Climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives for agriculture in East Africa

National governments across East Africa are in the process of formulating and implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies to assist farmers cope with climate change. These include formulating actions, frameworks and programs to address climate change and embedding these within the long-term national development plans. This working paper provides understanding of the current state of national climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for agriculture and provides baseline information for subsequent assessments of climate change adaptation and mitigation. In each country, specific government departments such as Environmental Protection Authority (Ethiopia), Ministry of Environment, Water and Mineral Resources (Kenya), Vice President‘s Office (Tanzania) and Ministry of Water and Environment (Uganda) are mandated to coordinate climate change initiatives. In all countries, the Ministry of Agriculture is the focal point for all climate change initiatives related to agriculture. Agricultural Sector Development Plans that provide strategies to boost agricultural productivity and spur economic growth have been prepared either as standalone plans or as part of National Development Plans (NDP). Irrigation, capacity building, enhancing private-public partnership for market development, and creating legal and regulatory environment that can attract investments are some of the priority areas identified for attention in agriculture to enhance climate resilience

Review of climate service needs and opportunities in Rwanda

Rwanda’s variable and changing climate is an increasingly serious challenge to the country’s agricultural sector and farming population. Climate information services are emerging as a means to support farmers to manage risk and provide an opportunity to build the resilience of agriculture to climate at all time scales. Climate services include historical, monitored and forecast information, and value-added information products such pest and disease risk warnings, crop yield forecasts, or management advisories. The new Rwanda Climate Services for Agriculture project, funded by USAID, aims to benefit nearly one million farmers by 2019, and transform Rwanda’s rural farming communities and national economy through climate services and improved climate risk management. This desk review was conducted to ensure that the project design is informed by and builds on existing needs, knowledge, services, capacities and initiatives. It synthesizes what is known about climate-related risks and their impacts on Rwanda’s agriculture sector; the current status of climate information products and services; key institutions currently involved in the production, communication and use of climate-related information; and communication channels that can be used to deliver climate information services to relevant users including Rwanda’s farming population

Agricultural Adaptation and Institutional Responses to Climate Change Vulnerability in Ethiopia

Climate change is a major development challenge to Ethiopia. Climate change is expected to adversely affect all economic sectors, eco-regions, and social groups. Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors as it is highly dependent on rainfall. This report synthesises four case studies focusing on the impacts, vulnerabilities and local adaptation practices in Ethiopia‘s agricultural sector, including policy and institutional responses. The case studies were carried out in nine districts, representing the major agro-ecological and farming systems. The case studies use qualitative data generated through rapid appraisal methods, complimented with a review of relevant literature. The results show that there are changes in local climatic conditions, manifested through several indicators. These include increased temperatures, changes in rainfall amounts and patterns, and increased incidence of drought and flood events. Drought was a major problem in almost all sites, while floods affected localized areas in some of the sites. Informants attributed climate change to poor management of natural resources (forests and grazing lands), with rapid population growth as a key driver

Strengthening Adaptive Capacity of Extensive Livestock Systems for Food and Nutrition Security and Low-emissions Development in Eastern and Southern Africa: Regional Planning Workshop Report

Livestock production is a major economic activity in Africa, contributing significantly to food security, income generation, and employment. Extensive livestock systems support most of Africa’s livestock population, with 63%, 82%, and 70% of the continent’s cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively, raised in arid and semi-arid areas. Despite having one-third of the world’s livestock population, the sector faces several challenges, including low productivity, disease, and poor marketing infrastructure, often exacerbated by climate variability and change

Systemic barriers to scaling private sector driven climate-smart agricultural innovations in East Africa’s potato, sesame and common bean value chains

The CRAFT project (2018-2023) promotes a bottom-up market-driven scaling agenda that supports inclusive business models to enhance climate-resilient farming systems through sustainable intensification along selected oilseed, pulse and potato agricultural value chains. The selection criteria for these crops includes sufficient private sector interest and capacity for coinvestment; adequate domestic consumption to drive market development opportunities; and ample evidence of climate change risks projected to face the value chains. Across East Africa, unfavorable climate change patterns involving rising temperatures, increased variability of seasonal rainfall and a higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are aggravating food insecurity and pose further challenges for rural development (Government of Kenya 2018)

A review of agricultural, food security, food systems and climate change adaptation policies, institutions and actors in East Africa

Agricultural production systems in East Africa are mainly rain-fed and highly vulnerable to climate change and variability. Moreover, the smallholder subsistence production base increases the vulnerability of the agricultural sector in East Africa to climate risks. The frequency and severity of climate shocks such as drought, heat and cold stress as well as floods are increasing and likely to lead to major food crises. Governmental and nongovernmental actors in East African countries have instituted policies and programs aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, improving food security and enhancing adaptation to climate change. This paper examines the various policies, institutions and actors related to climate change adaptation, food security, food system and agricultural development in East Africa—focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The paper combines a review of literature with key informant interviews from various actors in the four countries

Managing climate risks through small ruminants in Kenyan climate-smart villages

Small ruminants (goats and sheep) play an important role in rural livelihoods. About one third of the total red meat consumed in Kenya comes from small ruminants (GoK, 2015a). Small ruminants are easier to de-stock and re-stock due to their small body size, higher birth rate, and shorter generation intervals compared to large stock. Kenya Vision 2030 is the country’s development programme from 2008 to 2030, and has agriculture as a key economic pillar. Within agriculture, small ruminants have been identified as a priority sector in contributing to food security in a changing and variable climate

Integrating climate change in agriculture and food security policies and strategies: Experiences and lessons from East Africa

Several African countries are proactively putting in place policies and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture at national and local levels. In order for policy makers to develop and implement successful climate change policies and programs, they require reliable and timely information on the uncertainties and complexities related to climate change, including risks, and vulnerability. In East Africa, CCAFS scientists have been working with policy makers from 2011 to identify suitable policy and institutional frameworks that support evidence based policy and program development. This entails making available evidence from research to support policy development and implementation at different levels—local, national, regional and global

CCAFS East Africa Regional Science Workshop Report

The East Africa regional program of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) hosted a three-day workshop to engage with partners from agricultural research, agricultural extension, climate services and products, food security, and early warning systems in East Africa. The overall objective of the workshop was to plan and develop thematic research to support climate risk management, adaptation and mitigation options in East Africa, resulting in four to five project concepts that can be supported as seed participatory action research (PAR) activities. From these seed activities, CCAFS intends to build longer term projects from those with the greatest potential to deliver bigger outcomes and impact. The workshop built on the regional needs for research and priorities identified from previous national and regional workshops in 2011