February 5, 2025 | No. 68 |
|
|
| A new project launched to strengthen evidence use for African agriculture adaptation |
|
|
|
Robust data and frameworks for measuring climate adaptation are urgently needed to guide investments and boost the resilience of smallholder farmers across Africa. With the impacts of climate change intensifying across Africa, adapting to a changing climate has become a necessity.For millions of smallholder farmers and the climate-vulnerable communities they support, effective climate adaptation strategies can make all the difference. They determine whether farmers live in an almost perpetual crisis or become resilient to the extreme weather events that increasingly affect them.But what makes climate adaptation strategic? Researchers and other stakeholders who focus on climate change mitigation (reducing the emission of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere) have advanced the definition of clear metrics for measuring progress.
|
|
| Call for Applications: AWARD Leadership Program for Emerging African Women in Agricultural Sciences |
|
|
|
2025 AWARD Leadership Program Call for Applications
Application deadline: February 12, 2025
African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is pleased to announce the opening of applications for the AWARD Leadership Program for Emerging African Women in Agricultural Sciences. This program, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, targets young women under 35 from Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and Malawi. The program aims to empower young women in agricultural sciences with leadership skills, improved visibility, and networking opportunities, helping them overcome barriers to career progression and champion gender equality in agriculture. Selected candidates will participate in a nine-month, non-residential program.
For more details on eligibility and the application process, visit Awards Website
|
|
| Food Insecurity in the Land of a Thousand Hills: A Growing Challenge Amidst Agricultural Progress |
|
|
|
One of the harsh realities that confront the population of my beloved country is food insecurity. Rwanda was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as one of the low-income countries suffering from a food deficit in 2023. This should serve as an urgent call to action for our country to address the persistent and deepening issue of hunger and malnutrition.
|
|
| How emerging technologies can boost Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness |
|
|
|
Artificial intelligence (AI) can play a powerful role in Africa’s agriculture industry, from identifying diseases and pests and reducing costs to analyzing the most efficient way to allocate resources, including water, diesel, and fertilizer. Combined with drone technology, AI can help farmers scan vast amounts of land to compile aggregate big data that can be analyzed using AI and IoT, all of which can reduce costs and inputs while maximizing yields. For example, a South African start-up called Aerobotics allows farmers to receive personalized assistance for optimizing resources and reducing costs. In Botswana, a deep learning agritech solution using drones, satellites, and cameras has been employed to identify pests, detect diseases, and predict soil organic carbon levels.
|
|
| Morocco emerges as a force for Regenerative Agriculture in Africa |
|
|
|
Regenerative agriculture enables farmers to produce more crops with less water while helping to slow down climate change in the process. A rapidly growing global trend, the regenerative approach can improve water-use efficiency, raises crop yields, and increase carbon storage in soils. Consisting of a set of farming, grazing, and agroforestry practices that restore degraded soils by reviving the soil microbiome, regenerative agriculture rebuilds the soil’s organic matter, safeguards its biodiversity, and improves its moisture retention. [1] Morocco is emerging as a leading force for regenerative agriculture in Africa, the world’s driest-inhabited continent by percentage of landmass after Australia. [2] Home to the Sahara Desert, a territory over twice the total area of the European Union [3], as well as the Namib and Kalahari Deserts, upwards of 65% of Africa’s land is degraded, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with the rate of desertification increasing due to climate change. Read more
|
|
| Climate change puts African cocoa production under pressure |
|
|
|
Climate change is having a significant impact on cocoa production in West and Central Africa, according to a study by Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The region accounts for more than 70% of global cocoa production. Changes in temperature and rainfall are making some areas less suitable for cocoa cultivation, while others may benefit from the shifting climate. Researcher Paulina Asante from Ghana and her colleagues used a computer model to simulate the impact of climate change by 2060 in four countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. In the Ivory Coast, up to 50% of the current cocoa-growing areas could be lost, significantly reducing production. Ghana is expected to see a moderate decline in suitable areas, while Nigeria and Cameroon may experience an increase in arable land for cocoa. Cameroon's production could rise by 60% and Nigeria's by approximately 40%.
|
|
| South Africa’s leadership in agriculture: A G20 opportunity for growth and global cooperation |
|
|
|
As South Africa takes over the G20 in 2025, it faces an unprecedented opportunity to champion agricultural reforms that resonate across continents. As the global spotlight turns towards transforming agrifood systems, enhancing food security, tackling climate change, and fostering sustainable development, South Africa can leverage its position to advance its own agricultural interests and elevate Africa’s agricultural aspirations on the global stage.The G20, a forum where the world’s largest economies come together, has long recognized the transformative power of agriculture in achieving economic growth, food security, and sustainability. However, the agricultural sector remains fraught with challenges, from protectionist trade policies and climate-related impacts to inadequate financing for smallholder farmers.
|
|
| Driving Africa’s agricultural innovation with agroecology and technology |
|
|
|
The promise of a climate-resilient economy lies in sustainable farming practices that harmonize agroecology with advanced technologies. Across Africa, pioneering initiatives such as the PrAECtiCe project in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda are at the forefront of this transformation, creating climate-smart agri-food systems that empower smallholder farmers while addressing the pressing challenges of food security and environmental sustainability. This Horizon Europe project, supported by the European Commission, exemplifies international collaboration in driving agricultural innovation. With the participation of six European partners and ten African partners, including Apodissi, a Lagos-based SME, the project facilitates the transfer of knowledge and dissemination of results. These collaborative efforts highlight the importance of partnerships between continents, businesses, and local communities in reimagining agriculture for a sustainable future.
|
|
| 4 ways partnerships can tackle food security in Africa |
|
|
|
Agriculture is central to Africa’s economy, contributing 20% to GDP and employing over 60% of the workforce. However, agricultural production is projected to decline by 18% due to land degradation and climate change, even as food supply needs to triple by 2050 to meet the demands of a rapidly growing global population. At COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in December 2024, global leaders stressed the urgent need to accelerate the restoration of degraded lands by 2030, highlighting the severe impacts of land degradation and climate change that threaten food security and livelihoods for millions worldwide. Read more
|
|
| Growing Prosperity in a Warming World: A Strategy for Resilient Agriculture |
|
|
|
As we make our way into 2025, the impacts of climate change are ever more prominent everywhere we look. Rising greenhouse gases are supercharging the atmosphere to trap more of the sun's heat, hold more moisture, and set the stage for more weather extremes. This has had a disproportionate impact on smallholder farmers who face growing crop losses, damage from pests and diseases, and diminished profits. There are no easy fixes to the climate challenges we face, but there are solutions, and MEDA—Mennonite Economic Development Associates—is at the forefront of implementing them. MEDA uses a variety of approaches to enhance soil fertility, reduce waste, increase biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience among smallholder farmers. Read More
|
|
Becoming an AAAE member: The African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE) is a nonprofit association serving the professional interests of those working in agricultural and broadly related fields of development economics. Becoming a member of AAAE brings together people who work in the same industry and/or share common interests and goals. Please subscribe today and become a member to help in advocating for our shared purpose. |
|
African Association of Agricultural Economists c/o University of Nairobi, C.A.V.S, Upper Kabete Campus Loresho Ridge Road, Nairobi, Kenya |
|
|
