FANRPAN SA study on existing institutional

arrangements and the policy environment for managing risk for crop production and post-

harvest handling in climate disaster prone areas PRESENTATION BY

Dr Phineas Khazamula Chauke

At the 6th Annual FANRPAN Partners Meeting :

Saint Georges Hotel, Pretoria, 29th May 2014.

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Preamble

SA: Locational and other critical indicators

Issues related to climate change in SA and global context

Study findings

Preamble • 4 country study on devastating effects of climate

change on crop production and PHL initiated by FANRPAN especially for smallholder farmers.

droughts, floods, cyclones, food insecurity, high HIV prevalence etc.

• Amongst others the study was to:

analyse existing institutional and policy environment s for managing risk that affect crop production and PHL in SA, Zim, Mozambique and Malawi,

Analyse existing gaps

suggest policy recommendations

provide potential options/ solutions

• Study depended largely on

literature review (peer reviewed journals and public policy documents)

key informant interviews (academics, farmers, Gov and NGO officials)

South Africa: situational analyses

LOCATION

COMPARATIVESOCIO-ECONOMICS DYNAMICS OF SA (STATS SA, 2011)

VARIABLE TOTAL NUMBER

2001 2011

Land area of South Africa (square km) 122 083 1219602

Population 44 819 778 51 770 560

Male population 21 434 040 25 188 791

Female population 23 385 734 26 581 769

Population using electricity (%) 69.7 84.7

Population using flush toilets (%) 51.9 60.1

Population using piped water (%) 32.3 73.4

Population : no access to piped water (%) 15.6 8.8

CLIMATE VS CLIMATE CHANGE

• While climate can be defined as:

the “average weather” in a place comprising of patterns of temperature, precipitation (rain or snow), humidity, wind and seasons.

• Climate change refers to:

a change in global or regional climate patterns,

due to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels, leading to the Green House Effect

(FROM: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/whatis.ht)

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT: FROM: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/whatis.htm

POST HARVEST CROP LOSSES

• Economic loss: reduction in monetary value

• Quantitative loss: reduction in weight due to moisture loss and loss of dry matter

• Qualitative loss: Failure to meet quality standards and thus loss of consumer appeal

• Nutritive loss: loss in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, sugars etc.

(Sudheer, K.P and Indira, V (2007). Post Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops. Edited by Peter, K.V. Horticulture Science Series 7, Jai Bharat Printing Press, Rohtas Nagar, Shahdar, Delhi)

CEREAL PRODUCTION AND POST HARVEST LOSSES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• most cereals consumed in SSA are produced by smallholders,

• commercial imports account for roughly 25 per cent of the cereal consumption in the region

• food aid accounts for about 5 per cent.

• post-harvest losses of cereal grains in SSA are estimated at $4 billion annually a waste of almost 15 % of the region’s annual cereal production (World Bank et al., 2011). (FROM RURAL 21, 48:1 (2014)

Some Effects of Climate Change in SA

• RECORDED CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTERS IN SA.docx

SOME CONSEQUENCESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE El Ninos and Tsunamis

GLOBAL IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• By the end of this century: • the higher latitudes should expect more

precipitation, • the lower latitudes less. • the increases in CO2 will initially be desirable for

crops, because it will increase photosynthesis. • Regions with short growing seasons may see them

lengthened, • But droughts and floods will become more frequent, • Pests are already expanding their ranges.

• The most vulnerable to these fluctuations are developing countries, where greater populations are dependent on agriculture.

• Strategies for solutions must involve both mitigation to reduce long term risk, and adaptation to current conditions, including turning to biofuels and reducing CO2 and methane emissions,

FROM Climate Variability and Change and their Impact on the Global Harvest by Cynthia Rosenzweig

in Opportunities, Challenges for Energy Efficiency)

CROP PROCTION_MAIZE TRENDS IN SA

Production

season

Area planted

(000 ha)

Total production

(000 tons)

1970/71 4 796 8 644

1980/81 4488 14872

1990/91 3186 8614

2000/01 3189 7722

2010/11 2 859 10 924

CROP PRODUCTION (WHEAT) TENDS IN SA

Production

season

Area planted

(000 ha)

Total production

(000 tons)

1970/71 1930 1396

1980/81 1627 1470

1990/91 1563 1709

2000/01 934 2428

2010/11 605 1858

• SADC REGIONAL PHL OF IMPORTANTANT CROPS.docx

GRAIN STORAGE TECHNIQUES

TRADITIONAL GRANNARY: May be attacked by insects/pests

MORDEN: METAL SILO: Air tight and thus not easily attacked

GENERAL STUDY FINDINGS OF PRESENT STUDY

• Despite the many climatic disasters that span more than a century, South Africa has continued to be a dominant producer of important food crops in the SADC region, especially of the most utilized staple food, maize. Wheat was the second highest produced grain crop.

