IGAD Kicks Off Regional Meeting to Launch Digital Agro-Climate Advisory Services Knowledge Network

On May 5, 2025 324

Addis Ababa, May 5, 2025 (FMC) — A three-day regional meeting aimed at launching the IGAD Digital Agro-Climate Advisory Services (DACAS) Knowledge Network officially opened today in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia, bringing together delegates from IGAD Member States, technical partners, and stakeholders.

The opening event marked a significant step toward fostering regional cooperation on digital climate advisory services designed to enhance agricultural resilience and food security across Eastern Africa.

Organized under the framework of the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), the meeting is being held in collaboration with the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) and with funding from the World Bank.

Welcoming participants, representatives from IGAD and the host country underlined the importance of coordinated efforts to address climate-related challenges affecting food systems.

The event builds on a series of consultations held in 2024 and early 2025 and is expected to result in the formal approval of the Terms of Reference and Action Plan for the DACAS Knowledge Network.

Over the coming days, delegates from IGAD Member States—Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda—will be joined by experts from regional organizations including ASARECA, AFAAS, CIAT, and CCARDESA to exchange experiences and shape the roadmap for the DACAS platform.

The IGAD DACAS Knowledge Network is envisioned as a regional hub for sharing, disseminating, and applying knowledge to support climate-smart agricultural practices.

Once launched, it will provide a space for national meteorological agencies, agricultural ministries, and research institutions to collaborate and enhance digital advisory services tailored to farmers’ needs.

The meeting will conclude on May 7 with the official launch of the knowledge network and the adoption of a forward-looking action plan to guide its operations and content-sharing mechanisms.