Africa-Europe scientific collaboration on climate change and agriculture

The United Nations warns that “climate change is costing communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow.” Experts agree that the African continent is particularly vulnerable to climate change and hundreds of millions of lives are at risk of hunger and starvation if Africa is unable to feed its growing population. Research and innovation in the agricultural sector can help Africa feed a growing population in the context of a changing climate but only if investments are made now to build a pipeline of the next generation of research scientists. That is why African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) and Agropolis Fondation supported by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), France’s BNP Paribas Foundation and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have partnered to implement the One Planet Fellowship Programme (OPFP). With a budget of $20 million, this new programme seeks to build a vibrant, highly connected, and intergenerational network of African and European scientist leaders equipped to lead next-generation research focused on helping Africa’s smallholder farmers adapt to a changing climate. Announced at the One Planet Summit in 2017, The One Planet Fellowship is a career accelerator designed to enhance the capacity of high potential agricultural researchers focused on climate change adaptation, by building their leadership, scientific research, networking, and mentoring skills. The InfoPoint session aims to present the various components of the initiative and showcase some early results from the first cohort of Laureates. The event will be the opportunity to share insights on the role of science-career development programmes and how they can help to shape future climate change adaptation strategies and policies in Africa.

To continue the discussion, you can join the Capacity4DEV group:

Food & Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture – ROSA

Speakers

Christophe Larose

Head of sector, INTPA F3- Sustainable Agri-Food systems and Fisheries

Susan Kaaria

Director of AWARD

Marie-Christine Cormier Salem

Director of Agropolis Foundation

Austin Phiri

OPFP Laureate from Malawi

Teresa Murgia

Researcher, University of Sassari (Italy)

Joyce Prisca Njoloma

One Planet Mentor from Malawi