Strengthening Southern Africa’s NDCs to Bolster Farmers’ Interests

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of agriculture in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Southern African countries. It argues that while agriculture is often mentioned, NDCs frequently lack quantifiable commitments, detailed financing plans, and the active inclusion of farmers. The document provides recommendations for strengthening these climate policies to better support farmers' interests and enhance the agency of national farmers' organisations (NFOs).

• Agriculture is a critical economic driver in the SADC region, accounting for approximately 35% of its gross domestic product, 13% of overall export earnings, and 66% of intra-regional trade value, with 70% of the population supported by farming.
• Most Southern African NDCs include agriculture but often lack specific, quantifiable commitments and detailed information on necessary governance mechanisms or the support required for implementation.
• There is a significant gap in financing transparency for agricultural adaptation; only 16 countries globally (12 of which are African) explicitly state financing requirements for this purpose, with Zimbabwe being the only Southern African nation to identify its needs at $35 billion.
• Current NDCs frequently overlook critical social dimensions of the agricultural transition, specifically failing to address the 'youth demographic bulge' and rarely noting gender specifically within the context of agriculture.
• Agricultural emissions and food system impacts are under-addressed in Southern African NDCs, particularly regarding food waste, which contributes 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Farmers and national farmers' organisations (NFOs) are often marginalized in climate policy, typically portrayed as 'passive victims' rather than active agents of change, despite their potential to drive climate action and accountability.
• The document highlights several regional examples of improved policy environments, such as Rwanda's development of an MRV framework for tracking emissions and finance, and the use of multi-stakeholder platforms like the Tanzanian and Zambian Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliances.

APA

Chevallier, R., Mabuza, M., Thornton, P., & Cramer, L. (2021). Strengthening Southern Africa’s NDCs to Bolster Farmers’ Interests. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-Insights-103-chevallier.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy, Majola Mabuza, Philip Thornton, and Laura Cramer. Strengthening Southern Africa’s NDCs to Bolster Farmers’ Interests. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-Insights-103-chevallier.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |last2=Mabuza |first2=Majola |last3=Thornton |first3=Philip |last4=Cramer |first4=Laura |title=Strengthening Southern Africa’s NDCs to Bolster Farmers’ Interests |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=March 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-Insights-103-chevallier.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2021strengthening, author = {Chevallier, Romy and Mabuza, Majola and Thornton, Philip and Cramer, Laura}, title = {{Strengthening Southern Africa’s NDCs to Bolster Farmers’ Interests}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-Insights-103-chevallier.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }