This survey of African smallholder farmers is part of systematic effort by CCAFS to better understand the levels of food security among smallholder households, what actions and adaptation strategies farmers have already been pursuing, what information they are getting and how they are using it, and what services they have been receiving.
“CCAFS is interested in identifying and evaluating the trade-offs farmers face as they attempt to deal with risks from increasing climate variability. While warmer temperatures can in fact increase yields for some crops – particularly in the tropics – the overall implications of climate change for food security for families and the region as a whole is an immense concern,” said James Kinyangi, CCAFS’ Regional Program Leader for East Africa.
Thinking Globally with a Need to Act Locally
Two overarching statistics were often cited in the lead-up to the recently concluded United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20: the world population is expected to surge past nine billion by the year 2050, and food production has to increase by 70 percent by then to keep pace, while reducing its emissions footprint. But the potential of international forums like Rio+20 to tackle these challenges has not been reached.
“In the past year, many speeches and reports talked about the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population,” said Bruce Campbell, CCAFS’ Program Director. “Farmers need more than words. They need innovative strategies that will help them adapt to the increased demand brought on by climate change and other factors. We need to redouble efforts to ensure not just their current and future food security but the rest of the world’s as well.”
Campbell highlighted Rio+20 as a prime example of this trend. “The final text for Rio+20 recognized the connections between sustainable agriculture, smallholder farmers and food security, but lacked concrete commitments or a plan of action. We urge national leaders to embrace these challenges and safeguard global food security by helping farmers face a changing climate.”
In response, new CGIAR research efforts have been launched with local communities and organizations that will encourage more wide-spread embrace of improved agricultural practices. These initiatives include:
- Making hundreds of climate-resilient local crop varieties readily available to farmers who are testing them in their fields. For example, women farmers in a pilot project in Ethiopia are helping determine which varieties they prefer, choosing from a range of varieties that could best cope with future conditions.
- Insuring livestock farmers against drought – An index-based livestock insurance partnership between the International Livestock Research Institute, Equity Bankand UAP Insurance uses satellite imagery to determine losses of livestock forage and issues payouts to participating herders when incidences of drought occur. This program is different from all others because it does not pay clients based on the actual loss of their livestock assets, but rather on indicators that the animals are at risk of death.
- Using SMS messaging and other innovative approaches to deliver weather forecasts (including better seasonal forecasts) and market data to farmers, who can benefit from current and detailed information to determine when to plant, water, fertilize, harvest their crops and increase their yields.
- Tapping into new global carbon markets to generate rewards to small-scale farmers, particularly women, for their on-farm tree planting efforts across East Africa.
Source: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