• The initiation of democratic rule in South Africa witnessed an upsurge in the use of electrical energy for light and thus increased carbon emissions from coal- as electricity generation depended largely on coal burning and thus the release of increased carbon gases.

• The SA government has committed itself to mitigation of climate change hazards by engaging a number of government and non-governmental agencies to fight the scourge (Such as the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Science and Technology, Minerals and Energy, agriculture, etc.)

• In response to the requirements of the Global Climate Change Response Policy, South Africa initiated a sub-directorate, Climate Change and Disaster Management within the National Department of Agriculture

.

• The directorate is responsible for develop a national policy framework on climate change and disaster management

• It is also responsible for ensuring effective planning and implementation of an early warning systems etc.

• Although the sub directorate conducted research on crop sensitivity to climate change (suitability, mitigation and adaptation ) evidence regarding dissemination of results could not be found from the reviewed literature and key informants

• The key gaps identified by the directorate were related to lack of international funding agencies, capacity constraints, awareness to climate change issues and harmonized integrative disaster risk management.

• Climate change had an impact on the growth and distribution of crop pests. Specifically temperature impacted on the survival, development, reproduction and movement of individual pests.

• International policies that focus on climate change have been promulgated, including the ff:

• Global Campaign for Action on Climate (GCAC)(to influence the international climate change treaty),

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) (stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere),

• World Wildlife Fund (development of policy positions internationally through the Climate Action Network and Global Campaign for Action on Climate Change),

• Kyoto protocol (to promote achievement of quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments),

• World Meteorological Organisation (strengthening and integration of disaster risk reduction processes related to meteorological, hydrological and climate hazards),

• Climate Action Network (promotion of government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to levels that are ecologically sustainable).

• The most relevant policy at the regional level remains the African Ministerial Conference on Environment - a forum for environment and development issues in Africa that played a pivotal role in launching various environmental initiatives especially in the integration of Africa’s existing climate change programmes.

• At the national (SA) level important policy imperatives include the carbon tax (imposition of tax on major carbon emitting institutions or organisation), the National environmental Management Act (to effectively manage the inevitable climate change impacts and to make a fair contribution to the global effort to stabilize greenhouse gasses), water policy positions (to address linkages between water management, developmental and transformational goals and protection of the water resource).

• Some key barriers to the uptake of research evidence relevant to policy formulation in South Africa were amongst others:

lack of targeted and tailored information provision systems,

development of a flexible crop-specific soil-water balance model that describes local agricultural conditions,

lack of capacity to implement climate change related policies,

neglect and lack of application of indigenous knowledge systems and failure to develop area specific adaptations.

• Key barriers to successful policy implementation in the agricultural sector included lack of capacity to initiate climate change research projects and awareness campaigns, shortage of policy makers with an understanding of the effects of climate change and lack of knowledge regarding climate change related policies, both local and international.

• Some key research gaps on current policies for managing climate related risks in crop production and climate change were identified as

research on post-harvest management of crops,

lack of general knowledge about climate change and its negative impacts,

the extent to which carbon tax could be an effective carbon emission mitigating strategy,

role played by each individual and sector in carbon emissions and mitigation,

exposure of school going learners and students at tertiary institutions to climate change and its impact and the contribution of transportation to atmospheric greenhouse effects etc.

• In order to ensure that the current crop production and postharvest management policies are improved a number of strategies were suggested, inclusive of

Integration of collective outcomes of all mitigation actions

conducting an in-depth assessment of all mitigation strategies,

reaching desired emission reduction outcomes for each significant sector,

adoption of a flexible and least cost carbon budget approach for companies,

development and implementation of different types of mitigation approaches, and

a national system of data collection to provide detailed, complete, accurate and up-to-date emissions da

INPUTS FROM AUDIENCE