This Thematic Series on “Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies in West Africa: learning from the ground AR4D experiences” contains seven papers presented by researchers from four West African countries based on participatory action research conducted since 2012 in the region. These research activities were funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) through a project titled “Developing community-based climate-smart agriculture through participatory action research in CCAFS benchmark sites in West Africa” (see [1]). This research action under the scientific lead of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) aimed to test and validate, in partnership with rural communities and other stakeholders, scalable climate-smart village models for agricultural development that integrate a range of innovative agricultural risk management strategies. The project also aimed to enable farmers, developers, managers and policy makers for the agriculture sector to develop cost-effective climate-smart agriculture (CSA) options that support local sustainable development and enhance livelihood resilience. It is therefore a response to the challenges (degraded lands, low crop productivity, high level of poverty for rural people, etc.) faced to satisfy the food needs of an increasing population in the face of a changing climate.
Tag: Climate
Editorial for the Thematic Series in Agriculture & Food Security: Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies in West Africa: learning from the ground AR4D experiences
This Thematic Series on “Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies in West Africa: learning from the ground AR4D experiences” contains seven papers presented by researchers from four West African countries based on participatory action research conducted since 2012 in the region. These research activities were funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) through a project titled “Developing community-based climate-smart agriculture through participatory action research in CCAFS benchmark sites in West Africa” (see [1]). This research action under the scientific lead of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) aimed to test and validate, in partnership with rural communities and other stakeholders, scalable climate-smart village models for agricultural development that integrate a range of innovative agricultural risk management strategies. The project also aimed to enable farmers, developers, managers and policy makers for the agriculture sector to develop cost-effective climate-smart agriculture (CSA) options that support local sustainable development and enhance livelihood resilience. It is therefore a response to the challenges (degraded lands, low crop productivity, high level of poverty for rural people, etc.) faced to satisfy the food needs of an increasing population in the face of a changing climate.
Editorial for the Thematic Series in Agriculture & Food Security: Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies in West Africa: learning from the ground AR4D experiences
This Thematic Series on “Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies in West Africa: learning from the ground AR4D experiences” contains seven papers presented by researchers from four West African countries based on participatory action research conducted since 2012 in the region. These research activities were funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) through a project titled “Developing community-based climate-smart agriculture through participatory action research in CCAFS benchmark sites in West Africa” (see [1]). This research action under the scientific lead of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) aimed to test and validate, in partnership with rural communities and other stakeholders, scalable climate-smart village models for agricultural development that integrate a range of innovative agricultural risk management strategies. The project also aimed to enable farmers, developers, managers and policy makers for the agriculture sector to develop cost-effective climate-smart agriculture (CSA) options that support local sustainable development and enhance livelihood resilience. It is therefore a response to the challenges (degraded lands, low crop productivity, high level of poverty for rural people, etc.) faced to satisfy the food needs of an increasing population in the face of a changing climate.
Highlights of CIMMYT’s achievements in the project ‘Trees for food security’
A potential feedback between landuse and climate in the Rungwe tropical highland stresses a critical environmental research challenge
Characteristic trends in landuse and climate highlight critical challenges in future resource management along the tropical topoclimosequence (TCS) of the Rungwe Volcanic Province (RVP), a major headwater biodiversity and food reservoir of Tanzania. The RVP orography supports a coherent distribution of agroecosystems and livelihoods, from hot irrigated lowlands to endangered afromontane forests above 1500 m.a.s.l. Recent increases in deforestation, land fragmentation and soil denudation/compaction in the densely populated TCS were combined with a strengthened need and consumption of water in the lower, warmer and drier end-member. Consistent with a regional decline of the long rains, a considerable (up to 30%) decrease in annual rainfall and a pervasive decline of the Lake Masoko (LM) aquifer testifies to a strong aridification trend. We suggest here that current landuse and demographic trends likely amplified the hydrological response of the TCS to regional and global warming. Testing such a hypothesis, however, requires improved local monitoring, to allow scaling and quantification of local hydrological budgets associated with landuse impacts, and evaluation of the contribution of trees and agroforestry systems to mitigating the aridification trend.
Regenerative grazing for climate, ecosystem, and human health
The brief is about the case study of two transformative land regeneration approaches developed in Africa: agroforestry and regenerative grazing management. These two approaches come together in silvopastoral systems – livestock grazing and browsing in tree-dotted grasslands – which have been ranked among the most effective carbon drawdown tools at our disposal. This was presented in COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt venue.
Editorial: Climate risk management in smallholder agriculture
The Sixth assessment of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2021) has reconfirmed the growing scientific consensus that the earth’s warming is due to anthropogenic increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. With rising temperatures, climate change will result in increasingly unpredictable and variable rainfall, varying seasonal patterns and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events. Climate change modifies the growing conditions for crops, weeds, pests, and diseases, affecting crop yields and placing significant pressure on agricultural systems and local livelihoods. Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their small farm sizes, limited access to capital and technical support and low adaptive capacity (Morton, 2007).
Zambia for Agroforestry, Biodiversity, and Climate – (Z4ABC)
The project is collaborating closely with different governmental, non-governmental and private sector actors at national, landscape, and local levels, as well as with different actors involved in the selected nature-based value chains. The target beneficiaries are the local communities.
Ecosystem-Based Adaption Project PABE – Benin Consolidated Baseline Study
The objective of PABE project is to buffer communities against the effects of climate change by adapting agricultural livelihoods and investing in land stewardship. The project implements key EbA and climate-resilient agricultural interventions in the following seven municipalities of central and north Benin: Dassa, Tchaourou, Djougou, Ouaké, Cobly, Boukoumbé and Banikoara. As part of the overall Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of PABE, this report presents the consolidated baseline study conducted in Benin from September to December 2022 using the multi-year Learning-Oriented Real-Time Impact Assessment (LORTA) approach. the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) of the GCF started LORTA programme with the main goal of strengthening the capacities in assessing the impact of GCF intervention. The LORTA uses impact evaluation (IE) techniques to help understanding which activities are working, which are most efficient, and which approaches to scale up. Empirical evidence on impacts of climate-related projects is rather scarce.
The role of basic sciences in addressing global challenges to sustainable development: Experiences from CIFOR-ICRAF
Purpose –– This paper highlights the application of the basic sciences in tackling human-induced global challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and broken food systems, that militate against the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Methods –– It adopted a secondary research approach involving a review of current literature. Findings –– It shows that basic studies in different branches of plant biology contribute to the conservation and management of tree and forest genetic resources while studies in soil biology and principles of chemistry and physics contribute to soil health assessment in landscape restoration efforts. Conclusion & Recommendation –– The paper argues that the success of sustainable development initiatives that leverage the ability of trees to provide ecological goods and ecosystem services could be constrained by the growing threat to botanical education and inadequate funding of basic science disciplines. Recommendations are made to improve funding and inclusion of the basic sciences, particularly in African universities, in sustainability focused research initiatives.