Case Study

The smallholder sector is vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on rainfed agriculture and has the least ability to adapt. Based on appropriate weather forecasts, farmers can mitigate and adapt to climate change through sound crop management decisions. A study was conducted to explore indigenous knowledge system (IKS) weather forecasts as a climate change adaptation strategy in smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe. Eighty six farmers from three agro-ecological regions with different agricultural potential and cultural backgrounds were involved in the study. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to collect data on climate change perceptions, access and interpretation of meteorological forecasts and IKS weather indicators and their use in crop production. Most farmers (93%) believed that there is climate change, citing low rainfall, late rains and rising temperatures as some of the indicators. Sixty five percent of farmers had access to and can interpret the meteorological forecasts disseminated through print and electronic media, though arguing that the forecasts are not timely disseminated. Sixty seven percent of the respondents were using IKS weather indicators such as wild fruits, trees, worms and wind for predicting seasonal quality in addition to meteorological forecasts. Basing on IKS forecasts, farmers are changing varieties, staggering planting dates, varying fertilizer rates and cropping land area. The study showed that IKS forecasts indicators are different in the three agro-ecological regions, are being used by farmers in making farming decisions and if properly documented, disseminated and integrated with scientific seasonal climate forecasts can be used as a climate change adaptation strategy.

Current agricultural practices in Mozambique and Lesotho lead to localized externalities and systematic “macro” erosion. However, conservation agriculture, which promotes minimal tillage, intercropping, and maintaining a soil cover, can be applied to moderate erosion and improve food security while sequestering carbon. This presentation examines the greenhouse gas reduction potential Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Collaborative Research Support Program’s 5 year project to promote conservation agriculture in Mozambique and Lesotho. It provides graphical comparisons of carbon emissions for tillage and no-tillage systems. Results of a household survey in Mozambique are utilized to examine the probability of the adoption of conservation agriculture related to input use, training, labor constraints, and project support. Farmers who use fertilizer and herbicide and receive credit were found to have the highest adoption rate for conservation agriculture.

CIP is a web interface that integrates two important information sources into one easy to use interface. The first important source is a climate database that stores and manages queries to a large suite of observational climate data as well as projections of future climate. The second important source of information is an extensive collection of guidance documentation that facilitates the best use of the climate data, it’s interpretation and, importantly, resultant actions. The philosophy guiding CIP is that data is not information and as such only has value when well interpreted and correctly used or applied to appropriate problems.

CIP is targeted at a wide range of users. CIP has been designed to be easy and intuitive to use so as to provide easy and simple access to various climate information. However CIP has also been designed to offer important features such as data downloads that suite users more familiar with climate data. It is our hope that as CIP develops, and you the user provides us with feedback, we will continue to satisfy the needs of a wide range of users.

Aims: To determine differences in maize yields, optimal nitrogen (N) rates, and profitability on contrasting soil types and no-till and till management.
Study Design: Randomized block design field trials involving no-tillage and tillage practices were conducted on contrasting soil types (vertisols and inceptisols) to investigate the effect of N fertilizer rates on maize (Zea mays) grain yield.

Place and Duration of Study: Mohale’s Hoek District, Maphutseng, Lesotho over the 2012/2013

Within the framework of the MANITATRA project implementation on COMESA funding which consists in scaling up the dissemination of agro ecological techniques and /or Climate Smart Agriculture[1] in the Middle West and South East regions of Madagascar, a field day dedicated to Climate Smart Agriculture was planned in each intervention area. The Field Day in the Middle West was held in March 2015 and was a real success.

This article details success of the APPSA project in promoting value addition in Mozambique. APPSA embarked on an effort to promote sustainable value-addition to commonly grown food legumes and increase incomes among smallholder farmers in Zambézia and Niassa Provinces (Guruè, Lichinga, Cuamba, Muembe and Chimbonila Districts). About 913 small-scale farmers (610 females) were trained in legume grain selection, packaging, sealing and labelling. The result was a remarkable success in bean processing and improved incomes.

A cross-sectional survey of agricultural areas, combined with routinely monitored mosquito larval informa- tion, was conducted in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to investigate how agricultural and geographical features may influence the presence of Anopheles larvae. Data were integrated into a geographical information systems framework, and predictors of the presence of Anopheles larvae in farming areas were assessed using multivariate logistic regression with independent random effects. It was found that more than 5% of the study area (total size 16.8 km2) was used for farming in backyard gardens and larger open spaces. The proportion of habitats containing Anopheles larvae was 1.7 times higher in agricultural areas compared to other areas (95% confidence interval = 1.56-1.92). Significant geo- graphic predictors of the presence of Anopheles larvae in gardens included location in lowland areas, proximity to river, and relatively impermeable soils. Agriculture-related predictors comprised specific seedbed types, mid-sized gardens, irrigation by wells, as well as cultivation of sugar cane or leafy vegetables. Negative predictors included small garden size, irrigation by tap water, rainfed production and cultivation of leguminous crops or fruit trees. Although there was an increased chance of finding Anopheles larvae in agricultural sites, it was found that breeding sites originated by urban agriculture account for less than a fifth of all breeding sites of malaria vectors in Dar es Salaam. It is suggested that strategies comprising an integrated malaria control effort in malaria-endemic African cities include participatory involvement of farmers by planting shade trees near larval habitats.

Maize is the most-produced cereal worldwide. In Africa alone, more than 300 million people depend on maize as their main food crop. In addition, maize is also very important as feed for farm animals. Currently, approximately 1 billion tons of maize are grown in more than 170 countries on about 180 million hectares of land. 90% of the world’s production is yellow maize, but in Africa, 90% of the total maize production is white maize. Maize production in Africa is very low: while the average yield worldwide is approximately 5.5 tons/hectare/year, production in Africa stagnates at around 2 tons/hectare/year.

The CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) is a broad alliance of research-for-development stakeholders and partners. The shared purpose is to tap the underutilized potential of root, tuber, and banana crops for improving nutrition and food security, increasing incomes and fostering greater gender equity – especially amongst the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 Research Centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partners across the globe.

Quick and easy to read, the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) country profiles give an overview of the agricultural challenges in countries around the world, and how CSA can help them adapt to and mitigate climate change. Developed by CIAT and CCAFS, in partnership with the World Bank, Costa Rica’s CATIE, and USAID’s Bureau for Food Security, the majority cover Latin America, as well as part of Africa and South Asia.