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This brochure gives a short overview of the Maize lethal necrosis disease and provides the most important information on it.

The eastern communal conservancies are situated along the western fringe of the Kalahari basin. Under a very short rainfall gradient, the vegetation abruptly changes from microphyllous Acacia-dominated savannas to mesophyll savannas, dominated by Terminalia sericea and Combretum spp. We hypothesise that this is caused by changes in soil moisture availability brought about by changes in soil texture from loamy soils to deep sands (the ‘inverse texture effect’). For this analysis, we used vegetation and soils data derived from a recognisance survey of the natural resources of the study area. As the sites in the soil and vegetation surveys did not overlap, it was decided to use only synoptic data for the plant associations in the analysis. Non-metric multidimesional scaling ordination was utilised as ordination technique of the vegetation data and various environmental parameters, including soil texture, soil hydraulic parameters, climatic and fire regime parameters, were overlaid as biplots onto the resulting graph, as were various plant functional attributes particularly related to climatic conditions. The main environmental gradient identified within the study area is the rainfall gradient. This relatively short gradient, however, does not explain the marked change in vegetation observed within the study area. This change is attributed to the change in soil type, in particular, the soil texture and the associated soil hydraulic parameters of the soil. This gradient is closely correlated to leaf size, explaining the change from microphyll savannas to mesophyll savannas along the change from loamy to sandy soils. One of the lesser understood mechanisms for the survival of these mesophyll plants on sandy soils seems to be a deep root system, which is actively involved in water redistribution within the soil profile – by hydraulic lift, inverse hydraulic lift and stem flow.

These training materials have been produced to foster the capacity of key members of local communities to practically implement RWHI systems in a cost-efficient manner. The specific target group of these capacity building materials are local community members who are directly involved in the replication and scale-up of RWHI technologies and practices, i.e. local artisans and small-scale enterpreneurs in the field of rural water supply management and offseason small-scale irrigation on one hand, and educated smallholder farmers with previous knowledge and experience in this field who are interested to replicate and scaleup RWHI systems. Whereas these training materials are specifically tailored to members of local communities, the know-how and language used in this manual may not be suitable for uneducated readers.

Therefore, these training materials intend to provide a selection of key information and know-how that can be used to support proper planning, design and construction of cost-efficient RWHI technologies and practices in arid and semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Further, this manual also suggests other relevant technical manuals for local communities which specifically focus on each of the RWHI technologies and practices. It is strongly recommended that reference is also made to these materials with the help of experienced professionals in this field of knowledge.

This video shows the panel discussion and summary part of the webinar “A case of advisory services: climate information supporting farmers’ decision-making – PICSA approach”.

Based on CSA practices, prioritized in national and regional workshops, a study was conducted using historical data collected by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and its national partners to better understand the benefits and challenges of CSA technologies and to assess their feasibility for a large outscaling initiative in southern Africa. The specific objective of the study was to assess their economic, biophysical, environmental and social benefits using existing available long-term data. For completeness a summary of challenges in their implementation was also provided.

This Pilot Study is a summry to address increasing threats of climate change and declining soil fertility, a cross regional agronomic study was conducted in southern Africa, covering 19 on-farm communities in contrasting agro-ecologies ranging from around 500 mm to more than 1800mm of rainfall. The 19 on-farm communities have been under long-term research by CIMMYT and national partners in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The aim of this study was to assess how different climate-smart agriculture technologies perform under a variable climate and to pilot new doubled-up legume systems of groundnuts with pigeonpea in 6 selected target communities.

This study examines the vulnerability to climate variability and change of the conventional maize value chain in the mid and low altitude agro-ecological zones of Malawi, agro-ecological zone II of Zambia and agro-ecological zone III of Zimbabwe. The aim is to develop feasible priorities and strategies for climate variability and change adaptation based on farmer preference. A literature review for the countries Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe was conducted to assess the current and future impact of climate change and variability on the smallholder farming system. A mix of methods, which included participatory vulnerability assessment tools, focus group discussions and key informant interviews among 108 farmers from five communities, complemented the literature review. Data were collected on the current and likely future impacts and sensitivity of the systems and adaptation capacities.

Agriculture is one of the sectors affected adversely by climate change. Attaining food security and development goals at both household and national levels requires deployment of efficient and sustainable food production practices  Furthermore, the fragile soil structure and the low nutrient composition in most parts of the country make farmers more vulnerable. The common farming practices by the majority of farmers in Namibia are characterized by extensive soil disturbance through ploughing, low use of agricultural inputs, and overexploitation of fragile lands. Inappropriate agricultural practices and poor soil management have resulted in soil erosion, land degradation, loss of vegetation cover, and consequently into low agricultural production.  These land management practices can cause degradation leading to a decrease in soil organic matter. Thus, to mitigate these impacts, there is a need for promoting sustainable farming interventions such as Conservation Agriculture (CA) in the country.
This video in the external link was composed by a number of partners in addressing the effect of Climate Change and sensitise Conservation Agriculture.

In two weeks’ time, the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will hold the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris, France. Namibia has been a signatory to this international treaty since 1995 and is as such at an important juncture of commemorating the progress and lessons to come out of the past 20 years of responding to the challenges presented by climate change within the context of international development. Another important juncture in international development is that of the soon to be enacted intergovernmentally agreed set of targets, the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs). In less than two months, the SDGs will take effect when UN member states are expected to enact policies and legislation to realise them and their associated targets.

Majority of farmers in Zimbabwe are small-scale based, poverty stricken and vulnerable to climate shocks, stresses and impacts. The small-scale farmers have no access to bank loans, crop insurance and other public interventions. This leaves them highly exposed, neglected and defenceless to climatic threats. The national input scheme, otherwise known as the Presidential Input Scheme, has its shortcomings and a few merits.