West Africa 'must take action to tackle water loss' - AlertNet
Food production and power generation in the Volta River basin, which is home to 24 million people across six West African countries, will be reduced by climate change, a study shows
CGIAR Climate's insight:
Food production and power generation in the Volta River basin, which is home to 24 million people across six West African countries, will be reduced by climate change related rising temperatures, a study reveals. The study's climate model shows temperatures in the Volta Basin rising by up to 3.6 degrees Celsius over the next century, leading to greater evaporation and a resulting 20 per cent water loss. The study was presented last month at the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week (15-20 July) in Accra, Ghana. Agriculture in the Volta basin — which covers Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo — accounts for 40 per cent of the region's economic activity. The basin covers 402,000 square kilometres. The research was carried out by a collaboration of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, CGIAR's Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).