Qinisa Initiative Launched to Boost Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research in Southern Africa

Agriculture in Southern Africa faces mounting challenges in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—a critical issue heightened by the dual impacts of climate change and regional food security demands. On 27 August 2024, leaders from the African and global agricultural sectors gathered in Pretoria for the launch of the Qinisa Initiative, a flagship programme under the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems (ARUA-SFS), hosted at Future Africa at the University of Pretoria. Qinisa’s launch marks a pivotal step towards enhancing institutional collaboration in the region to capture and analyse agricultural GHG data, thereby empowering targeted emissions reduction strategies across the agriculture, forestry, and land-use sectors.

This collaborative programme, developed in partnership with the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), aims to strengthen the region’s capacity for comprehensive GHG data collection and analysis, forming the foundation for climate-resilient policies and sustainable practices.

The launch event featured key insights from leaders such as Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, CGIAR System Board Chair, and New Zealand High Commissioner Philip Hewitt, who stressed the importance of unified data and cross-border collaboration to address these pressing climate and food security challenges. Highlighting Qinisa’s strategic goals, they noted the programme’s potential to support governments in tracking and achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, secure international climate finance, and align agricultural GHG research agendas to meet global sustainability standards.

Through Qinisa, stakeholders—including policymakers, researchers, the private sector, and farmers—stand to benefit. The initiative fosters resource sharing and research collaboration among institutions, creating opportunities for long-term capacity building in GHG research. It also provides a framework for the private sector to validate GHG footprints, enter regional and global markets, and attract investment in sustainable practices. Farmers gain practical insights on sustainable methods that enhance productivity, cut emissions, and improve resilience to climate impacts, while consumers benefit from greater transparency regarding the environmental footprint of their food choices.

With the Qinisa Initiative, Southern Africa takes a significant step forward in addressing agricultural emissions, creating a pathway for sustainable practices and climate leadership in the global arena.

For more information or partnership inquiries, contact Dr Ackim Mwape at Ackim.Mwape@nzagrc.org.nz or Dr Pamela Pophiwa at pamela.pophiwa@up.ac.za.

Read the original article published on the ARUA-SFS website, and access the Qinisa Initiative launch report here.

With the Qinisa Initiative, Southern Africa takes a significant step forward in addressing agricultural emissions, creating a pathway for sustainable practices and climate leadership in the global arena.

Website-cover-image-scaled