Science-policy interactions for climate-smart agriculture uptake: lessons learnt from national science-policy dialogue platforms in West Africa
Science–policy interfaces are critical in shaping agricultural and environmental governance. However, connecting science with policy has always been a challenge for both scientists and policymakers. In Ghana, Mali and Senegal, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) supported the creation of a multi-stakeholder national science-policy dialogue platforms on climate-smart agriculture (NSPDP-CSA) to use scientific evidence to create awareness on climate change impacts on agriculture and advocate for the mainstreaming of climate change and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) into agricultural development plans. Since their establishment, there is limited information as to how the modes of operation and achievements of the NSPDP-CSA improve our understanding of the sciencepolicy interfaces of agricultural and climate change decision making. This study aimed to use the evidence from the operations and achievements of the NSPDP-CSA to make recommendations for effective science-policy interaction on climate change and CSA.
