conference

By East Africa Team

Good quality climate information is vital in managing climate risks. Consideration of user needs when delivering climate services is critical. This was a recurring theme of the Second Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-II), which ran in mid-October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference was organized by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with its partners in the Climate for Development in Africa initiative. It brought together over 300 participants from African member states, regional economic communities, river basin organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, academia and development partners.

“The key prerequisites for climate service delivery are available, dependable, usable, credible, authentic, responsive and sustainable,” said Mr Jeremiah Lengoasa, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Deputy Secretary General as he gave the key note address during a session on Climate Service Delivery for Development. Read more »

Written by Jeff Haskins and Dan Klotz

Last year’s record flooding in the Chao Phraya River’s watershed caused $40 billion in damages and left one third of Thailand—including parts of Bangkok, the capital and largest city—underwater for weeks. The prolonged media coverage, however, completely drowned out most recollections of the record drought that the country experienced in 2010.

For Thailand, managing the agricultural challenges presented by climate change means planning to handle both too much water and too little. One solution, Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), sets aside land in upstream areas of major rivers to “capture” floodwater and direct it into natural underground aquifers. With fully “charged” aquifers, farmers could then maintain rice yields during dry spells. Read more »

Gaby Kissinger reports from the International Conference on Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Public Leadership in New Delhi, India, where she shared ideas to promote local, Indian national and international leadership in adapting smallholder farming to climate change. 

India is already demonstrating tangible leadership in national, regional and local efforts to promote adaptation to climate change, particularly considering the vulnerability of smallholder producers. However, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change processes still needs to define opportunities for mitigation and adaptation. How can India show international leadership in adapting smallholder farming to climate change while continuing the positive efforts at the local and national levels?

The International Conference on Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Public Leadership (7-9 February 2012), brought together a range of people from national governments, and international and national research organisations to discuss these issues.

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