This study integrated local and scientific knowledge to assess the impacts of climate change and variability on food security in West Pokot County, Kenya from 1980–2012. It characterized rainfall and temperature from 1980–2011 and the phenology of agricultural vegetation, assessed land use and land cover (LULC) changes, and surveyed local knowledge and perceptions of the relationships between climate change and variability, land use decisions, and food (in)security. The 124 respondents were aware of long-term changes in their environment, with 68% strongly believing that climate has become more variable. The majority of the respondents (88%) reported declining rainfall and rising temperatures, with respondents in the lowland areas reporting shortened growing seasons that affected food production. Meteorological data for 1980–2011 confirmed high inter-annual rainfall variability around the mean value of 973.4 mm/yr but with no notable trend. Temperature data showed an increasing trend between 1980 and 2012 with lowlands and highlands showing changes of +1.25◦C and +1.29◦C, respectively. Land use and land cover changes between 1984 and 2010 showed cropland area increased by +4176% (+33,138 ha), while grassland and forest areas declined by –49% (–96,988 ha) and –38% (–65,010 ha), respectively. These area changes illustrate human-mediated responses to the rainfall variability, such as increased stocking after good rainfall years and crop area expansion. The mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values ranged from 0.36–0.54 within a year, peaking in May and September. For weather-related planning, respondents relied on radio (64%) and traditional forecasters (26%) as predominant information sources. Supporting continuous climate change monitoring, intensified early warning systems, and disseminating relevant information to farmers could help farmers adopt appropriate adaptation strategies. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Tag: Adaptation
FTA Highlight No.12 – Adaptation to Climate Change with Forests, Trees and Agroforestry
Forest, trees and agroforestry are crucial for adaptation to climate change in two ways that make the sector unique. First, forests and trees are already affected by climate change, and their resilience to climate impacts is a prerequisite for forest and ecosystem health and the provision of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration. Second, forests, trees and agroforestry resources are vital to the livelihoods of forest dependent-people and the adaptation of other sectors, and to rural to urban communities overall, starting with agricultural systems and farming households, from local to continental scale, given the effects of trees and forests on local climate, the water cycle, and the provision of resources, products and ecosystem services, which are vital for many people. This highlight synthesizes the science and the engagement work done by the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) on the adaptation of forests, trees and agroforestry, and on their contribution to the adaptation of people and landscapes. FTA work includes the assessment of the impacts of climate change on forests, trees, and on the people and sectors that depend on them. It also increases the understanding of the roles of forests and trees as providers of ecosystem services, how these roles might be affected by climate change, and how forests and trees contribute to building the resilience of people and landscapes. FTA initiatives also include work on tree genetic resources and how they can be made available to smallholders, and on practices for adaptation and on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). This highlight also describes the contribution of FTA to national policies and to global narratives on climate action, including joint mitigation and adaptation approaches and naturebased solutions.
Expanding Opportunities: A Framework for Gender and Socially-Inclusive Climate Resilient Agriculture
Limiting global warming to the 2°C target that countries have committed to in the 2015 Paris Agreement, and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, will require large-scale expansion of climate-resilient approaches in agriculture and food systems. In order to achieve the scale of change required, coordinated action is needed from global to local levels, from research to policy and investment, and across private, public, and civil society sectors. But at the same time, differential approaches are needed to address gender equality and women’s concerns in climate-resilient agriculture. This article sets out a conceptual framework for scaling up climate resilient agriculture (CRA) approaches that are gender and socially inclusive by taking into account these constraints and inequalities across wider areas and different aspects of CRA. It builds on gender and climate-resilient agriculture research and project experience to argue that the additional integration of women’s empowerment approaches and dimensions into this scaling framework provides the opportunity to promote gender equality while scaling up. It also identifies gaps and areas for further analysis and research. The intention is to identify potential pathways for developing a gender- and socially-inclusive set of options and strategies, in four key dimensions: climate resilient technologies and practices; climate information services that reach under-reached groups; inclusive finance mechanisms; and promoting leadership in decision-making. Copyright © 2021 Huyer, Simelton, Chanana, Mulema and Marty.
Exploring the effects of migration on smallholder farm households in Kenya and Burkina Faso
This brief brings together insights from a cross-country comparative study exploring the effects of rural outmigration on smallholder farm households in Eastern Kenya and the Central Plateau of Burkina Faso. It sheds light on the context-dependent nature of migration and how different types of migration can have different effects on gendered labour relations and household capacities to invest in farming and manage the farm.
Ecosystem-based adaptation in agriculture: How agroecology can contribute to tackling climate change
Going into COP26 and getting it right: Forests, agriculture, ecosystems and nature for climate change mitigation and adaptation
Key messages
- Forests, trees and the transformation of agriculture remain a proven mitigation and adaptation pathway, which must receive substantially more support in terms of funding and capacity development.
- Protecting and restoring habitats is a powerful way to boost resilience to the impacts of climate change.
