TITLE:
Overview of the Implementation and Lessons Learnt of Climate Smart Village Approach in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2010 to 2025: A Systematic Review
AUTHORS:
Anani Ogou, Christopher Mubeteneh Tankou, Honoré Beyegue-Djonko, Asafor Henry Chotangui, Eric Bertrand Kouam, Komi Agboka, Komi Kouma Mokpokpo Fiaboe, Peter Läderach
KEYWORDS:
Climate Smart Village, Climate Smart Agriculture, Implementation, Challenges, Lessons Learnt, DIGIT CSV, Sub-Saharan Africa
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Climate Change,
Vol.15 No.2,
June
4,
2026
ABSTRACT: Sub-Saharan Africa is a vulnerable region facing climate crises, leading to severe food insecurity due to its rainfed agriculture sector. The Climate Smart Village (CSV) approach, developed in 2010, aims to scale promising climate-smart agricultural technologies and innovations among rural communities and small-scale farmers who significantly contribute to the production of the food we consume worldwide. The Climate Smart Village approach has been piloted and implemented in Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Asia, East and West Africa. A comprehensive literature review using the PRISMA methodology was conducted from 2010 to 2025, focusing on the current mapping, implementation, challenges, and lessons learned in Sub-Saharan Africa. The resources included a mix of journal articles and grey literature from: 1) Scopus, 2) the Directory of Open Access Journals, 3) Google Scholar, and 4) the Consultative group data base called CG Space of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research Institutes databases, supplemented with a key informant’s interview with relevant institutions of the AICCRA and CGIAR climate action programs and other stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa. Results show that 20 Climate Smart Villages have been established in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2010 to 2025. Despite low adoption rates, several climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices have improved the lives of farming communities. Climate-smart technologies, practices, and innovations should be considered in climate-related projects and innovative extension services to facilitate their wider dissemination, especially in the Central Africa Region, where these technologies are lacking. The CSV approach should be upgraded by integrating digital innovations as a 7th and last component. The concept should be renamed “DIGIT CSV”. The Climate Smart Village approach is recommended for scaling up and out of climate-smart agriculture everywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.