August 2011

According to a recent article in The New Agriculturist pastoralism is the best way to cope with drought. This statement is based on the findings from the report ‘An Assessment of the response to the 2008-2009 drought in Kenya’, produced by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Based on interviews with pastoralists the researchers found that the best way for them to cope with famine was to ensure that they had access to grazing and watering areas. Pastoralism was also viewed as the most productive use of drylands in the Horn of Africa and increased mobility of pastoralists could prevent future food crisis in these areas. In other words, by allowing pastoralists to move to other, unused grazing areas, they can more easily mitigate livestock losses during a drought. This is becoming increasingly problematic however, the report states, since mobility is being reduced and impeded. The report recommends that interventions targeting the removal of restrictions to mobility and access should be considered as prime activities during preparedness. To read more about the ILRI report please click here. Read more »

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to help monitor climate change as well as help farmers adapt and mitigate to its effects. This important link was discussed at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) symposium on ICTs, Environment and Climate Change held in late July in Accra, Ghana.

In Africa, where half the continent’s population uses a mobile phone, people now have unprecedented access to information via their handsets. The Guardian recently reported on the multiple ways mobile phones have catalysed innovation, including in the farming sector. For example, farmers from isolated areas can access  weather information via text messages (SMS) or phone calls, to prepare for upcoming drought spells, heavy rain or floods. Read more »

A new analysis of the Horn of Africa famine by Oxfam's Duncan Green looks at what is known so far about its causes, and what can be done. We've covered this issue before, noting that it's impossible to link the devastating East Africa drought with climate change but there are many connections.

Green concludes that whether this extreme weather incident is linked to climate change or not, it is an indication of what may come as such incidents become more commonplace. Read more »

by Cecilia Schubert

An average temperatures rise by 2.3 degrees Celsius by 2050 could potentially wipe out Uganda's most profitable tea producing areas, with severe losses in productivity already apparent by 2020. This was revealed in the new report Future Climate Scenarios for Uganda's Tea Growing Areas (PDF) produced by researchers from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia. The alarming scenarios - decreasing yields and a more favorable environment for pests and diseases - indicate that Uganda’s tea producers need to take firm action to adapt and mitigate to the upcoming changes in climate. Read more »