Sustainability, climate resilience and agro-ecology should be incorporated by African Governments into their agriculture sector strategies and they should develop recommendations to achieve this. Investments in sustainable agriculture need to be stepped up by governments and they should develop a national strategy for encouraging a larger number of farmers to practice agro-ecological farming approaches, where appropriate, that reduce dependence on chemical inputs and increase biodiversity, while ensuring sustainable returns. Sustainability plans should describe the kind of agriculture and food systems that benefit communities, small-scale food producers, the environment and emphasize a range of approaches, including the development of drought and flood-tolerant crops, robust extension services, weather information and early warning systems, intercropping, on-farm compost production, mixed farming systems (livestock, crops and trees), on-farm quality seed production, agroforestry, improved crop diversity, rainwater harvesting, integrated soil fertility management, and conservation agriculture. Agro-ecology is one important, reliable set of practices, among others, to protect yields in the face of climate change and should be supported significantly.
