Agro-pastoral conflicts in Benin: when policies fall short

Climate Change and Health: Strengthening the Evidence Base for Policy

A goat-centered approach to farming can help shift rural agrarian households and communities toward gender-inclusive climate change adaptation in agriculture to enhance food security and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Gender inequality, climate change, and food and nutrition insecurity are the most defining and deeply intertwined socioeconomic and environmental challenges in rural communities in this region. This chapter offers an overview of the potential of goat rearing as a sustainable and holistic approach to addressing these challenges. The failure to address gender inequality and climate change has thrown sub-Saharan Africa into a state of perpetual food scarcity due to compromised food production, consequently condemning rural communities and their people to extreme poverty and malnutrition. Because of this scenario, many internal and external development agencies have put several measures in place to alleviate the situation, which has long preyed upon the region and continues to frustrate food stability there. The total failure of the previous autonomous attempt to address the triple challenges of gender inequality climate change, and food and nutrition insecurity at the household level has led to the exploration and endorsement of more sustainable and multifaceted approaches. We propose that goat rearing is one such initiative, as it combines the empowerment of women in agriculture to ensure availability of the basic food needs of the household with sustained animal production due to goats’ ability to adapt to harsh environmental conditions. The goat-centered multifactorial approach is focused on the exploitation of the interlinkages among these socioeconomic and environmental ills. The major assumption is that goat rearing in rural economies simultaneously curtails the risk of food and nutrition insecurity by acting as an entry point of gender equality while leveraging the opportunities that goat rearing will effectively offset adversities posed by climate change. In most instances, women are potentially more vulnerable than men, as they directly experience the adverse effects of climate change in agricultural production, in turn compromising food and nutrition security. Goat rearing is central to the removal of systemic barriers that hold women back from equal participation in agriculture by broadening their socioeconomic opportunities, hence playing a significant role in agricultural value chains. The goat-rearing sustainability concept is based on establishing and maintaining the circumstances under which people and nature can subsist in productive harmony, which allows fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations. Despite the adverse effects of climate change, the goat population has continued to proliferate in the harshest agroecological regions, which demonstrates that goats have managed to adapt to the current unfriendly environmental conditions. It is assumed that promoting goat rearing will narrow the gender equality gap between men and women and enhance the participation of women in agriculture, hence improving productivity and food and nutrition security. Goats, due to their large numbers and deep embedment in rural communities, have constantly contributed to poor rural farmers’ livelihoods in many ways, and their contributions tend to be significant. This chapter reviews the potential of goat rearing as a sustainable and holistic approach to addressing the triple challenges of gender inequality, climate change, and food insecurity in rural communities of sub-Saharan Africa.

Plant breeding through the development of seeds resistant to water stress or high temperature is an important adaptive strategy to cope climate change. In this way, by providing an analysis of adaptation to climate change using genetic breeding on Brazilian farms, this work aims to investigate how climate change will affect the adoption of genetic breeding and profitability of farmers. Temperature and rainfall projections for 2010-2099 time periods were used, considering different climate scenarios (A1B and A2), according to the 4th Assessment Report of IPCC (2007). A Treatment Effects model outlines the analytical framework in this study. Our results indicate the probability of adopting transgenic seeds will grow from 74% in the current period to 86% in 2020, 83% in 2050, and 81% in 2080. Farmers adopting this adaptation strategy will have higher profits. Land value tends to be higher in both climate scenarios in counties with cultivated areas using transgenic seeds. Farmers adopting this adaptation measure will be less exposed to adverse effects of climate change. We conclude that it is necessary to invest in adaptation strategies so that Brazil can overcome adverse effects of global climate change.

Climate change is altering marine ecosystem and fish stock dynamics worldwide. These effects add to scientific uncertainties that compromise fisheries management. Among the strategies that can respond to climate change and scientific uncertainty, modifications to harvest control rules (HCRs) might be among the most direct and impactful. We used a bioeconomic model to compare alternative HCRs in terms of biomass, yield, and profits in response to potential effects of climate change and scientific uncertainty, specifically simulated retrospective patterns, for 14 stocks on the Northeast Shelf of the United States. Our results suggest that a responsive HCR in which fishing mortality changes with measured changes in biomass builds inherent resilience to adverse effects of both climate change and scientific uncertainty relative to an HCR in which fishing mortality is precautionary but fixed. This was despite that fact that the HCR algorithm did not account for the climate effects modelled. A fixed fishing mortality HCR was effective when climate effects were negligible or beneficial. Scientific uncertainty further reduced biomass, yield, and profits by about the same magnitude as climate change. Our results suggest that simple changes to HCRs can be a readily implementable strategy for responding to climate change and scientific uncertainty.

