ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Scientists, government officials and farmers are reviving neglected crops and boosting agricultural productivity in a race to cushion Africa from growing food shortages exacerbated by climate change. But only a trickle of donor funds and almost no private capital are directed to the small farmers who produce the vast majority of the continent’s food.
Rising temperatures mean large chunks of Africa are whipsawing between increasingly severe droughts and more frequent and intense cyclones, threatening staple foods for hundreds of millions of people. The International Monetary Fund says each increase of 1 degree Celsius correlates to a 3 percent reduction in agricultural output in developing countries. It forecasts crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa will decline by 5 to 17 percent by 2050, despite a rapidly growing population. Smallholder farmers are already struggling.
Increasing the notoriously low yields from African livestock and crops is one of the easiest ways to cut down on emissions, protect wildlife habitat and help farmers, said Enock Chikava, interim director of agricultural development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
But only 1.7 percent of global climate finance goes to projects with smallholder farmers, who produce around 80 percent of food in Africa and Asia. While wealthy nations have met a pledge to provide $100 billion annually to help developing countries achieve climate goals, African leaders meeting at COP28 in Dubai say they want funding for farmers to be vastly increased.
“Change can only come with capital from the private sector,” said Amath Pathé Sene, head of the Africa Food Systems Forum.
1 comment
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Scientists, government officials and farmers are reviving neglected crops and boosting agricultural productivity in a race to cushion Africa from growing food shortages exacerbated by climate change. But only a trickle of donor funds and almost no private capital are directed to the small farmers who produce the vast majority of the continent’s food.
Rising temperatures mean large chunks of Africa are whipsawing between increasingly severe droughts and more frequent and intense cyclones, threatening staple foods for hundreds of millions of people. The International Monetary Fund says each increase of 1 degree Celsius correlates to a 3 percent reduction in agricultural output in developing countries. It forecasts crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa will decline by 5 to 17 percent by 2050, despite a rapidly growing population. Smallholder farmers are already struggling.
Increasing the notoriously low yields from African livestock and crops is one of the easiest ways to cut down on emissions, protect wildlife habitat and help farmers, said Enock Chikava, interim director of agricultural development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
But only 1.7 percent of global climate finance goes to projects with smallholder farmers, who produce around 80 percent of food in Africa and Asia. While wealthy nations have met a pledge to provide $100 billion annually to help developing countries achieve climate goals, African leaders meeting at COP28 in Dubai say they want funding for farmers to be vastly increased.
“Change can only come with capital from the private sector,” said Amath Pathé Sene, head of the Africa Food Systems Forum.
**Read the full story here, and skip the paywall with email registration:** [**https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/12/02/cop28-africa-agriculture-climate-change/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com**](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/12/02/cop28-africa-agriculture-climate-change/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)