Climate change and multi-dimensional sustainability in African agriculture
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer International Publishing AG
Abstract
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States who held office from
1954–1961, stated during an address at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, on
September 26, 1956 that “farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and
you are a thousand miles from a cornfield.” While Eisenhower might not have had
the opportunity to witness firsthand the challenges facing small landholders and
resource-poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), his remarks are even more
relevant now than ever. Among the principal environmental-sustainability chal-
lenges in SSA are: (1) providing food security to 250 million hungry people (1 in 4
people) in Africa; (2) reducing soil degradation; (3) preserving forests and
improving soil and ecosystem C pools; (4) adapting to and mitigating the causes of
changing and uncertain climate events; (5) eliminating poverty; and (6) alleviating
drought. Drought is the single most natural-disaster in SSA, with strong adverse
impacts on crop yield, animal productivity and human wellbeing. It is aggravated by
anthropogenic factors and constrains agricultural production in SSA. The risks of
drought are likely to be further exacerbated by projected climate changes, including
ever increasing temperatures. In SSA, 95 % of agriculture is rain-fed, leaving it
highly susceptible to drought. There are 6 types of drought (Fig. 1.1). Pedologic and
agronomic droughts, in particular, are strongly aggravated by soil degradation and
desertification and adversely impact crop growth and agronomic productivity.
Description
Book
Keywords
Multi-dimensional Sustainability, Climate Change, African Agriculture, Food security
Citation
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-41238-2