Environment and Climate Focus

EAFF recognises climate change as one of the greatest threats facing farmers across Eastern Africa. Droughts, floods, erratic rainfall, pests, biodiversity loss, and declining soil fertility continue to undermine agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and food security.

Recognising both the threats and opportunities presented by climate change, the 5th EAFF Farmers Congress in 2021 resolved to elevate climate action as a core pillar of EAFF’s mandate. Since then, EAFF has deliberately integrated climate adaptation, resilience building, sustainable food systems, and climate advocacy into its programmes.

Between 2021 and 2025, EAFF has emerged as a recognised regional and continental voice on agriculture, climate adaptation, food systems transformation, and resilience.

Strategic Climate Priorities

EAFF’s climate work focuses on:

• Building farmer knowledge and climate adaptation capacity;
• Strengthening farmer participation in climate policy and negotiations;
• Producing farmer-centred research and evidence for advocacy;
• Developing collective farmer positions for climate negotiations;
• Improving access to climate finance and green financing mechanisms.

Strategic Partnerships for Climate Action

EAFF has built strong alliances with technical, research, advocacy, and financing institutions to elevate farmer voices in climate discussions.

Key partnerships include:

• AICCRA (Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa);
• FAO and IUCN;
• Bayer;
• PACJA and AGNES;
• FFORA;
• IFAD;
• PAFO and WFO;
• Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI);
• United Nations Foundation;
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
• Food Action Alliance and Power Shift, among others.

Key Climate Achievements (2021–2026)

Capacity Building and Farmer Empowerment

EAFF has hosted multiple regional workshops and training programmes on climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, climate negotiations, and resilience-building, strengthening farmer organizations’ ability to advocate for climate-responsive agricultural systems.

Farmer Representation in Global Climate Processes

EAFF has supported farmer participation in regional and international climate engagements, including the Africa Climate Summit, UNFCCC COP processes, and regional adaptation dialogues.

Farmer organizations have developed collective climate position papers and call-to-action statements that strengthen farmer visibility in climate negotiations.

In June 2025, EAFF President Elizabeth Nsimadala represented the global farmer constituency at the UNFCCC Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture and Food Security Workshop in Bonn, delivering the opening statement on farmer priorities.

Climate Finance Readiness

EAFF has strengthened farmer organizations’ understanding of climate financing mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF), supporting proposal development and improving access to climate finance opportunities.

Research and Knowledge Generation

EAFF has produced farmer-centred climate research and policy evidence, including:

• Farmer-led adaptation case studies across nine African countries;
• Research on the Implications of the EU Green Deal for Smallholder Farmers in Eastern Africa;
• Climate policy analysis on African climate institutions and processes;
• Practical manuals on building resilient food systems for smallholder farmers;
• Research supporting farmer perspectives on Global Goal on Adaptation indicators.

Regional Climate Adaptation Dialogues

EAFF convened farmers, journalists, and influencers across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ethiopia to identify barriers and opportunities for climate adaptation and resilience.

Through these efforts, EAFF has become one of Africa’s most credible farmer-led institutions on climate action and sustainable food systems transformation.