Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course in Pretoria, South Africa
Classroom training in Pretoria · next cohort Nov 2, 2026 · from USD 3,200
Erratic rainfall, longer dry spells, new pest pressures and rising temperatures are already cutting yields and incomes for farmers who depend on rain-fed production, while food systems must still feed growing urban populations. Practices that raise productivity, build resilience and reduce emissions together offer a way forward, but only when they suit local soils, markets and farming systems. Over five days you work through the three pillars defined by FAO, then examine proven field practices: conservation agriculture, agroforestry, integrated soil fertility management, water harvesting and small-scale irrigation, stress-tolerant varieties, improved livestock feeding and manure management.
Sessions extend beyond the farm to post-harvest loss reduction, nutrition-sensitive value chains, climate information services, index-based insurance and farmer field schools. You also learn to use CSA prioritisation frameworks, cost-benefit analysis and landscape approaches, to measure results through suitable indicators and MRV, and to design inclusive interventions for women and young farmers. Agricultural extension officers, agronomists, livestock specialists, food security programme managers, agribusiness staff, local government agriculture planners and climate adaptation advisers will benefit. Delivery is classroom, online or in-house, with a CPD-accredited certificate on completion.
At a Glance
Training in Pretoria, South Africa
Pretoria is South Africa's administrative capital, home to the Union Buildings, the Reserve Bank and most embassies.
More about training in Pretoria →- Format
- Classroom, in Pretoria
- Duration
- Mon - Fri (5 Days)
- Fee
- USD 3,200
- Next start dates
- Nov 2, 2026, Nov 30, 2026, Dec 28, 2026
- Certificate
- Certificate of Completion
- Airport
- O.R. Tambo International (JNB), connected by the Gautrain
- Time zone
- South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2)
- Currency
- South African rand (ZAR). Fees are listed in USD.
- Business districts
- Hatfield, Brooklyn, Menlyn and Centurion
About this course
Agriculture sits at the centre of the climate challenge in Africa. It is highly exposed to droughts, floods and shifting seasons, it supports the livelihoods of most rural households, and it is also a source of emissions through land-use change, livestock and fertiliser use. Governments, development partners and agribusinesses are therefore investing in approaches that can increase food production sustainably while strengthening resilience, yet many initiatives struggle to move beyond pilot plots to widespread adoption.
The Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course gives practitioners a systematic way to choose, implement and scale interventions that work. It begins with climate risk in agriculture and the food systems perspective that connects production, processing, markets and diets. It then covers crop, soil, water and livestock practices with strong evidence behind them, followed by landscape and watershed approaches. Later sessions look past the farm gate at storage, value chains and nutrition, and the final day addresses how to prioritise options, mobilise finance, track results and design extension and policy support that leads to adoption at scale.
Field case studies from dryland, highland and coastal farming systems anchor the discussion. Participants leave with a prioritised portfolio of climate-smart interventions for a farming system or programme they know well.
Training Objectives
Participants will be equipped to:
- Assess how climate change affects crops, livestock, water and food systems in a given agro-ecological zone.
- Select climate-smart crop, soil, water and livestock practices suited to local conditions.
- Apply landscape and watershed approaches that link farms with natural resource management.
- Design post-harvest, value-chain and nutrition interventions that reduce losses and improve diets.
- Prioritise CSA options using structured frameworks and cost-benefit analysis.
- Integrate climate information services and index insurance into farmer support programmes.
- Develop indicators and MRV arrangements to track adoption, resilience and emissions outcomes.
What you'll learn
Key Takeaways
Outputs participants carry forward include:
- A climate risk profile for a farming system they work with.
- A shortlist of climate-smart practices with suitability notes for local conditions.
- A CSA prioritisation matrix scoring options on productivity, resilience, mitigation and cost.
- An extension and adoption plan built on farmer field schools and peer learning.
- An indicator set and simple MRV plan for a climate-smart programme.
- A prioritised investment portfolio ready to discuss with funders or management.
