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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