Johannesburg-South Africa—The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) convened a consultative meeting wards the revision of its revised Long-Term Strategic Plan (LTSP) and Medium-Term Operational Plan (MTOP) for the period spanning 2025-2029. The gathering, graced by experts, former and current board members, and regional stakeholders, reflects CCARDESA’s commitment to advancing agricultural priorities across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
This process follows a process in 2019 where CCARDESA developed a 10-year Long-Term Strategic Plan (LTSP) (2020-2029) with a long-term vision and a 5-year Medium-term Operational (MTOP) (2021-2025) to guide its operational planning processes. The two documents were revised due to global and regional developments in the agricultural landscape, which required the documents to be refreshed. These developments include, among others, the COVID-19 pandemic, the geopolitical conflicts that have impacted agricultural value chains, and the emergence of global and continental priorities such as the Food Systems Agenda, the Soil Initiative for Africa, and the post-Malabo Agenda as well as the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP)(2020 -2030).
The session commenced with opening remarks by Dr. Frank Kayula, Chair of the Programmes Committee on CCARDESA’s Board. Emphasizing CCARDESA's mandate, Dr. Kayula reiterated the importance of developing dynamic and relevant strategies that cater to the evolving challenges in regional and global agriculture. “CCARDESA is tasked with setting the regional agricultural research and development agenda. Developing responsive strategies is critical, especially considering the current challenges impacting food security and family nutrition across the region,” he asserted.
The CCARDESA Executive Director, Professor Cliff Dlamini, thanked the attendees for supporting these strategic objectives, underscoring the significance of collective commitment to CCARDESA’s mission.
Dr. Baitsi Podisi, CAADP-XP4 Programme Coordinator, outlined the meeting’s objectives: to review the consultant-prepared draft plans and receive stakeholder input to enrich the draft documents.
Dr. Misheck Mulumba, a noted veterinary expert from Zambia, urged governments to rethink their funding strategies and challenge dependency on donor funds. “National governments must innovate their funding for agricultural research to achieve self-reliance. We must go beyond “thinking outside the box” and start acting as though there’s no box at all,” Dr. Mulumba advised. He celebrated CCARDESA’s new emphasis on priorities that were poorly covered by CCARDESA’s past interventions. These priority areas, which SADC agriculture ministers endorsed, include forestry, apiculture, aquaculture, and livestock— reflecting a shift applauded by attendees.
Including diverse voices was a prominent theme as Ms Saquina Macavele from a Women's Organisation in Mozambique called for explicit integration of gender and youth considerations, emphasizing the need to tailor strategies that address women, youth, and marginalized communities' unique needs. “Clear affirmative actions should not be overlooked; otherwise, these groups risk being left behind,” she cautioned. Ms Saquina Macavele said, “We need to disaggregate data when consulting women and youth to ensure their unique needs are recognized and addressed. Additionally, researchers must follow up with results—why continue funding if the outcomes don’t serve the intended targets?”
Some delegates highlighted essential improvements for the organization’s regional impact. Dr. Nteranya Chikoye from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) emphasized the importance of aligning with private sector interests and linking productivity to markets due to limited government funding. Kristian Bheenick from Mauritius called for extension services central to CCARDESA’s work, distinguishing it from other SROs as a representative body for the SADC Member States. Dr. Patricia Masikati from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) urged for a stronger dissemination system. At the same time, Climate Scientist Mr Emmanuel Dlamini stressed coordinated climate data collection. Mr. Joe Mzinga from the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) asked for clearer support for smallholder farmers, and Dr. Mulumba proposed setting national research priorities, taking cues from the approach adopted by the veterinary fraternity in the prioritization of regional areas of interventions informed by national priorities.
Ms Anesu Mawire from USAID pushed for cross-border dissemination of developed technologies, and Mr. Martin Sekeleti of AFAAS called for better alignment with Post-Malabo goals, and Mr. Gcina Dlamini, a representative of the Young Platform for an Africa-Europe Partnership for Agricultural Research for Development (Y-PARD)-Eswatini, recommended university partnerships to support rural communities. Lastly, representatives like Professor Marwa Nyankomo, Consultant, Dr Lefulesele Lebesa, the Director of Research from Lesotho, and Dr Charity Kruger from the National Agricultural Research and Development Institution (NARDI) stressed the need for partnerships in technology, inclusion of marginalized groups, and a focus on measurable outcomes for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and precision farming.
Echoing the importance of sustainable research investment, a delegate pointed out the need for policymakers to prioritize long-term research over immediate agricultural inputs. “Fast results drive funding preferences, but we must encourage forward-thinking policies that secure long-term research investment. CCARDESA should coordinate funding streams to balance immediate needs with future-oriented research,” he urged.
As CCARDESA continues its transformation journey, its comparative advantage as a convening power within SADC was highlighted. With this regional influence, CCARDESA has the unique position to harmonize national agricultural priorities into a cohesive regional agenda, providing substantial support to National Agricultural Research Systems (NARES).
Data management, climate change funding, and digital innovation also emerged as essential elements of the discussion. Mr Emmanuel Dlamini highlighted the importance of coordinated data management across national levels, while delegates from Lesotho called for integrating artificial intelligence and digitization into CCARDESA’s strategic plan. Dr. Agumya emphasized that policy alignment should be central to CCARDESA’s work, stating, “Policy should be a guiding force in CCARDESA’s strategy, solidifying its role as a facilitator and coordinator rather than taking over member states’ implementation roles.” He also suggested emphasizing CCARDESA’s achievements with a clear value proposition.
Additionally, a consensus emerged around updating the document to clearly outline CCARDESA’s achievements, mandate, and objectives, ensuring this pivotal document is comprehensive and accessible.
As the meeting concluded, CCARDESA left with valuable insights and actionable feedback, solidifying the foundation of its LTSP and MTOP. With solid backing from SADC Member states and regional/continental stakeholders, CCARDESA stands poised to drive impactful agricultural transformation across Southern Africa in the years ahead.
Before the stakeholder engagement meeting, the CCARDESA staff made their inputs to the CCARDESA Governance Manual to align it to the proposed organizational structure to support the implementation of the proposed Draft Strategic Plan. The Human Resources Interim Head, Mrs Lerang Maruping, led this process. This allowed the Secretariat Staff to review the documents before they were submitted for consideration by the Board.
