Center on Adaptation to help smallholder farmers enhance food security - NaijaAgroNet

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The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) has said its providing technical advisory support to a new World Bank’s investment project in Ethiopia valued at $600 million to increase the resilience of food systems and preparedness for food insecurity, reports NaijaAgroNet.

As a result of climate change, smallholder farmers in Ethiopia are suffering from greater variability and extreme weather events, increased temperature and declining rainfall in a country where 85 percent of farmers are depended on rain-fed agriculture. Ethiopia is currently in the middle of one of the worst droughts for 50 years which follows 12 to 18 months of erratic and failed rains which have dried up many water sources. The war in Ukraine and subsequent rising wheat, fuel and fertilizer costs are also worsening the country’s food crisis.

NEPAD says Africa needs transformative adaptation to climate change

NaijaAgroNet:

For the efforts of most countries in Africa are making to highlight the impacts of climate on agriculture to effectively touch the growth of agriculture on the continent, there should be transformative adaptation to climate change, reports NaijaAgroNet.

NEPAD Agency’s Director of Programme, Mrs Estherine Fotabong, made this call at the 2nd Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance Forum ongoing in Nairobi, Kenya.

She noted that despite these efforts, gaps and disconnects still exist between climate change impacts and adaptation efforts.

These gaps, she told NaijaAgroNet include absence of plans and policies that incorporate climate change issues, education on climate change among communities, and information on outreach programmes.

She highlighted that institutional frameworks for action, drought resistant crop varieties, small holder water harvesting and supply strategies, as well as strategies for alleviating poverty that makes people less resilient to climate variability are also lacking.

“In order to catalyse better adaptation and cope with the impacts of climate change, the various stakeholders such as governments, NGOs and civil society, and private sector should work together with communities proactively. Communities should be fully capacitated in the various areas of crop management, community mobilisation and empowerment, disaster preparedness and have access to robust technologies and information such as new crop varieties that are drought and disease tolerant,” Mrs Fotabong said.

In a related development, a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet, the Governor of Nairobi City Council, Dr Evans Kidero, it was revealed that Nairobi makes a profound contribution to urban food consumption in Kenya, if not in the whole of east Africa.

“Therefore, urban farming is highly promoted for sustainably increasing agricultural productivity,” he said.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Climate adaptation, resilience vital for achieving Sustainable Development Goals

NaijaAgroNet:

Evidence is increasing that climate change is taking the largest toll on poor and vulnerable people, and these impacts are largely caused by inequalities that increase the risks from climate hazards, according to a new report launched by the United Nations.

The World Economic and Social Survey 2016: Climate Change Resilience—an Opportunity for Reducing Inequalities (#WESS2016), found that governments can play a significant role in reducing the risks of climate change to vulnerable populations. Through transformative policies,  the report shows that governments could address the root causes of inequalities and build climate change resilience.

While there is considerable anecdotal evidence that the poor and the vulnerable suffer greater harm from climate-related disasters, the report determined that much of the harm is not by accident, but that it is due to the failure of governments to close the development gaps that leave large population groups at risk.

In the past 20 years, 4.2 billion people have been affected by weather-related disasters, including a significant loss of lives. Developing countries are the most affected by climate change impacts. Low-income countries suffered the greatest losses, including economic costs estimated at 5 per cent of GDP.

“Sadly, the people at greater risk from climate hazards are the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized who, in many cases, have been excluded from socioeconomic progress,” noted United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the report. “We have no time to waste—and a great deal to gain—when it comes to addressing the socioeconomic inequalities that deepen poverty and leave people behind.”

The report argues that while climate adaptation and resilience are overshadowed by mitigation in climate discussions, they are vital for addressing climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

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AAKNet says USD2bn flowing across Africa for environmental adaptation by 2020

NaijaAgroNet:

The Africa Adaptation Knowledge Network (AAKNet) has estimated USD 2 billion is flowing across the continent for adaptation through a variety of sources, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This is coming as AAKNet predicts that an estimated 15 billion United States dollars will be committed for cost of emission by year 2020.

AAKNet in a its latest issue of Africa Adaptation Newsletter made available to NaijaAgroNet, with the theme: Africa Adaptation Gap Report 2: Bridging the Gap – Mobilising Resources, noted that the first Africa Adaptation Gap Report demonstrated how delaying action would result in exponentially rising costs down the road, the second report now turns to possible solutions to respond to this urgency.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that past global emissions already commit Africa to adaptation costs of USD 7-15 billion per year by 2020.

The report, NaijaAgroNet gathered, builds on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2014 emissions gap report that showed global emission-reduction efforts are not yet at the level of what is required to put the world on track to hold global warming below 2°C.

Equally, NaijaAgroNet reports that by 2050, Africa’s adaptation costs could rise to USD 50 billion per year for a scenario holding global warming below 2°C, and up to USD 100 billion per year by 2050, if the world does not manage to turn away from the current path that could lead to more than 4°C warming by 2100.

To take a step back: this is not just a question of money, millions of people and their livelihoods are at stake. Africa’s population would be at an increasing risk of undernourishment due to increasing food demand and the detrimental effects of climate change on agriculture on the continent.

A warming of 2˚C globally, AAKNet pointed out, would put over 50 per cent of the African continent’s population at risk of undernourishment.

“Yet, right now, we are heading to 4˚C of warming,” AAKNet stated.

Further, NaijaAgroNet learnt that the report findings showed that sea level could rise by a metre above present-day levels, putting millions of people at risk of flooding in the large coastal cities across the continent.

“These are the striking impacts of climate change risk reversing Africa’s economic and development gains,” AAKNet warned.

+Naija AgroNet 
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Group wants protection for poor countries against climate change

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group, have advocated protection for poor countries from the menace of climate change as there is a big risk of loss of key issues if they are not protected.

The chairman of the group, Pa Ousman Jarju of the Gambia said there is a great need to massive increase in funds for adaption and for action in order to reduce emission. "We need to set up a proper international coordination process to deliver resources for adaptation to those in most need," he advised.

In a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet by the International Institute for Environment and Development, Pa Jarju listed global warming causing drought, water and food shortages as part of the major challenges facing the world at the moment which call for actions.

He also said there are no chances of survival if the necessary issues are being deferred till 2015 when a new agreement will be negotiated.

 According to Pa Jarju, drought in the USA only cost insurance companies money, while droughts in the LDCs are causing loss of life and livelihoods, malnutrition in our children and huge dislocation which is very serious for our survival.

“It is extremely important that governments agree to respect the commitments they have already made to provide finance, technology and capacity building to developing countries and to enhance cooperation to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change and not to use the focus on a new processes to avoid past promises. We cannot indefinitely delay action, especially with regard to climate change, which is already upon us,” he said.

aid.

 Yinka Awosanya

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