Sub-Saharan Africa is considered
to be especially vulnerable to the affects of climate change, with the indigenous
tribes of this region being particularly defenseless. The complete dependence on agricultural
production, limited adaptive capacity and
comparatively poor health outcomes exhibited here place these communities at
the greatest risk.
A paper by Schlenker and Lobell, 2010 suggests that staple crops such as maize, sorghum, millet, groundnut and
cassava are expected to decrease in yield by somewhere between 8% and 22% by
2050 if the median temperature of Africa rises between the expected amount of
3°C to 4°C! These consequences are somewhat exacerbated
in countries such as Kenya, where the poverty rate is at a staggering 52% and
73% of the labor force relies on agricultural production for their livelihood.
On
national scales strategies such as irrigation systems, disaster relief,
insurance and cohesive policies to reduce livelihood risks should be
adopted. However, considering the
current political instability of Africa, relying on near future implementation
of policies such as these would not be wise. Adjustments at the farm household
and community scale is a more reasonable and achievable approach, where
significant improvements can be made in order to help communities to adapt to
climate change.
Actual
perception of climate change within these communities may be a much larger
factor than previously thought. Do
farmers think it necessary to adapt? The behavior of farmers’ depends more on
their perceptions of climate change and climate risk, rather than climate
patterns as measured by scientific methods.
A
household survey conducted in 2011 indicated that that farmers adopted a
range of practices in response to perceived climate change. The most common
responses included changing crop variety (33 %), changing planting dates (20 %),
and changing crop type (18 %). Other responses included planting trees (9 %),
decreasing the number of livestock (7 %), diversifying, changing, or supplementing
livestock feeds (7 %), changing fertilizer application (7 %), and soil and
water conservation practices (5 %).
This
Report looks into how other indigenous communities are adopting strategies for
adaptation in the face of climate change, with a focus on Namibia.
Sources-
E. Bryan, C. Ringler, B.
Okoba, C. Roncoli, S. Silvestri, M. Herrero, 2012, Adapting agriculture to climate
change in Kenya: Household strategies and determinants.
Little,
P.D., McPeak, J., Barrett, C., Kristjanson, P., 2008. Challenging orthodoxies:
understanding pastoral poverty in East Africa. Development and Change.
Maddison,
D., 2007. The Perception of and Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa. .
Nhemachena,
C., Hassan, R., 2008. Determinants of African farmers’ strategies for adapting
to climate change: multinomial choice analysis. African Journal of Agricultural
and Resource Economics.
Di Falco, S., & Veronesi, M. (2013). How Can
African Agriculture Adapt to Climate Change? A Counterfactual Analysis from
Ethiopia.
Kristjanson,
P., Mango, N., Krishna, A., Radeny, M., Johnson, N., 2009. Understanding poverty
dynamics in Kenya. Journal of International Development 22 (7), 978e 996.
Another interesting post Stephanie. I was just wondering if you could explain what you mean when you said that the behaviour of the farmers depends more on their perception of climate change, than actual climate patterns? Do you mean the fear of the potential threat to their livelihood will make people look for new techniques and farming practices?
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