As fossil fuel combustion continues to power the global economy, the rate of climate change is accelerating, causing severe respiratory health impacts and large disparities in the degree of human suffering. Hotter and drier climates lead to longer and more severe wildland fire seasons, impairing air quality around the globe. Hotter temperatures lead to higher amounts of ozone and particles, causing the exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases and premature mortality. Longer pollen seasons and higher pollen concentrations provoke allergic airway diseases. In arid regions, accelerated land degradation and desertification are promoting dust pollution and impairing food production and nutritional content that are essential to respiratory health. Extreme weather events and flooding impede healthcare delivery and can lead to poor indoor air quality due to mold overgrowth. Climate and human activities that harm the environment and ecosystem may also affect the emergence and spread of viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and associated morbidity and mortality exacerbated by air pollution. Children and elderly individuals are more susceptible to the adverse health effects of climate change. Geographical and socioeconomic circumstances, together with a decreased capacity to adapt, collectively increase vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change. Successful mitigation of anthropogenic climate change is dependent on the commitment of energy-intensive nations to manage greenhouse gas emissions, as well as societal support and response to aggravating factors. In this review, we focus on the respiratory health impacts of global climate change, with an emphasis on susceptible and vulnerable populations and low- and middle-income countries.

Adaptability of wheat to future climate change: Effects of sowing date and sowing rate on wheat yield in three wheat production regions in the North China Plain

This paper attempts to examine the relationship between climate change and pearl millet production in Nigeria. It discusses the origin, distribution of the species with some of their properties including production constraints in the Sub Saharan Africa and Nigeria in particular. Northern states of Nigeria were found to be the dominant producers of pearl millets with Sokoto state having a total cultivated area of 747,580ha. Pearl millet was also found to be the major crop amongst others, useful for minimizing the adverse effect of climate change, hence facilitating income and food security among farming communities. Major production constraint of the crop in the Sub Saharan Africa, particularly in Nigeria is yield reduction and/or total crop failure caused by erratic seasonal rainfalls, floods, failing soil fertility and poor crop management practices. Biotic stress due to weeds such as Striga spp as well as insect pests and diseases pestilences is a constraint. Therefore, appropriate climate change mitigation efforts to improve pearl millet production and enhance food security should be adopted in the Sub Saharan Africa and Nigeria.Keywords: Climate change, pearl millet, Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria

Increasing weather extremes and climatic risks due to global climate change have been posing immense challenge to agricultural and horticultural crops. However, horticulture offers vital adaptation strategy for nutritional security and sustainable farm income. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the impacts of climate change on various horticultural crops and to identify the adaptation strategies to minimize the adverse effects of climate change and to maximize the positive influence of it, if any. Further, perennial fruit and plantation crops offer immense scope for climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and modification of microclimate. In spite of recent efforts, a lot of knowledge gap exists with respect to impact assessments at regional level, corresponding adaptation strategies and mitigation potential. Lack of or non-accessibility of suitable simulation models is one such major constraint for looking forward at regional and national level. Model development (wherever necessary), improvement and integration (climate-crop-hydrological-socioeconomic models) are needed for bridging the gap between research and policy for holistic resilience at regional scale. This will help to analyse the climate resilient plants, farms and regions. Apart from these, the ecosystem services from horticulture can also be quantified using the models. Therefore, need is to strengthen and initiate focused research programmes to address the identified gaps.

Small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) need to adopt and consistently practice sustainable agriculture to ensure sustainable livelihoods and food security. However, the adverse effects of climate change are threatening the achievement of this goal. Therefore, farmers within the sub-region need to embrace climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a means for climate change adaptation and mitigation. This study was conducted to understand, on the one hand, how smart farming technologies are being promoted in sub-Saharan Africa, and on the other hand, how farmers are adopting the prevailing technologies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) procedures were followed to identify 48 scientific papers in sub-Saharan Africa. It was found that promoters of smart farming technologies in sub-Saharan Africa include CGSpace, FAO, National Research Institutions, individual researchers, local institutions, and private institutions. The approach to the smart farming technology discourse in sub-Saharan Africa starts by building on efforts to sustain CSA practices with a gradual shift towards the fourth agriculture revolution innovations. Even where there are efforts to push beyond conventional CSA practices by the private sector, farmers’ responses are still low. It is recommended that any intervention to promote modern smart farming technologies to smallholders should build on conventional CSA practices.

