NEWS
Addressing the adoption of CSA in Africa, six One Planet Laureate Candidates recently published a peer-reviewed article on ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture in African Countries: A Review of Strategies and Impacts on Smallholder Farmers.’
The devastating effects of climate change on Africa’s agri-food systems and smallholders’ livelihoods cannot be overemphasized. That is why Africa needs to transform its agricultural systems to make them more resilient and productive in a changing climate. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) provides an excellent opportunity for transformation since it jointly addresses climate challenges and food security.
A recent review of the adoption of CSA in five African countries has highlighted the need to prioritize climate change in governments’ policies and agendas. The review, published by One Planet Laureate Candidates, provides an overview of CSA practices and their impacts on smallholders’ farming systems in Algeria, Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zambia.
The paper has revealed that smallholders still face barriers to adopting and implementing appropriate CSA strategies. The authors highlight the critical role of government-led financial support, policy legislation, and access to comprehensible information in influencing farmers’ uptake of climate-smart agriculture strategies.
The 2020 One Planet Laureate Candidates; Ariom Thaddaeus, Elodie Dimon, Eva Nambeye, Ndèye Seynabou, Adelusi Oludotun, and Sofiane Boudalia note the need to strengthen agricultural extension services, implement policies that guarantee food security, and reduce climate change vulnerability to farming households by enhancing human capital.
To achieve CSA’s desired potential of cushioning Africa’s farming systems in a changing climate, it is imperative to consider the continent’s unique geographical, economic and social contexts. These contexts differ across countries, and success can be accelerated by co-creating knowledge and integrating science and smallholders’ valuable indigenous knowledge.