SciDev.Net (London)
Maina Waruru
13 November 2009
Nairobi — East Africa will face both crop gains and losses as a result of climate change, but food security is an achievable goal if new farming technologies are embraced, says a study.
The research, published in Agricultural Systems this month (3 November), predicts that yields of staples like maize and beans will double in the region's highland areas as a result of rising temperatures, as warmer climates make crops mature faster.
But the reverse is likely to occur in both drier and more humid areas, with crop harvests decreasing significantly in these places. Four areas projected to have "statistically significant" yield reductions of 20 per cent or more by 2050 are coastal Kenya, northeast and northwest Tanzania and central Uganda.
Only by adapting its agricultural systems will the region be able to absorb the impacts of climate change, says Carlos Seré, director-general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya.
"Despite an expected three-fold increase in food demand by 2050, East Africa can still deliver food security for all through a smart approach that carefully matches policies and technologies to the needs and opportunities of particular farming areas," he says.
In the worst-affected areas, the researchers recommend farmers keep more livestock (see Livestock may do better than crops, African farmers told), switch to more drought-hardy crops such as sorghum, or abandon crop cultivation altogether. New sources of income might include carbon sequestration, they say.
In areas where the effects of climate change are likely to be less severe and crop losses more moderate, the authors call for the adoption of new technologies and agricultural techniques - such as water harvesting - that will enable farmers to continue growing crops.
"These technologies are available at national research institutions across the region and are fairly inexpensive," said Philip Thornton, ILRI researcher and study co-author.
Mobile phones and the Internet - both growing in popularity in East Africa - could be used to keep farmers informed of new research and technologies, says Thornton.
He calls for more research in the field of livestock parasites and diseases, an area that he regards as critical yet largely neglected by scientists. He predicts that climate change will alter the behaviour of animal diseases, threatening the livelihood of the many smallholder farmers populating the region.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 SciDev.Net. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
A very interesting and thoughtful article. The best way for Africa to help itself with GHG is to stop exporting oil and gas to the outside world. Gas that is valuable enough to ship abroad and sell should be sold at a price that is competitive enough to keep it home. Catch all of that gas, and use it for yourselves. You will then have electricity and cooking fuel both. It is maddening to see forests felled for charcoal cooking fuel while cleaner-to-use gas is being wasted. Each of your nations should try to be the last to run out of fuel. Move to solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels from wastes for your energy sources.
Other activities to fight climate change troubles include the restoration of your waterways to full functionality by clearing the weeds that clog them and the silt that they have left behind.
Just a factual correction. Nigerian LNG is not sold to Benin, Togo and Ghana. There is a gas pipeline from Nigeria to these three countries. But it does not carry LNG. It carries natural gas under pressure. Unfortunately, becuse there is insufficient gas being gathered and shipped from Nigeria, the pipeline has been empty for over a year.
In today's climate talk that's going and will be converse more in December must not be damaging to Africa. Together, Africa MUST STAND FIRMLY and get what she deserves - BETTER and LASTING AGREEMENT. That's, what is beneficial for Africa. Any negativities effects concerning our people standard of living MUST NOT be accepted by any Africa Government. The days of a/an African Live seeing as less than an insect or any other most be OVER and SHOULD NOT be negotiated in any Climate talks. Our "Africans" lives and living standard is/are as important as any other lives. Therefore, as Africans head to the climate talk in December, please open your ears, listen carefully, don't be trick, and don't accept anything lesser to solve your prombles for the betterness of your people in the whole of Africa - period !!!!! The days of damaging Africans' lives, enviroment, living conditions; the physical and metal abuses should and most all come to an end. Therefore, we "Africans" should not be conveince with their sweet tooth to accept something lesser where'in our people keep continue to suffer and die for their pleasures and the lack of consideration for Africans lives and living standards. God Bless Africa
See all comments (3).
Active Discussions: Climate Change News