- There can be no solution to land degradation or the problems caused by unsustainable agricultural, forestry and fisheries systems without explicit recognition of rights.
- Any solutions in the forests and agricultural space must seek to deliver multiple benefits, thereby exploiting to the full extent the potential of trees and the (agro-)ecosystems concerned.
- Conversion of natural forest, (tropical and temperate) peatlands, wetlands, grasslands and other ecologically well-adapted ‘natural’ and high-carbon systems must be halted immediately.
- The search for climate-relevant solutions in the forests and agricultural space must factor in uncertainty and complexity.
- Scientific knowledge and practical needs must be reconciled, e.g., by providing guidelines and tools for monitoring and evaluation, programme and project management, and financing mechanisms adapted to complex, multilevel and long-term, ‘transformational’ endeavours.
The potential of agarwood as a climate- resilient livelihood option in Indonesia
Agarwood resin, produced by certain evergreen tree species native to Southeast Asia, is used for making incenses, medicines and fragrances. A precious commodity for centuries, it has a current market value of USD 32 billion, projected to reach USD 64 billion by 2029 (Ash and Nguyen 2020). However, high trading frequency has led to agarwood species being threatened with extinction in the wild. In response, the Government of Indonesia is promoting agarwood plantations to decrease overexploitation on wild agarwood trees. Under Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the government has targeted the restoration of 14 million hectares (ha) of degraded land including 2 million ha of peatlands by 2030. In addition to restoring biophysical characteristics to recover ecosystem services, the government’s plan provides an opportunity to strengthen climate-resilient livelihoods for local farmers in Kalimantan. Here we review and assess the development of these plantations and the viability of agarwood as a commodity for climate-resilient livelihood options for peatland ecosystem-reliant communities. We found farmers using climate smart agroforestry approaches in planting agarwood, combining it with rubber and other tree species. Plantation-grown agarwood trees require artificial inducement to produce the valuable resinous substance known as ‘agarwood resin’ or simply ‘agarwood’. Local communities are facing major problems with artificial inoculation methods and application. Meanwhile, market potential and trade commerce administration need further development. Agroforestry systems that promote biodiversity by combining agarwood tree species with other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) could enhance local community livelihoods and increase the quality of the agarwood resin they produce.
Indicators for Tracking the Global Goal on Adaptation: Insights from 50+ African Countries
Measurement and tracking of adaptation at the national level is important in assessing adaptation progress towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals. More than 400 indicators for tracking adaptation progress are included in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) of African countries.
Introduction to the special issue “scaling up of agroforestry innovations: enhancing food, nutrition and income security”
It is more and more acknowledged that agroecological innovations, such as agroforestry practices, should be co-created through a combination of research and traditional knowledge, be context adaptable, and meet the needs of producers and consumers. The word “innovation” recognises that agroforestry practices do exist everywhere in the world. However, to be able to effectively respond to global challenges and changes (demography and social changes, climate, local to international markets), speaking about “innovations” implies that these practices could be improved or transformed or reintroduced everywhere they had disappeared or are in decline. This reality is still current despite the significant number of research and innovation programmes, the volume of mobilized funds and the number of participating organizations. Increasing adoption of agroforestry practices also requires long term planning and coordination because trees’ life cycles are often longer than human life. This special issue includes papers on some agroforestry innovations that merit consideration for scaling up, on successful experiences that answer priorities expressed by stakeholders while taking into account their constraints, and on systemic approaches and frameworks to the development of more comprehensive perspectives on scaling up.
Climate change impacts and adaptation for dryland farming systems in Zimbabwe: a stakeholder-driven integrated multi-model assessment
Decision makers need accurate information to address climate variability and change and accelerate transformation to sustainability. A stakeholder-driven, science-based multi-model approach has been developed and used by the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) to generate actionable information for adaptation planning processes. For a range of mid-century climate projections—likely to be hotter, drier, and more variable—contrasting future socio-economic scenarios (Representative Agricultural Pathways, RAPs) were co-developed with stakeholders to portray a sustainable development scenario and a rapid economic growth pathway. The unique characteristic of this application is the integration of a multi-modeling approach with stakeholder engagement to co-develop scenarios and adaptation strategies. Distribution of outcomes were simulated with climate, crop, livestock, and economic impact assessment models for smallholder crop livestock farmers in a typical dryland agro-ecological zone in Zimbabwe, characterized by low and erratic rainfall and nutrient depleted soils. Results showed that in Nkayi District, Western Zimbabwe, climate change would threaten most of the farms, and, in particular, those with large cattle herds due to feed shortages. Adaptation strategies that showed the most promise included diversification using legume production, soil fertility improvement, and investment in conducive market environments. The switch to more legumes in the farming systems reduced the vulnerability of the very poor as well as the more resourced farmers. Overall, the sustainable development scenario consistently addressed institutional failures and motivated productivity-enhancing, environmentally sound technologies and inclusive development approaches. This yielded more favorable outcomes than investment in quick economic wins from commercializing agriculture.