Strengthening Evidence-Based Climate Change Adaptation Policies (SECCAP)

Donor: International Development Research Institute.

The overall objective of the project is to enhance the capacity of policy analysts and scientists in the fields of agriculture, climate and socio-economics to collectively build a strong base of evidence on cropping systems to inform adaptation policies and investment decisions.

Project Milestones

• To generate solid scientific understanding of downscaled climate scenarios for three focal districts in Swaziland, Lesotho and Malawi;
• To integrate downscaled climate scenarios with crop growth and adaptation models, and with district-wide household vulnerability information;
• To determine the socio-economic feasibility of recommended cropping options;
• To contextualize the knowledge generated and to help develop appropriate policy recommendations, in particular the finalization of the Swaziland National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), the implementation of the Lesotho and Malawi NAPA priorities in agriculture, and the local implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP); and
• To transfer the knowledge generated across a wide range of beneficiaries, from decision makers to local communities.

Project Deliverables

• Strengthened scientific, expertise and local knowledge;
• Strengthened partnership and networking on adaptation research among different institutions, including local and international universities and research centres;
• Strengthened methodology for assessing adaptation investment options using integrated models (combining climate, crop, productivity and livelihoods);
• Cropping adaptation options ranked on the basis of feasibility (climate, cost benefit and policy);
• Evidence-based African positions on adaptation are visible and amplified;
• Knowledge generated on household vulnerability for cropping adaptation for Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland;
• Strengthened multi-stakeholder/trans-disciplinary national and regional policy dialogue platforms; and NAPAS developed/revised/implemented on the basis of evidence produced.