How farmers are linking food security, adaptation and mitigation in East Africa

Panel 2: Opportunities and innovations to bring climate-smart agriculture to scale

Moses M. Tenywa

Brussels Policy Briefing no. 29 Climate change, agriculture and food security: proven approaches and new investments, 27th September 2012

Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK)

Presentation outline

• African agriculture

• Changes that have occured

• Food security & land degradation

• Climate risks & impacts

• Adaptation & mitigation measures

• Risk assessment & resilience framework

• Strategies & institutional innovations for

strengthening resilience of farming

systems

GHGs emissions in agriculture & carbon sequestration potential in selected countries in Africa(Source: Brown S et al., 2012)

GHG emissions Million t CO2e/yrTotal in agriculture sector with base year set at 2006

129

Livestock 108.36Non-livestock 20.64

Carbon sequestration (interventions) t CO2e/ha/yrChange in practices (soil only) 0.4 to 5 Changes that including soil and vegetation ( agro forests & native ecosystems)

6 to 22

Across four (4) EA countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) and five (5) W. African countries (Burkina Faso,Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Senegal)

Land use changes-deforestation & conversion to agriculture account for 17% global C02 emissions (World Bank, 2009).

What has changed in the cattle corridor of Uganda?• Demographic shifts – increasing population• Environmental degradation - fewer trees, degraded soils• Increase in pests and diseases• Lower yields• Population pressure – same land + more people• Shifts in weather patterns- increase in extreme events• Shift from barter to cash trading system • Institutional change – collapse of cooperatives• Declining strength of cultural ties and tradition• More social places & interacting

Increasing climate related risksConsequences of droughtPoor yields, low livestock productivityFamineCoping mechanismsFeeding children with milkAlternative foods (e.g mud fish and water weed (especially in the case of the 1940s drought)Diversifying livelihoods – other cash crops (orange) & livestockDrip irrigation, Crops with short growing season, Drought resistant cropsSharing water with animals

Food security, production risks & hazards

Food Insecurity,Poverty, Envtal

degradation

Increasing population

Increased demand: Food,

Feed, Fiber & Fuel wood

Poor farming practices, Low adoption of

technology,Burning

Erosion,Nutrient mining,

Leaching

Declining yields

LandDegradation

Pests & diseases

Forest conversion and land degradation 37 M Ha of forest & wood lands in Africa destroyed each year (FAO, 1986)

Flood hazards impacting food security

Declining productivity & extensification

• 55% of the land in Africa is unsuitable for any kind of agriculture except nomadic grazing.

• 20-30% of SSA’s cropland is now severely degraded (Oldeman et al. 1991)

• Average yield of maize is only 1 ton/ha and most of EA countries will be unable to feed themselves by the year 2025 under “business as usual”.

Strategies Technologies and Practices

Cropland management Nutrient management , Tillage/residue management , Water management (e.g. small scale Irrigation), Improved varieties , Sustainable use of wetlands, Agroforestry

Sustainable management of Grazing land

Managing grazing Intensity, Pasture improvement (Reseeding, Species Introduction) and management, Water harvesting and management, Fire Management ,Controlling invasive weeds

Livestock management Improved feeds and feeding Practices, Animal Breeding Animal health care and management, Efficient marketing of livestock and livestock products

Restoration of Degraded Lands

Erosion Control, Integrated watershed management (IWM), Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM)

Agricultural manure and waste management

Improved Storage and Handling, Anaerobic digestion (e.g. Biogas), More efficient use of manure as nutrient Source

Technologies and Practices for enhancing adaptation and mitigation co-benefits in the agricultural sector

Technologies for adaptation to climate change used by smallholder farmers

Major management practices include; water harvesting, crop rotation with legumes and intercropping

Linkages between food security, adaptation & mitigation

Adaptation and mitigation strategy

14Diversification: diverse enterprises on the same piece of land

Agroforestry & Afforestation enhancing removals-mitigation

Agroforestry holds great C-sequestration potential (e.g. mature cacao agroforestry systems under humid conditions store 565 tons of CO2eq per hectare (Rice & Greenberg, 2000).

Diversification and crop rotation

Conservation and conservation agricultureConservation or reduced tillage agriculture increases SOM, moisture capacity and water use efficiency

Integrating agroforestry in the farming system has mitigation co-benefits through carbon sequestration as well as modification of microclimatic conditions to reduce soil moisture stress. Examples include citrus, coffee and Jatropha in banana plantation and as live fence;

Also storage helps avoid emissions

Agroforestry practices that enhance removals of GHGs

Rhi-zobia

40kg/ha urea

control0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

Yiel

d (t

/ha)

Water and fertilizer management-what is the C-foot print?

Strategies for strengthening resilience of farmers

• Mobilization & sensitization

• Participatory planning• Strengthening Natural

resource user Self Help Groups-linking to markets & credit

• Training• Collective

Implementation• Participatory M&E

ICT innovations for strengthening adaptation actions

Institutional innovations

Acknowledgements

• EU-CTA-CCAFS

• Participating Partners

• Local communities

• National & Local Governments of EA

• Development Partners –EU, FARA, COL, DAAD,

• Thanks for listening God bless