Training Methodology
Teaching is grounded in field realities and the decisions farmers actually make. The programme draws on:
- Field case studies from dryland, highland and coastal farming systems
- Group design exercises for integrated farm and landscape plans
- Prioritisation workshops using scoring matrices and simple cost-benefit tools
- Analysis of farmer adoption data and extension programme records
- Peer review of each participant's investment portfolio
Day 1: Climate Risk and the Food System
- Climate trends and their impacts on African agriculture
- The food systems approach from production to consumption
- The three CSA pillars: productivity, adaptation and mitigation
- Agro-ecological zones and farming system typologies
- Gender, youth and social inclusion in climate risk
- Exercise: building a climate risk profile for a farming system
Day 2: Climate-Smart Crop and Soil Management
- Conservation agriculture: minimum tillage, mulching and rotations
- Integrated soil fertility management and organic inputs
- Agroforestry and trees on farms
- Drought-tolerant and early-maturing varieties and seed systems
- Integrated pest management under a changing climate
- Field case: scaling conservation agriculture in dryland areas
Day 3: Livestock, Water and Landscape Approaches
- Improved feeding, breeding and animal health
- Manure management and livestock emissions
- Water harvesting, small-scale irrigation and water-use efficiency
- Rangeland management and pastoral resilience
- Watershed and landscape restoration
- Exercise: designing an integrated crop, livestock and water plan
Day 4: Beyond the Farm Gate
- Post-harvest losses, storage and cold chains
- Climate-resilient value chains and market linkages
- Nutrition-sensitive agriculture and diet diversity
- Climate information services and agro-advisories for farmers
- Index-based insurance and other risk-transfer tools
- Case study: a value-chain resilience programme
Day 5: Prioritising, Financing and Scaling CSA
- CSA prioritisation frameworks and cost-benefit analysis
- Extension models: farmer field schools, lead farmers and digital advisory
- Climate finance and blended finance for agriculture
- Indicators, MRV and adoption tracking
- Policy and institutional support for scaling
- Presenting a prioritised CSA portfolio
Practitioners who design, deliver or fund agricultural and food security work will benefit, among them:
- Agricultural extension officers and agronomists
- Livestock and animal production specialists
- Food security and livelihoods programme managers in NGOs
- Agriculture and environment planners in national and local government
- Agribusiness and farmer organisation staff
- Climate adaptation and resilience advisers
- Researchers and lecturers in agricultural institutions
- Development partner officers funding agriculture and food systems
Participants receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy after attending all sessions and presenting their prioritised climate-smart portfolio.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course Venues
South AfricaPretoriaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,200Viewing- South AfricaJohannesburgNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,400
- South AfricaCape TownNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
KenyaNairobiNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,500- KenyaMombasaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,600
- KenyaNaivashaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaKisumuNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaMachakosNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,600
UgandaKampalaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,900
RwandaKigaliNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,900
TanzaniaArushaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,900- TanzaniaDodomaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,800
- TanzaniaDar es SalaamNext Oct 26· 13 dates$2,000
- TanzaniaZanzibarNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,600
NigeriaLagosNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,800- NigeriaAbujaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$2,800
UAEDubaiNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
GhanaAccraNext Nov 16· 13 dates$4,500
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Frequently Asked Questions About Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course in Pretoria
Everything you need to know about this course before you register.
Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course runs as classroom training in Pretoria, South Africa, in Monday-to-Friday cohorts that start every four weeks. The venue, daily timings and joining details are sent in your Joining Instructions email ahead of the start date.
The next Pretoria cohort starts on November 2, 2026, and a new intake follows every four weeks. Pick a date under "Upcoming sessions in Pretoria" above and click Register; your seat is confirmed once payment or a signed purchase order is received.
The classroom fee for Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course in Pretoria is USD 3,200 per delegate, covering tuition and course materials. Register 3 or more delegates together and a 5% team discount is applied automatically.
Yes. Besides Pretoria, Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course runs as classroom training in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It also runs as live online training you can join from anywhere in South Africa, and in-house at your organisation's own premises.
Yes — Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course can be delivered at your offices in Pretoria or at a venue you choose, on dates that suit your team, with case studies tailored to your sector. Message our training advisors to request a proposal.
By the end of the Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems programme, you'll be able to assess how climate change affects crops, livestock, water and food systems in a given agro-ecological zone, select climate-smart crop, soil, water and livestock practices suited to local conditions, apply landscape and watershed approaches that link farms with natural resource management, and design post-harvest, value-chain and nutrition interventions that reduce losses and improve diets. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
Practitioners who design, deliver or fund agricultural and food security work will benefit, among them: Agricultural extension officers and agronomists, Livestock and animal production specialists, Food security and livelihoods programme managers in NGOs, Agriculture and environment planners in national and local government, Agribusiness and farmer organisation staff, Climate adaptation and resilience advisers, Researchers and lecturers in agricultural institutions, and Development partner officers funding agriculture and food systems.
Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course typically runs as 5 Days. It's available as in-person classroom, live virtual, and in-house corporate training — every course can also be delivered on-site for your team on dates that suit you.
Yes — delegates who meet the attendance requirement receive a Certificate of Completion for Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, issued in the name you register with, so double-check the spelling at checkout.
Best Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture & Food Systems Training Course is pitched at intermediate professionals. If you're unsure whether it's the right fit for your current role or background, message our training advisors before you register and they'll help you confirm.
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