Climate Change: SmartAgri is the Western Cape’s coordinated climate change response for agriculture, providing a practical roadmap to build sector-wide resilience through partnerships, priority projects, research and governance.

The SmartAgri Plan, launched in May 2016, is the Western Cape’s sectoral climate change response for agriculture, guided by the vision “Leading the way to a climate-resilient agricultural future for the Western Cape.” Recognised as one of the strongest agricultural plans in the sector, it positions agriculture as the first provincial sector to benefit from a dedicated climate change response framework due to its high vulnerability. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) leads coordination and implementation, with a renewed focus since January 2021 on deepening climate resilience across the sector.

Implementation actions included the appointment of Prof Stephanie Midgley as specialist advisor (from September 2016, for 24 months), extensive stakeholder engagement, and ongoing sector communication through the SmartAgri Barometer e-newsletter (published since 2017). Governance was strengthened through a SmartAgri Steering Committee and joint work with WC DEA&DP, which issued climate change advisories for municipal Integrated Development Plans. The plan was tested during the 2015–2018 “Day Zero” drought, which caused losses of 200 000 tonnes of wheat, 230 ha of potatoes, 15% of fruit, and left ±17 000 cattle needing fodder assistance. A Provincial Drought Dialogue in June 2016 led to a priority action plan aligned with SmartAgri objectives, developed with Agri Western Cape and AFASA.

Research and innovation form a core pillar, with SmartAgri-aligned projects led by WCDoA scientists, increased postgraduate research, and the development of climate-smart tools such as drones and Cape Farm Mapper. Priority projects include Conservation Agriculture, Integrated Catchment Management, and support for smallholder farmers through the Climate Resilience Project (2017–2019) with GreenCape. WCDoA also supports the GreenAgri portal as a sector-wide resource. Public awareness was strengthened through the “Die Kwik Styg” radio series on RSG (2018–2020), with selected episodes published as a multilingual e-booklet in 2021. An external evaluation (2019–2020) resulted in seven recommendations, addressed through a Management Improvement Plan following Prof Midgley’s appointment as Scientist for Climate Change and Risk Assessment in January 2021.

The SmartAgri project was a collaboration between WCDoA, WC DEA&DP and UCT’s African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), implemented in three phases (2014–2015). It produced the SmartAgri Plan, Status Quo Review, regional and commodity briefs, and case studies. The Status Quo Review assessed 23 agro-climatic zones, identified key climate trends, and serves as a practical decision-making tool, with updates released in 2016 and 2022. The Plan aligns with the Western Cape Climate Change Response Strategy (2014), the Provincial Strategic Plan (VIP2: Economy and Jobs), and the Minister of Agriculture’s priorities. It is guided by four strategic focus areas: climate-resilient production systems, disaster risk management, data and research, and cooperative governance.

SmartAgri Plan: Status Quo Review of Climate Change and Agriculture in the Western Cape Province (reading material)

• Smart Agri Status Quo Review 2016
• Smart Agri Status Quo Review 2022
• Executive Summary: English/Afrikaans/Xhos