Climate-smart agriculture practices may now be in use by many farmers to improve food production, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to climate change, but transferring this knowledge to many more farmers in East Africa is a challenge.

An article in the East African reports on a recent meeting between the Kenya Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to develop a joint recommendation on how to roll out climate smart agriculture in Kenya.

The ‘Kenya National Climate Change and Agriculture Workshop: Sharing Evidence and Experience for Decision Making Support on Food Security, Adaptation and Mitigation’ forms part of the East Africa Commission’s (EAC) efforts to address food insecurity in the region.

The EAC is working with FAO, Comesa and SADC to develop terms of reference for a network that will promote food security in the region through climate-smart agriculture practices such as agroforestry, crop residue retention, crop rotation and minimal tillage. This builds on an agreement in 2010 by the 3 regional economic communities to jointly implement a climate change program covering 26 African countries.

The new network will serve as a regional platform through which famers can access knowledge and information about climate smart agriculture. Partner State, says the article, will work to prioritize the scaling up of climate smart technology and facilitate public-private partnerships.

Read the full story: FAO pushes for climate smart farming to curb food insecurity