COMESA-EAC –SADC Climate Initiative

1. COMESA-EAC –SADC Climate Initiative Climate, Agriculture, Land Use, and Livelihoods By Chikakula Miti Coordinator -COMESA

2. Plenty to fear as climate changes African Forestry Sector Critical to Climate Change Debate Climate Change 'Poses Drought Risk for Africa' Environment Concerns Rising Among CEOs Europe Must Admit Africa to the Carbon Trading Club Ghanaians warned of extreme weather conditions Forestry Sector Critical to Climate Change Debate Global carbon market set to explode in next decade Africa must not ignore agriculture, says IMF chief Africa: Carbon Credit Trade Already Worth $5 Billion Carbon credits paid to preserve forest

3. The COMESA Logic Agriculture: • Lead sector for overall growth in Africa • Most important form of land use in Sub-Saharan Africa • Significant pressures on land use and livelihoods • Driven by human and natural threats Climate Change: • Intensifies and speeds up these pressures • Adds a new dimension of variability and change • Driven by human and natural threats

4. And it is this dual focus on human and natural threats that constitute the conceptual basis of COMESA’s thinking, approach, strategy and programs regarding climate, agriculture, land use and livelihoods.

5. Two Perspectives on Climate Change? • Adaptation • Land use change (LULUCF) Africa OECD • Mitigation • Deforestation (REDD) Forest Forest-buffer zones Forest-agricultural lands

6. Bringing Perspectives Together CAADP addresses the climate challenge by: • enhancing biodiversity through sustainable agriculture and agroforestry • safeguarding the productivity of farms through SLWM But, recognizing climate change, both local and global, as a threat to these objectives, by • using these same approaches as adaptation strategies to climate change. And, recognizing the role that carbon plays in land use, as well as in the global climate regime, by •  linking mitigation strategies, especially carbon sequestration, to these goals. 

7. The COMESA Partnership Political Platform: • COMESA –EAC-SADC Summit, Council of Ministers, Member Countries, Climate Working Group • CAADP Country Roundtables, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Congo DR • ICRAF, CIFOR, WWF, IFPRI, MSU, wide range of other African Institutions • AfDB, Proposed Africa Carbon Finance mechanism Country Platforms: Technical Platforms: Financial Platforms:

8. The COMESA Climate Initiative Measurement & Monitoring : Development and deployment of an advanced prototype for measuring and monitoring carbon sequestration and co-benefits for sustainable land management projects Best Practice: Development and deployment of a “toolbox” of best practices for sustainable agriculture, land management and related livelihood strategies Institutions & Policy: Identification of the institutional and policy innovations and reforms necessary to create an enabling environment for sustainable agriculture and better land management practices Strengthening and collaborating: with economic and social institutions to build the political and institutional infrastructure necessary to conserve and protect African landscapes by Political Platforms: COMESA-EAC-SADC Summit, Council of Ministers, Member Countries, Climate Working Group Country Platforms : CAADP country roundtables, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia Financial Platforms: ICRAF, CIFOR, WWF, IFPRI, MSU, wide range of African Institutions Learning & Outreach: AfDB, IFC, TerraGlobal Capital, and Gulf, South Africa, and global investors Supplying :  scientific knowledge, frameworks and tools to assess and develop agricultural and climate-sensitive investments in African landscapes institutional and policy options for establishing the conditions for sustainable, climate-sensitive management of African landscapes guidance for more effective decision-making by commercial farmers, small holders, pastoralists, project developers and managers on African landscapes