Rainfed agriculture holds unlocked potential for increasing Africa’s food security, whilst providing benefits to livelihoods, as well as soil, land, and water conservation. Despite this incredible potential, it is very under-invested. SIWI’s Transforming Investments in Africa’s Rainfed Agriculture project intends to change this.

In 2023, the project reached a milestone when SIWI co-organized an investment forum in cooperation with the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa, the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, and the Ministry for Lands and Water Affairs of the Republic of Botswana.

The Zambezi Rainfed Agriculture Investment Forum brought together over 80 participants from 17 countries, from diverse sectors and affiliations. During the Forum, ZAMCOM member states pledged to support enhanced rainfed agriculture in a statement of intent. Additionally, a substantial grant was awarded to one of the nongovernmental organizations that SIWI partners with. Xanani Baloyi, Programme Officer at SIWI, sees the Forum as part of a larger positive trend: “More and more actors are acknowledging the value of green water.”

Building on the momentum created in 2023, SIWI and key partners conceptualized the Lunyangwa Project, that will test and scale an incentive-based model for rainfed agriculture in Malawi and the Zambezi Watercourse region. SIWI is now approaching funding partners to support the implementation of this five-year payment for ecosystem services project.

Read the post-event report from the Zambezi Rainfed Agriculture Investment Forum.