG)

There was a lively discussion on the work and composition of the proposed Regional Task Force on CA and it should carry out the following activities and tasks:

  • Act as a (regional) Focal Point for CA
  • Encourage research and education on CA
  • Work closely with ACT and build on ACT experience
  • Act as a facilitator/catalyst for raising funds
  • Have a good working relationship with all national CA Task Forces
  • Learn lessons from CA Networks that have failed in the past
  • Include senior Ministry of Agriculture staff who have a clear and demonstrated interest in CA
  • Should network at country level, especially with private companies supplying agriculture to include CA equipment in their inventories.
  • Build capacity and coordination of CA implementation within the region
  • Be accepted and recognized by the SADC Council of Ministers
  • Nominees for membership of the Regional Task Force should be of sufficient stature to be able to work with Ministers and should be committed to CA expansion.
  • Act as an advisory body
  • Meet once a year
  • Lobby actively and widely for funding of CA expansion
  • Link actively with Global and other regional bodies in promoting CA
  • Involve the corporate world in expanding CA
  • Make presentations to donors and international financing institutions such as the World Bank
  • Investigate the possibilities for Carbon Trading
  • Must be closely linked to SADC, SAKSS and FANRPAN