Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:07:06.455Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING CLIMATE-INDUCED RISK IN SUB-SAHARAN RAINFED AGRICULTURE

FOREWORD TO A SPECIAL ISSUE OF EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2011

P. J. M. COOPER  and
R. COE
P. J. M. COOPER*
Affiliation:
University of Reading, UK
R. COE
Affiliation:
University of Reading, UK World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
*
‡Corresponding author. [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Rainfed agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the mainstay of the continent's food and feed production. Nearly 90% of staple food and feed production comes from, and will continue to come from, rainfed agriculture (Rosegrant et al., 2002). In spite of this, investment in this vital production system, and hence its productivity, has stagnated. There are many complex and interrelated issues that contribute to this state of affairs. The outcomes of lack of investment and low production of rainfed agriculture reinforce each other leading to poverty traps and increased vulnerability of livelihoods to climatic and other shocks (World Bank, 2000). This has become well recognized and an emerging political will, both within and outside SSA, to support increased investment in rainfed agriculture appears to be gaining momentum (Sanchez et al, 2009).

Type
Introduction
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 47 , Special Issue 2: Assessing and Addressing Climate-induced Risk in Sub-Saharan Rainfed Agriculture , April 2011 , pp. 179 - 184
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Barrett, C., Lynam, J. and Place, F. (2002). Towards improved natural resource management in African agriculture. In Natural Resources Management in African Agriculture: Understanding and Improving Current Practices. Barrett, (Eds C.B. and Place, F.). Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing, 287–296.Google Scholar
Burton, I. and van Aalst, M. (2004). Look before you leap: A risk management approach for incorporating climate change adaptation into World Bank Operations, World Bank Monograph, Washington (DC), DEV/GEN/37 E.Google Scholar
Carberry, P., Gladwin, C. and Twomlow, S. (2004). Linking simulation modeling to participatory research in smallholder farming systems. In Modeling Nutrient Management in Tropical Cropping Systems. ACIAR Proceedings no. 114. (Delve, R. and Probert, M.)Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, 32–46.Google Scholar
Coe, R. and Stern, R. D. (2011) Assessing and addressing climate-induced risk in Sub-Saharan rainfed agriculture: Lessons learned. Experimental Agriculture 47: 395–410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, P. J. M., Dimes, J., Rao, K. P. C., Shapiro, B., Shiferaw, B. and Twomlow, S. (2008). Coping better with current climatic variability in the rain-fed farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa: An essential first step in adapting to future climate change? Agriculture, Ecosysems and Environment 126: 24–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, P. J. M, Rao, K. P. C, Singh, P, Dimes, J, Traore, P. S, Rao, K, Dixit, P. and Twomlow, S. J. (2009). Farming with current and future climate risk: Advancing a ‘Hypothesis of Hope’ for rainfed agriculture in the semi-arid tropics. Journal of SAT Agricultural Research 7: 1–19.Google Scholar
Collier, P. and Gunning, J. (1999). Why has Africa grown slowly? Journal of Economic Perspectives 13: 3–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denning, G., Kabambe, P., Sanchez, P., Malik, A., Flor, R., et al. (2009). Input subsidies to improve smallholder maize productivity in Malawi: Toward an African Green Revolution. PLoS Biol 7 (1): e1000023. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000023CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DFID (2005). Climate Proofing Africa: Climate and Africa's development challenge. Department for International Development, London.Google Scholar
Dixit, P. N., Cooper, P. J. M., Rao, K. P. and Dimes, J. (2011) Adding value to field-based agronomic research through climate risk assessment: A case study of maize production in Kitale, Kenya. Experimental Agriculture 47: 317–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAOSTAT. Statistical database. http://faostat.fao.orgGoogle Scholar
Farrow, F., Musoni, D., Cook, S., and Buruchara, R. (2011) Assessing the risk of root rots in common beans in East Africa using simulated, estimated and observed daily rainfall data. Experimental Agriculture 47: 357–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gathenya, M., Mwangi, H., Coe., R and Sang, J. (2011). Climate- and land use-induced risks to watershed services in the Nyando River Basin, Kenya. Experimental Agriculture 47: 339–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, J. W., Mason, S. J., Sun, L. and Tall, A. (2011) Review of Seasonal Climate Forecasting for Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experimental Agriculture 47: 205–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IISD (2003). Livelihoods and Climate Change: Combining disaster risk reduction, natural resource management and climate change adaptation in a new approach to the reduction of rural poverty. IUCN-IISD-SEI-IC Task Force on Climate Change. Published by IISD.Google Scholar
IPCC (2007). Regional climate projections. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group 1 to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Eds Solomon, S., Quin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K. B., Tignor, M. and Miller, H. L.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Jarvis, A., Lau, C., Cook, S., Wollenburg, E., Hansen, J., Bonilla, O. and Challinor, A. (2011) An integrated adaptation and mitigation framework for developing agricultural research: synergies and trade-offs. Experimental Agriculture 47: 185–203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New, M., Hewitson, B., Stephenson, D., Tsiga, A., Kruger, A., Manhique, A., Gomez, B., Coelho, C., Masisi, D., Kululanga, E., Mbambalala, E., Adesina, F., Saleh, H., Kanyanga, J., Adosi, J., Bulane, L., Fortunata, L., Mdoka, M. and Lajoie, R. (2006). Evidence of trends in daily climatic extremes over southern and west Africa. Journal of Geophysical Research 111: D14102, doi: 10.1029/2005JD006289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osbahr, H., Dorward, P. Stern, R. D and Cooper, S. J. (2011) Supporting agricultural innovation in Uganda to climate risk: linking climate change and variability with farmer perceptions. Experimental Agriculture 47: 293–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ouma, R., Mude, A. and van de Steeg, J. (2011). Dealing with climate-related risks: some pioneering ideas for enhanced pastoral risk management in Africa. Experimental Agriculture 47: 375–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rao, K. P. C., Ndegwa, W. G., Kizito, K. and Oyoo, A. (2011) Climate variability and change: Farmer perceptions and understanding of intra-seasonal variability in rainfall and associated risk in semi-arid Kenya. Experimental Agriculture 47: 267–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosegrant, M. W., Cai, X. and Cline, S. A. (2002). World Water and Food to 2025: Dealing with Scarcity. IFPRI-2020 Vision/International Water Management book. Washington, D.C. IFPRI.Google Scholar
Sanchez, P.A., Denning, G.L. and Nziguheba, G. (2009). The African Green Revolution moves forward. Food Security 1:37–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stern, R. D. and Cooper, P. J. M. (2011) Assessing climate risk and climate change using rainfall data–a case study from Zambia. Experimental Agriculture 47: 241–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Washington, R., Harrison, M., Conway, D., Black, E., Challinor, A.J., Grimes, D., Jones, R., Morse, A.Kay, G. and Todd, M. (2006) African climate change: taking the shorter route. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 87:1355–1366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Bank (2000). Can African Claim the 21st century? The World Bank, Washington, D.C. World Bank.Google Scholar