Africa agriculture to face new pressures from a changing climate |
Africa is facing one of the biggest challenges in its history, as climate change represents a nightmare scenario for the future of its people, a conference in Dublin heard in May.
Global warming could cause temperature rises across the continent, the consequence of which would be dramatic declines in rainfall and a fall in crop yields that could make previous famines look like small tragedies.
Desertification could accelerate around the Sahara, and there are likely to be severe water shortages in many parts of the continent. Global warming will also have an effect on diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and cholera may increase, and huge sections of the population may be forced on the move.
The conference - on Climate Change and Food Security in Africa - was organised by Self Help Africa and the School of Agriculture, Food Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in University College Dublin.
The event was hosted as a part of Ireland's 2010 'Africa Day' programme of events, and heard contributions by two leading international academics - climatologist Prof. John Sweeney and nutritionist Prof. Mike Gibney. The conference was also addressed by Self Help Africa's Jenny Rafanomezana, who talked of current actions and practices being undertaken at a community level to help rural communities to adapt to the threats presented by a changing climate.
And Ghanaian farm owner Eric Yao spoke of his experiences of producing food in an increasingly unpredictable climate, saying that in one recent year he lost much of his yield to drought, and just last year saw his maize crop virtually destroyed by flooding.
Opening the conference, Ireland's Minister for Overseas Development, Peter Power, said that despite recent cuts in funding for international aid and development, Ireland remained one of the top seven contributors to poverty eradication in the world.
He said that our ability to produce enough food to support a growing population was one of the biggest challenges that we faced, and told the attendance of academics, development specialists and students that that task was being made all the more challenging by the effects of climate change.
"West Africa will get drier and east Africa will get wetter," Prof John Sweeney said. This would not necessarily be good news for drought prone areas like Ethiopia however, as increased rainfall and the way in which it would fall could cause storms, floods and greater soil erosion.
Increases in carbon emissions would also have an effect on agricultural productivity, the Nobel-winning scientist added, with greater levels of carbon dioxide causing a reduction in the yields of key staple crops, while at the same time boosting the growth of others, including grasses and weeds.
Prof. Mike Gibney talked of the effect on human nutrition caused by poverty in the developing world. Poor diet, particularly in the 31 months from conception to two years, can inflict permanent damage on the physical and mental ability of millions.
Self Help Africa's Jenny Rafanomezana said that communities were already adapting to survive climate change, but that much more needed to be done if agriculture and food production was to keep pace.
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