Food and water security under global change: Developing adaptive capacity with a focus on rural Africa

Food and Water Security under Global Change: Developing Adaptive Capacity

with a Focus on Rural Africa

The project “Food and Water Security under Global Change: Developing Adaptive

Capacity with a Focus on Rural Africa” aimed to provide farmers, policymakers,

and other stakeholders in Ethiopia and South Africa with tools to make better

adaptive decisions in the face of climate-related risk. The project combined

household surveys and stakeholder forums, which examined local perceptions of

the long-term effects of global warming and adaptive responses, with climate

change impact analysis. The results of the study showed that vulnerability to

climate change is dependent on a number of factors including the degree to which

farmers are exposed to climate change, their sensitivity to climate changes, and

their adaptive capacity. Given that the nature of vulnerability will vary depending

on these factors and given large spatial differences across regions, policymakers

should tailor strategies to reduce vulnerability to local conditions. An effective

way to address the impacts of climate change would be to integrate adaptation

measures into sustainable development strategies, thereby reducing the pressure

on natural resources, improving environmental risk management, and increasing

the social wellbeing of the poor. Moreover, early warning of extreme climatic

events, such as droughts and floods, can alert farmers to the shocks, enabling

them to take action to reduce their vulnerability, such as selling livestock and

increasing food stocks. The findings indicate that adaptation strategies need to

go beyond improved water storage, additional irrigation, and new crop varieties

to include a focus on improving farmers’ access to information, credit, and

markets. Information on climate changes and appropriate adaptation responses is

critical to ensure that farmers are able to make the necessary adjustments to

their farming practices. To ensure that the right information gets to the right

people, proactive investments, policies, and extension services must explicitly

target those who are most vulnerable to climate change: subsistence farmers,

women, children, and marginalized or less-educated groups. Additional

investments of US$2 billion per year in public agricultural R&D, rural roads,

female secondary education, irrigation, and access to clean water could

significantly reduce the adverse effects of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa.

US$5 billion per year could help reduce the number of malnourished children to

one-third of its current level over the next fifty years.