Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa

"Building resilient food systems across the SADC region."

The Southern Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) supports countries in the SADC region in building climate-resilient food systems, improving agricultural productivity, and strengthening regional collaboration. The implementing countries include Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania, and Comoros.

Through these partnerships, FSRP aims to enhance regional food security and strengthen value chains across key commodities while promoting the adoption of climate-smart agriculture.

In the SADC region, at least 60% of 364 million people from the 16 member states depend directly or indirectly on agricultural activities for their livelihoods. However, primary production in this sector predominantly takes place under rain-fed conditions by smallholder farmers. Productivity among smallholders has been declining due to a number of reasons, including climate change, low adaptive capacity, and degradation of the natural resource base that supports agricultural production.

PDO-level indicator

Project Components

[Re-] building resilient productive capacity;
Supporting sustainable development of natural resources in agricultural landscape;
Getting to market;
Promoting a greater focus on food systems resilience in national and regional policymaking;
Contingent emergency response component (CERC);
Project management.

The role of CCARDESA under FSRP

CCARDESA is a subsidiary organization of SADC which was established in 2010 by the SADC Member States as a specialized implementing body for issues of agricultural research and development of Southern Africa. CCARDESA will contribute to the implementation of the FSRP through coordinating the regional actions and facilitating the national actions in Madagascar and other countries that will join. CCARDESA will contribute through:

Technically backstopping and coordinating the development of climate and other information systems and developing joint research initiatives at the regional level.
Disseminating climate-adapted agricultural technologies and innovation systems by strengthening existing regional research centers and establishing new national and regional research centers.
Providing support to the development of competitive agri-food value chains and well-functioning marketing infrastructure; and fully utilising the provisions of the AfCTA and other intraregional trade and value addition opportunities.
Supporting national government agencies and regional organizations in ways that pertain to high-level policies, initiatives, institutional arrangements, and even budgeting decisions that have cross-cutting relevance to food systems resilience. CCARDESA will support participating countries and other SADC member states in harmonizing country polities with international and regional cooperation frameworks, agricultural quality standards, and food safety protocols. CCARDESA will also support the preparation of regional policies and regulations to increase regional flows of agricultural goods and inputs, and to consolidate the regional food reserve system.
Convening key meetings of the FSRP for project management, policy dialogues, technical discussions and information sharing.
Supporting the development of information-sharing platforms and use the CCARDESA ICKM to disseminate information to a wide range of stakeholders.
Providing supportive conditions for monitoring, evaluation and learning processes for participating countries and stakeholders.
Encouraging the rationalization and harmonization of policies, procedures, and regulations that support the development of resilient food systems; including the management of studies that generate information for decision making.