The purpose of this book is to document the effects of climate change on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and to discuss strategies for adaptation to hotter weather and less predictable rainfall.
A changing climate is likely to have a drastic impact on crop yields in Africa. The purpose of this book is to document the effects of climate change on agriculture in Africa and to discuss strategies for adaptation to hotter weather and less predictable rainfall. These strategies include promoting opportunities for farmers to adopt technologies that produce optimal results in terms of crop yield and income under local agro-ecological and socioeconomic conditions.
The focus is on sub-Saharan Africa, an area that is already affected by changing patterns of heat and rainfall. Because of the high prevalence of subsistence farming, food insecurity, and extreme poverty in this region, there is a great need for practical adaptation strategies. The book includes empirical research in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and other Sub-Saharan countries, and the conclusion summarizes policy-relevant findings from the chapters.
It is aimed at advanced students, researchers, extension and development practitioners, and officials of government agencies, NGOs, and funding agencies. It also will provide supplementary reading for courses in environment and development and in agricultural economics.
"Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa takes a broad view of farming in the face of climate change, building on its succinct definition of sustainability as a balance in agriculture between practices that both mitigate climate change, while also actively adapting to those changes... One of the book's notable conclusions affirms its own recommendations for sustainable yield growth regardless of change as a determinant factor - suggesting that climate-adaptation practices need not be undertaken to the detriment of production." - Spore (CTA publications)
