Agriculture remains vital to the economy of most African countries and its development

has significant implications for food security and poverty reduction in the region. Increase

in agricultural production over the past decades has mainly been due to land area expansion,

with very little change in production techniques and limited improvement in yields.

Currently one in four people remains malnourished in Africa. CSA integrates all three dimensions of sustainable development and is aimed at (1)

In recent years governments and donor agencies have devoted considerable resources to efforts to improve the management of communal grazing lands. Range and livestock projects have been designed to address such familiar pastoral problems as endemic overgrazing of rangelands, often leading to permanent degradation of vegetation, soils, and water resources, and reduced livestock productivity, adversely affecting the welfare of rural people.

Climate change will likely have significant impacts on the agricultural sector in Colombia, which accounts for over one-tenth of the country’s GDP and employs over one-fifth of its population. Analyses indicate that by 2050, there will likely be significant temperature rises, more erratic precipitation, and higher pest and disease prevalence. To address the extensive socioeconomic implications of these effects, the government must prioritize adaptation, investing in regionally-based assessments; research and development; and technology transfer to and training for farmers.

Climate change will likely have significant impacts on the agricultural sector in Colombia, which accounts for over one-tenth of the country’s GDP and employs over one-fifth of its population. Analyses indicate that by 2050, there will likely be significant temperature rises, more erratic precipitation, and higher pest and disease prevalence. To address the extensive socioeconomic implications of these effects, the government must prioritize adaptation, investing in regionally-based assessments; research and development; and technology transfer to and training for farmers.

To ensure a food-secure future, farming must become climate resilient. Around the world, governments and communities are adopting innovations that are improving the lives of millions while reducing agriculture’s climate footprint. These successful examples show the many ways climate-smart agriculture can take shape, and should serve as inspiration for future policies and investments.

What is known about the likely impacts of climate change on resource-poor livestock keepers in the developing world? Relatively little, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) are working to improve this knowledge. This Brief outlines how a group of scientists at ILRI reviewed some elements of the complex relationship between livestock and climate change in developing countries with a forward-looking approach.