Inception Workshop Report - NAP-Ag Kenya

8 June 2016

Eighty per cent of Kenya’s population rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Agricultural sectors are particularly exposed to the effects of climate change and increased climate variability. The impacts are aggravated by unsustainable practices that result in land degradation, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and degraded ecosystem services. There are a number of policy instruments that have been put in place to address climate change impacts in Kenya. These include the 2010 National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) which was developed to further understand the risks and required responses and guide low carbon path. The NCCRS gave rise to the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP 2013-2017)-developed to operationalize the NCCRS and address climate change in Kenya. Other policies include the National Environment Policy (2013), Kenya’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), Kenya Green Economy Strategy and Implementation Plan (GESIP), Climate Change Act (2016) and the draft Climate Finance Policy. In line with the UNFCCC-endorsed framework for NAPs, the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) of the Federal Republic of Germany launched a Trust Fund Programme under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) to integrate climate change risks and opportunities as they relate to agriculture sector-based livelihoods into national and sectoral planning and budgeting processes. The four year programme is designed to integrate climate change risks and opportunities as they affect agricultural sector-based livelihoods into national and sectoral planning and budgeting processes. Countries supported include Kenya, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zambia. The global programme is worth USD 12 Million. Kenya’s funding allocation is USD 700,000 for three years. The project has four expected outcomes: (a) technical capacities and institutions on the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) strengthened (b) Integrated roadmaps for the National Adaptation Plan developed (c) Evidence-based results for the National Adaptation plan improved and (d) Advocacy and knowledge-sharing on NAP promoted. In August 2015, the government of Kenya endorsed the project. The endorsement witnessed the appointment of two project focal persons at the two key ministries. Following the endorsement, a project inception workshop was held on the 8th June 2016. The inception workshop attracted stakeholders from all the relevant ministries including Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Devolution and Planning, National Drought Management Authority, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and the Kenya Meteorological Department. Among those present were the Director of the National Climate Change Secretariat, IPCC focal point for Kenya, and the NAP focal point for Kenya. The global project management team was also represented at the workshop.