Africa Faces Food Crisis From Climate Change
New Review Shows Continent's Farms Are Extremely Vulnerable
Climate change threatens to devastate agriculture in Africa, posing major risks to food supply and economies, a new study reveals.
How will Earth’s changing climate impact farming in Africa? That’s the big question researchers tackled in a recent literature review. They wanted to understand how vulnerable African agriculture is and what changes are needed to mitigate these effects.
The scientists did not collect new data. Instead, they acted like detectives, sifting through many past studies on climate change and farming in Africa. They pulled together findings on impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy changes across the continent.
Dire Projections for African Agriculture
The results paint a stark picture. Climate change could lead to massive drops in crop production. One projection suggests a "close to 50% decline in rain-fed agricultural [farm] production by 2020."
Rain-fed agriculture: Relies solely on natural rainfall, without irrigation. This means half of the crops that depend on rain might vanish.
The review also warns of shifting rainfall patterns and more extreme weather events, such as droughts or floods.
A Cosmic Injustice
The study highlights a cosmic injustice: African countries contribute only about "a tenth" of global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions [invisible gases that trap heat in the atmosphere], yet they will suffer the most severe consequences.
"African economies rely on climate-sensitive sectors, especially agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, which could suffer multiplied impacts of existing stressors and emerging adverse conditions hence the need for integration of adaptation planning in decision-making," the authors state.
They stress the urgent need for "climate-smart agriculture" and irrigation to help farms cope.
Socio-Economic Impact
The agricultural sector is critical to Africa's economy and livelihoods:
- About 65 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa work in agriculture.
- This sector makes up 15-32 percent of Africa's total GDP [Gross Domestic Product, the total value of goods and services produced].
Losing half of the rain-fed crops could unleash a cascading catastrophe, affecting millions of livelihoods and food security across the continent. The continent needs to act fast to protect its farms and the people who depend on them.
Limitations & Next Steps
This review relies on existing studies, meaning there could be some bias in which reports were included. Future research needs to explore specific adaptation strategies more deeply.
Citation:
Gyamerah, S. A., Ikpe, D. (n.d.). A Review of Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture in Africa. Retrieved from saasgyam@gmail.com