Anthropogenic climate change is a serious global environmental issue that threatens food and water security, energy production, and human health and wellbeing, ultimately jeopardizing the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A good understanding of climate change is essential for societies to adapt to or mitigate it. Yet, studies reveal that most people have limited knowledge, misconceptions and misunderstanding about climate change. Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to experience disproportionately higher adverse effects of climate change, but there is paucity of information about climate change knowledge in the region. Here, we assessed climate change knowledge, attitude and perception of undergraduate students in Ghana and the influential factors using a cross-sectional study and semi-structured questionnaire. The study population was full-time undergraduate students at the University of Ghana, Legon. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, logistic regressions, t-test and One-Way ANOVA. The results revealed that a strong majority of the respondents believe that climate change is real and largely human-induced, and they expressed concern about it. Yet, students lack basic knowledge and had some misconceptions about the causes and consequences of climate change. The overall knowledge score of the students on climate change was average (66.9%), although majority (92%) of the respondents claimed they had adequate (75–85%) knowledge of climate change. Our data also showed that respondents’ level of education, programme of study, ethnicity, religion and mother’s occupation had statistically significant association with their knowledge, perception and attitude on aspects of climate change. Our findings highlight knowledge gaps in climate change among undergraduate students in Ghana, underscoring the need to integrate climate change science into the education curricula at all levels of pre-tertiary schools and university for both the science and non-science programme.

The adverse effects of climate change and climate variability have become some of the biggest environmental and socio-economic challenges for society, and for food supply chain actors, in particular. Serving as a serious inhibitor to the attainment of food security, climate change poses a fundamental threat to the availability, accessibility, stability and utilization of nutritious food and quality drinking water. The threat of this global phenomenon is not only apparent from the difficulties faced by all food supply chain actors, but is also felt acutely by households dependent on semi-subsistence agriculture. As evidenced by numerous studies conducted by the academic community, governmental and non-governmental organisations, climate change and climate variability will have disastrous effects on entire food supply chains across the world. This edited volume looks to address: How vulnerable are food supply chain actors to climate change and climatic variability? What adaptation strategies are they adopting? How is the resilience of food supply chains being supported? Are they being financed and/or supported by international organizations to cope with climate change? And what governmental support are they receiving to help cope with climate change? This book is an essential resource for students, lecturers, researchers, agribusinesses, marketing firms, agricultural institutions, climate change adaptation institutions, policymakers and many others with an interest in agricultural development and the global food industry.

This chapter presents a broad overview of climate change law in the Pacific region. Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICs) have consistently punched above their weight in respect of climate change law at the domestic, regional, and international level – earning themselves a reputation as being ‘climate leaders’. At the international level, PICs have been instrumental in shaping the climate change treaty regime. At the regional and national levels, PICs have also taken concerted climate action – both to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Such climate leadership has not, however, been emulated by many other countries. As a result, PICs are now considering legal avenues beyond the climate treaty regime in an attempt to protect present and future generations of Pacific Islanders from the adverse effects of climate change.

A review of management of major arthropod pests affecting cassava production in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of climate change and its affect on agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. The main purpose of the research is to analyze the impact of climate change on the productivity of agricultural crops. Systematization literary sources and approaches for solving the problem associate were analyzed that indicates there is a significant adverse effect of climate change on agricultural productivity as well as allied fields. The relevance of the decision of this scientific problem is that the community participation and state interventions are required at grass-roots level. Investigation of the topic of climate change and agriculture in Ethiopia in the paper is carried out broadly in the following logical sequence at an appropriate empirical standard level. Methodological tools of the research methods were descriptive statistics and the year of research was 2018-19. The object of research is the chosen for Ethiopia as a whole and case study was carried out in Mettu Woreda to verify the significance. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of quantitative data, which showed that there is an adverse effect of climate change on agricultural productivity in the region. The climate change affects agricultural productivity and production through shortening of maturity period and to decreasing crop yields, changing livestock feed availability, affecting animal health growth and reproduction depressing the quality and quantity of the crops, changing distribution rate, contracting pastoral zones, expansion of tropical dry forests and expansion of desertification etc.The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that highlights the coordination between state and local communities are required to combat the adverse effect of climate change. The results of the research can be useful for policy maker, researchers, academicians and other international organizations like UNEP and UNDP etc. Keywords: climate change, random sampling, descriptive statistics, crop productivity, food security and livestock.

Uncertain climate change as a result of technological developments, often has a negative impact on the environment. This is shown by the number of carbon emissions that are continuously increasing. As a sovereign country, the issuing country of Green Sukuk Global strives to increase investment to support a sustainable development process. This study aims to analyze the effect of green finance, specifically on global green sukuk, on the adverse effects of climate change. Using time series data in four issuing countries (from January 2018 until December 2022) with an autoregressive distributed lag in the panel model approach. The findings show that in the long and short term, global green sukuk can reduce the adverse effects of climate change in the issuing country. However, economic growth affects increasing carbon emissions in the issuing country in the long term, while trade openness has no effect on climate change. To support sustainable economic development as evidenced by increased economic growth, it must be balanced with increased issuance of global green sukuk financing issues to reduce the adverse effects of climate change in issuing countries.