Capacity building workshop on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in Agriculture and Agroprocessing
The SA Industry Adaptation (SAIA) project hosted a well-attended capacity building workshop on climate change adaptation and resilience in agriculture and agroprocessing in Gqeberha on 3 December 2024.
The programme included welcoming messages from the Department of Trade and Industry (the dtic), the Delegation of Flanders in Southern Africa and UNIDO, followed by presentations from industry, government institutions and academia, including the Agricultural Research Council, the CSIR, Taylormade Water Solutions and the University of Johannesburg. Representatives from the Flemish research institution VITO shared international experiences and lessons. The programme was also enriched by active participation by the audience.
Attendees walked away with a deeper understanding of local climate risks and vulnerabilities, practical climate resilient agricultural and processing skills, insights into the role of innovation in addressing climate challenges through local and international case studies – and extremely useful new connections.
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About the SAIA project
Overarching development objective: To accelerate the transition to a green economy, a decarbonized industry, and a vibrant and inclusive job market in South Africa. This will lead to a reduced environmental footprint of industry, higher climate resilience and the creation of green jobs.
Focus: Water and energy nexus projects in the agro-processing sector.
The project addresses the barriers that are currently hampering an accelerated adoption of measures and technologies on climate adaptation, and enables the private sector to capitalize on the opportunities to shift towards a green economy. This is being done through:
- technology upgrades in pilot enterprises in order to showcase the benefits of a climate-resilient approach in an industrial context;
- nurturing the green innovation potential in industry to trigger a continued innovation dynamic; and
- strengthening strategic partnerships with academia, industry and umbrella organizations to sustain and scale-up climate-resilient approaches across the economy.
The project is implemented by UNIDO, in collaboration with the National Cleaner Production Centre – South Africa (NCPC-SA) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). It is funded by the Government of Flanders.
