Nairobi:An agricultural research and extension programme, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP-XP4), has successfully reached over 12,000 farmers across various African regions, providing them with improved technologies and innovations. These efforts are aimed at enhancing productivity, fortifying food security, and increasing resilience to climate change.
According to Kenya News Agency, the CAADP-XP4 initiative, which concluded on September 30, 2026, spanned seven years and involved collaboration among five regional and continental agricultural research and advisory organisations. The programme’s focus was on strengthening institutional capacities, promoting technology transfers, and enhancing agricultural service delivery to farmers.
The programme also successfully mobilised additional resources amounting to 4.08 million euros to support agricultural research and technology initiatives in participating countries. Dr. Sylvester Baguma, Executive Director of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), highlighted the programme’s achievements in fostering collaboration among agricultural institutions and scaling up successful technologies.
Innovations such as insect-based technology for converting organic waste into animal feed were among the advancements promoted. This approach not only reduces feed costs for poultry, livestock, and pig production but also addresses waste management issues. Each participating regional organisation reached at least 3,000 farmers, benefiting more than 12,000 individuals across the programme’s regions.
Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), emphasized the programme’s role in enhancing agricultural research, innovation, and extension systems from continental to national levels. This has empowered institutions to develop policies and technologies that improve farmers’ productivity and resilience to various challenges.
The initiative also recognized the importance of farmer-centred innovation. Dr. Lilian Lihasi, Executive Director of the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), noted the critical role of equipping farmer leaders with skills to share information and demonstrate innovations within their communities. This peer-to-peer knowledge sharing has become an important approach to improving the uptake of agricultural technologies.
In addition to strengthening seed systems and training young people in specialized agricultural centres, the programme also focused on promoting climate-smart agriculture in Southern Africa. Dagmore Tawonezvi, Acting Executive Director and Head of Mission at the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), highlighted the adoption of solar-powered irrigation systems that enable smallholder farmers to diversify crops despite climate challenges.
The regional leaders have called for continued investment from development partners and national governments to scale up the technologies and innovations developed under the programme. They stressed the need for follow-up initiatives to consolidate the gains made, particularly in the face of increasing climate-related risks and persistent challenges in finance and market access for African farmers.
The CAADP-XP4 programme was a continental initiative funded by the European Union (EU) and managed through the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), designed to fortify agricultural research, education, and extension across Africa, ultimately driving food security, economic growth, climate change mitigation, and poverty reduction.
