Universities/Colleges

This Manual is a guide for the operation of the CCARDESA grant system. The contents in this document have been written and arranged in a manner which is intended for use internally and externally by the respondents as well as any other interested stakeholders. The manual endeavours to explain the processes to be followed in order to make the grant system as transparent and efficient as possible. All CCARDESA stakeholders in SADC Member States, financiers and respondents to the calls must have confidence that the process of selecting and allocating resources is the most efficient. Detailed annexes are provided to give additional information, guidelines and formats to ensure the preparation of proposals is standardised and evaluation is made easy.

There are few direct measurements of anthropogenic climate-forcing emissions in Africa, making it difficult to accurately assess current emissions and to anticipate changes in future emissions. Emissions databases suggest that sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to less than 15% of the world's population, is responsible for 11% of anthropogenic methane (CH4) and 18% of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions globally, though this includes substantial emissions from biomass burning that would occur in the absence of contemporary anthropogenic activity, and which may be over-estimated. SSA is also an important source of precursors to the greenhouse gas tropospheric ozone, and of mineral dust, which has a range of impacts on climate. Eliminating food insecurity and poverty is likely to take priority over greenhouse gas mitigation in the region, so innovations in mitigation must focus on ways to reduce emissions as an ancillary benefit of improving livelihoods.

Climate change is one of the major challenges that are confronting developing countries. Rural women in Zimbabwe are one of the most hard hit populace groups. The study sought to investigate how rural women are affected by climate change in relation to their livelihoods. It also explores women’s perception of climate change and the effects of those perceptions on adapting to climate change. Emphasis is made on the effects of climate change on crop production, livestock production and water sources focusing on Tsholotsho District in Zimbabwe. The study used a qualitative approach to obtain data on the effects of climate change. One of the major findings of the study was that the impact of climate change undermines women’s livelihoods which are rain-fed thus leading to accelerated food insecurity problems and heightened impoverishment. The paper concludes that women in rural areas must be prioritized in development programming especially in agriculture to ameliorate impending and inevitable climate change induced food insecurity. 

Wetlands are unique for storing water from storms; recharging ground water and serving as the habitat for a variety of aquatic organisms, wildlife and plants, including rare, threatened, endangered and endemic species. However, climate variability has led to the shrinking and drying up of most wetlands in Zimbabwe. This study looked at the public perceptions of climatic experiences in their environment, level of knowledge about wetland management and attitudes towards implementing these strategies. Data collection and analysis was based on field surveys in two villages around Intunjambili wetland, including five focus groups, questionnaires (five point Likert-scaled) given to 27 households, structured interviews and observations. The results indicate that a significant proportion of the locals are aware of the dynamics of the local climate; the majority of the participants have heard of climate variability but very few know the causes. The majorities of the participants use indigenous knowledge systems to conserve their wetlands and are reluctant to implement scientific methods as they are perceived as expensive. The study points to the need to encourage residents to merge scientific methods and indigenous knowledge systems in wetland management and to increase outreach about the climate variability risk, for sustainable environmental management.

This global overview is useful but it’s also important to understand whether there are differences in threats between different geographic regions and whether similar species are affected by them in different ways. The Living Planet Index, a rich source of this information, can tell us about threats at the species population level. This more granular level of data has already highlighted different responses in different species of penguins in western Antarctica.

The Living Planet Index also tracks the state of global biodiversity by measuring the population abundance of thousands of vertebrate species around the world. The latest index shows an overall
decline of 60% in population sizes between 1970 and 2014. Species population declines are especially pronounced in the tropics, with South and Central America suffering the most dramatic decline, an 89% loss compared to 1970. Freshwater species numbers have also declined dramatically, with the Freshwater Index showing an 83% decline since 1970. But measuring biodiversity – all the varieties of life that can be found on Earth and their relationships to each other – is complex, so this report also explores three other indicators measuring changes in species distribution, extinction risk and changes in community composition. All these paint the same picture – showing severe declines or changes.

In Namibia, agriculture employs 30% of the labour force and contributes 7.5% to GDP. More than 60% of the farming is done by subsistence farmers. The sector is facing challenges such as low soil fertility and water shortage. To counter these challenges, sustainable land management practices are needed, but subsistence farmers face constraints in adopting these practices. Hence, this study was conducted to identify what practices the farmers are currently using and what constraints they are facing in adopting sustainable land management practices. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 farmers in the Oshikoto Region. The interviews were recorded, transcribed word for word and thematic analysis applied to the answers. The study showed that the farmers were using some sustainable practices such as manure and mould from termite hills as fertilizer. However, unsustainable practices such as tractor-drawn disk harrows and inorganic fertilizer were also used. The constraints that affectfarmers’ adoption of sustainable land management practices include climate characteristics,especially low and unpredictable rainfall; limited farmland size; lack of extension services and institutional support; labour shortages; and lack of finances and other resources. Based on these findings it is recommended that extension delivery to farmers in the study area must be strengthened, that projects combating climate change must be down streamed to subsistencefarmers, and that farmers should be encouraged and supported to use ‘easy to adopt’sustainable practices, e.g. crop rotation and ripping. It is also suggested that long-term weather forecasts should be made available to the farmers through the radio. This could have a significantly positive impact on the environment as well as on subsistence farmers’ situationand household food security.

The project mainstreams the climate risk considerations in the Land Rehabilitation Programme of Lesotho for improved ecosystem resilience and reduced vulnerability of livelihoods to climate shocks.

A brief overview of adaptation options and measurements

The CCARDESA Secretariat wishes to invite applications from qualified and competent candidates who are nationals of the SADC member countries to fill the position of Internal Auditor.

The main aim of the Conference was to have a dialogue on matters relating to climate change as it affects agriculture in Southern Africa, to share lessons and progress made. The first part of the conference dealt with presentations from a number of countries in Southern Africa on their experiences and coping mechanisms, and this was followed by a session primarily dedicated to South African experiences.