Africa and Adaptation: Many Needs, Too Few Projects
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The economic -- as well as human and environmental -- costs of adapting to climate change will hit developing nations hardest -- none harder than those in Sub-Saharan Africa. New World Bank projections have adaptation costs carving out almost 7 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa's gross development product annually between 2010 and 2029. That's more than double the cost projected for Latin America and the Caribbean, and more than triple the cost to GDP that would be borne by developing countries in other regions. Yet only 16 of the 100 finalists in DM2009 were from Africa, and only three of them -- from Burkina Faso (anti-desertification), Ethiopia (anti-drought), and Nigeria (anti-drought) -- were among the 26 winners.
Below, from left, photos of winners from projects in Burkina Faso (Thomas Granier), Ethiopia (Mohammad Ehsan Dulloo), and Nigeria (Nnaemeka Chidiebere Ikegwuonu).
Of all the adverse i
mpacts of climate change in Africa, the worst is drought. Already faltering food production in the region could fall by 16 percent long term because of more frequent and intense drier weather, according to recent projections. If that happens, Africa would be even further from meeting its Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty.
With most of Africa's food grown by small farmers, most adaptation projects to protect the farmers against climate change will have to start on a small scale. The implications are as certain as the outlook for drier weather: Africa must become the center of many more projects like the region's three winners at DM2009.
Printer-friendly versionTags:
- Adaptation
- Africa
- Agriculture
- Climate Change
- Communities and Human Settlements
- Environment
- Finance and Financial Sector Development
- Gender
- Health, Nutrition and Population
- Indigenous Peoples
- Innovation
- Poverty Reduction
- Private Sector Development
- Public Sector Development
- Rural Development
- Social Development
- Water Resources
Comments
Africa and Adaptation: Many Needs, Too Few Projects
Tom, that is absolutely right. The climate change will hit the developing world and Africa the hardest. I recently visited Sub Saharan Africa and talking to people and seeing the farms you can really tell the impact of the climate change. Due to draught there is very little food production by local farmers also livestock is hit hard and nomads who relied on livestock for living are really suffering. I think draught and shortage of water will be the biggest challenge of Africa in the coming years.
DM2009 finalist #3561 starts implementing in Mozambique
Thank you Tom, for caring about Africa's share in DM2009. With only 12% of DM grants going to that continent, something seems wrong, doesn't it? Many needs? Yes, definitely. Too few projects? Probably, but there were more than 3 winners from Africa at DM2009. Behin the scenes we are still counting:
EC Food Facility for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries just awarded a EUR 1.4 million grant to the DM2009 finalist #3561: Zero Emission Fridge for Rural Africa (for more information on the innovation check on youtube and flickr under 'zero emission fridge')
Besides, we are currently evaluating the possibility to join efforts with DM2009 winner Bioversity International to link our grassroots action with up-to-date, scientific approaches to safeguard germplasm and give farmers access to the seeds they need for climate adaptation, in both Ethiopia and Mozambique. A concept note is currently being written and we will be looking for financial support.
We are also considering running a little pilot in Northern Mozambique with the innovation of DM2009 finalist #5075, Clay pot micro-irrigation for climate risk management and food security, using resources from Helvetas, Swiss Association for International Cooperation.
And we are regularly sharing ideas and experiences through Linkedin with all the other DM participants who are linked in, and also through sites such as www.postcosecha.net and www.water-for-food.ch, to keep the ideas growing.
I guess that is good news for Africa thanks in big part to the DM2009!
Editorial based on DM2009 Proposal - clay pots for the dry lands
Thanks Tom and Christian. The DM2009 created several possibilities for interaction and collaboration between different finalists. We are unfunded but we believe in our ideas. Yes, interaction for potential between finalists still continues. Many of us are exchanging summaries of our proposals to try it in our neighborhood.
Below, please find my guest editorial for fragilecologies.com on the use of clay pots for food security in response to water scarcity. The ideasare from my unfunded finalist #5075 (Ethiopia). The articles stresses the need for capacity building of poor small farmers on the use of the buried clay pots for efficient irrigation to grow food in their neighborhood. Here is the link for the editorial - http://fragilecologies.com/blog/?p=1107
Tsegay
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