African scientists support critical steps to align agricultural policies with global climate goals

Across Africa, scientists, policymakers, and development actors are converging around a shared urgency: ensuring the continent’s agricultural systems are resilient, productive, and aligned with global climate ambitions. At the center of this effort is a growing ecosystem of science-policy platforms, supported by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other institutions.

One of the most influential of these platforms is the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES), a think tank founded in 2015 to provide scientific evidence and technical support to African negotiators participating in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes. Since its inception, AGNES has played a pivotal role in strengthening Africa’s voice in global climate negotiations, particularly on agriculture, a sector that underpins livelihoods across the continent.

ILRI has been a long-standing partner to AGNES, supporting its evolution into a credible science-policy interface. Through sustained investment in convening, research, and capacity strengthening, ILRI has helped ensure that African climate negotiators are equipped with the technical evidence and coordination needed to effectively articulate the continent’s priorities on the global stage—including for climate-resilient agriculture, adaptation, and financing.

“When you look at the national climate action plans that we have contributed to, we used research especially from ILRI and from our national research systems. Working with CGIAR has helped us to get information that can inform new policies,” said Bernard Kimoro, head of sustainable livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development MoALD (Kenya).    

In addition, ILRI has supported AGNES in developing its Climate Governance, Diplomacy and Negotiations Leadership Program, which has trained over 1,000 specialists to date. The course equips participants with the skills needed to engage in climate policy processes, while strengthening the science-policy interface across the continent. To expand access, ILRI has also supported AGNES to make the course materials publicly available.  

From commitments to transformation

According to analysis by AGNES, climate impacts could shrink national GDPs in the region by 1.6% and reduce agricultural productivity by 6% by 2050. At the same time, climate variability is disrupting traditional pastoral systems, intensifying competition over land and water, and contributing to conflict, especially in arid and semi-arid lands.  

Recognizing that agriculture has historically been underrepresented in climate negotiations, AGNES, with support from ILRI, has worked to bring agricultural expertise to global negotiation tables, including UNFCCC Conference of the Parties meetings.  

African countries are now entering a new phase of climate ambition, submitting updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the 2031–2035 period. Unlike earlier iterations, the latest NDCs move beyond generic agricultural interventions to embrace a whole-system approach. They integrate mitigation and adaptation across the entire agri-food value chain, reflecting a deeper understanding of the interconnected challenges facing the sector. AGNES has shaped the structured, science-driven dialogue by African countries.  

With ILRI’s support, AGNES convenes biannual strategy meetings, where experts, negotiators, and policymakers come together to develop common African positions ahead of international climate negotiations. These meetings ensure that African delegations enter global forums with unified, evidence-based perspectives.

The institute has also supported AGNES in producing key technical resources, including a report on livestock management systems under climate change, which outlines current realities and future scenarios for the sector across Africa. Researchers also contributed to the development of A New Narrative for African Livestock, a publication that reframes livestock systems as opportunities for climate resilience, economic growth, and sustainable development rather than solely as sources of emissions.

The resulting climate committments for the 2031–2035 period  by countries such as Kenya and Rwanda are much more robust, ambitious, and context-specific, said ILRI scientist Laura Cramer. 

What defines Africa’s new NDCs?

In the new commitments, adaptation remains at the core, with countries prioritizing measures to address food insecurity, drought, and flooding, and acknowledging there may be irreversible impacts on agricultural systems and rural livelihoods, said Cramer.

Mitigation efforts focus heavily on agriculture, forestry, and other land use, which accounts for approximately 65% of emissions across the continent.  

Countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana among others are already demonstrating this ambition through enhanced targets, integration of green growth strategies, and the adoption of nature-based solutions.  

Kenya’s enhanced NDC (2025/2026) aims for a 32% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with a major focus on the agricultural sector. Ghana will address agricultural productivity by integrating forest protection with cocoa farming, shifting to sustainable practices that improve yield without expanding into forests. In its updated NDC, Rwanda prioritized agriculture, which accounts for 55% of its total emissions, with a strong focus on mitigation and adaptation through soil and livestock management.

Bridging global ambition and local realities

While AGNES operates at the continental and global level, complementary efforts are underway at national level. In Kenya, ILRI has played a significant role in supporting the Climate Smart Agriculture Multi-Stakeholder Platform (CSA MSP), an inclusive forum that brings together government, researchers, private sector actors, and civil society.

Launched in 2018 during an inaugural meeting at ILRI, the platform is chaired by the Climate Change Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and guided by a 20-member steering committee. Members meet regularly to coordinate climate action, align stakeholder efforts, and inform national policy processes.

ILRI’s support has included facilitating quarterly meetings, contributing to the development of a five-year strategic plan, and actively participating in the platform’s steering committee. Support from other member organizations has even cascaded down to the county level, with a growing number of county platforms serving similar functions at a subnational level. The model has proven influential, inspiring similar multi-stakeholder platforms in Ethiopia and Zambia.

Together, AGNES and the Kenya CSA MSP illustrate how coordinated action across scales can help bridge the gap between international climate commitments and on-the-ground implementation. Through sustained collaboration, inclusive dialogue, and evidence generation and sharing, ILRI is supporting African countries to increasingly align their agricultural systems with global climate goals, while improving the livelihoods of the continent’s most vulnerable people.