Agriculture is both highly exposed to climate change and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, which places it at the centre of national adaptation plans and development finance. For practitioners, the challenge is no longer whether to act but which combination of practices, services and investments will work for particular farmers, ecosystems and markets, and how to fund and sustain them.

The Advanced Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course treats the farm as one part of a connected food system. Participants begin with climate projections, vulnerability analysis and the three pillars of productivity, adaptation and mitigation. They then assess technology and practice packages for crops, livestock and mixed systems, covering soil health, water harvesting, agroforestry, drought-tolerant varieties and integrated pest management. The course extends to the rest of the system: storage and processing, market linkages, food loss, nutrition-sensitive approaches, climate and weather information, insurance and credit.

Delivery combines technical inputs, field-style scenarios and design clinics. By the end, each participant has a costed concept for a climate-smart intervention, with indicators for tracking results and a plan to engage partners, financiers and policymakers.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Assess climate risk and vulnerability for crops, livestock and value chains.
• Select and sequence climate-smart practices suited to different agro-ecological zones.
• Integrate climate information services and early warning into farmer advisory work.
• Evaluate the costs, benefits and trade-offs of adaptation and mitigation options.
• Identify climate finance, insurance and carbon market opportunities for agricultural programmes.
• Strengthen food system resilience through storage, processing, market access and loss reduction.
• Design gender-responsive, nutrition-sensitive interventions with monitoring indicators.

The course is intended for professionals who plan, deliver or finance agricultural development, including:

• Agronomists and extension service managers
• County and national agriculture and livestock officers
• Agribusiness and value chain development specialists
• Programme managers in NGOs and development projects
• Climate change and environment officers
• Agricultural researchers and university lecturers
• Agricultural lenders, insurers and cooperative managers
• Donor and government staff responsible for food security programmes

Participants leave equipped with:

• A climate risk and vulnerability profile for a chosen value chain or location.
• A shortlist of climate-smart practices ranked by feasibility and impact.
• A costed concept note for a climate-smart agriculture intervention.
• A results framework with adaptation, productivity and emissions indicators.
• Knowledge of finance and insurance routes available to farmers and agribusinesses.
• Ideas for strengthening inclusion of women and youth across the food system.

Training is practical and drawn from field realities:

• Technical presentations by facilitators with agricultural development experience
• Field-style scenarios in which groups diagnose a farming community and propose solutions
• Design clinics for building concept notes and results frameworks
• Case studies of adaptation and food system projects in East and Southern Africa
• Peer review and feedback on each participant's intervention concept

Participants who complete the programme and contribute to the practical exercises receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion, issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.

Attendance of every session and submission of the final intervention concept are the requirements for the award.