Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a Sub-regional Organisation (SRO) which was established by SADC Member States to coordinate the implementation of agricultural research and development (R&D) in the SADC region. CCARDESA is a subsidiary of the SADC secretariat. Its goal is to sustainably reduce the food insecurity and poverty in the region as pronounced in SADC’s Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the Dar es Salaam declaration on food security, and the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) developed by the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). It operates within the framework of CAADP Pillar 4 which has the objective of enhancing the livelihoods of African farmers and pastoralists. The strategic objective of CCARDESA is to increase smallholder productivity and competitiveness through the implementation of Pillar 4 of CAADP for the SADC region based on the Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP).