Agrotechnology

Climate change and the plight of African agriculture: Issues and options

7^th Global Summit on Agriculture & Horticulture

October 17-19, 2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jebamalai Vinanchiarachi

United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Austria

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Agrotechnol

Abstract:

Africa is the least contributor to climate change, but African agriculture is most affected by the vagaries of climate change. Key traditional African crops show signs of declining yields in the wake of climate change. Leading opinion makers are of the view that Africa should opt for heat resisting high yielding varieties of crops and that in the absence of such an option, the prospects for fostering sustainable agricultural development will be at stake. Operationalizing such an option entails huge investment on research, which African countries may not be able to afford. Do the polluters pay for such an ambitious research endeavors, what are the other options open to Africa? While there are indicators of heat related losses of productivity in African agriculture, yield response to climate change could be enhanced through huge investment in mitigation within the framework of regional integration with Gulf countries, which are aspiring to expand agricultural operations across their borders. Alternatively, adaptation could be tried by changing the patterns of cultivation and through the geographical expansion of the commodity belts in terms of value addition to earn additional funds for mitigation and adaptation in order to combat the adverse impact of climate change on African agriculture.

Biography :

Email: vinanchiarachi@yahoo.com