bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corona Virus, Climate Change, and Food Security
Authors: Meludu Nkiru Theresa , Abolade Toyin
Published: May 2021

Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is a current pandemic causing lockdown of cities and countries. The nature of this disease and the global cases are still considered as deadly all over the world. Analogous was drawn between the current COVID-19 pandemic and some of the other contemporary crises of the world as regards to climate change in addition to food shortage. Also, Survey Monkey instrument was used to generate emperical evidences from 514 respondents on covid-19 awareness and the effect on food security. Effects of diseases on climate change, such as the increasing frequency and strength of extreme weather events or the expanding range and spread of diseases was considered. Then, the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change was investigated. Prior to the pandemic, climate change already had adverse effects on agriculture and vice versa, which led to food insecurity. The need for fruits as well as leafy and root vegetables in peri-urban and urban areas is increasing, as well as the food shortage. A drop in agricultural production will be expected in the future if the pandemic continues for a few more months. The perception and adherence to the preventive measures for this pandemic were determined to reduce its spread and lessen its effect on agricultural production as well as to improve food security
Water Resource Management Frameworks in Water-Related Adaptation to Climate Change
Authors: Odongtoo Godfrey , Ssebuggwawo Denis , Lating Peter Okidi
Published: May 2021

This chapter addresses the use of partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to determine the requirements for an effective development of water resource management frameworks. The authors developed a quantitative approach using Smart-PLS version 3 to reveal the views of different experts based on their experiences in water-related adaptation to climate change in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) in Uganda. A sample size of 152 was computed from a population size of 245 across the districts of Buikwe, Jinja, Mukono, Kampala, and Wakiso. The chapter aimed to determine the relationship among the availability of legal, regulatory, and administrative frameworks, public water investment, price and demand management, information requirements, coordination structures, and analytical frameworks and how they influence the development of water resource management frameworks. The findings revealed that the availability of legal, regulatory, and administrative frameworks, public water investment, price and demand management, information requirements, and coordination structures had significant and positive effects on the development of water resource management frameworks. Public water investment had the highest path coefficient (β = 0.387 and p = 0.000), thus indicating that it has the greatest influence on the development of water resource management frameworks. The R2 value of the model was 0.714, which means that the five exogenous latent constructs collectively explained 71.4% of the variance in the development. The chapter suggests putting special emphasis on public water investment to achieve an effective development of water resource management frameworks. These findings can support the practitioners and decision makers engaged in water-related adaptation to climate change within the LVB and beyond.
Urban Flooding, Adaptation Strategies, and Resilience: Case Study of Accra, Ghana
Authors: Owusu Kwadwo , Obour Peter Bilson
Published: May 2021

Despite massive flood controlling investments, perennial flooding continues to be a major challenge in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Assembly in Ghana. Previous studies have mostly considered the vulnerability of Accra to flooding induced by urbanization and climate change. This chapter examined the impacts of and adaptation strategies to flooding in two flood-prone residential areas in Accra. A survey was conducted among 320 household heads to ascertain local impacts of floods and community adaptation strategies. To obtain a broader picture of government interventions and challenges, key stakeholders such as personnel from ministries, departments, and agencies who are involved in city planning, and private urban planning consultants were interviewed. The study found that a notable driver of floods in Accra is blocked waterways, and flawed and ad hoc engineering works. About three-quarters of the households interviewed have suffered flood-related losses over the past decade such as housing damage, income, and even a death of a relative. Key flood control interventions included dredging prior to start of rains and sporadic demolition of unauthorized buildings on or near waterways to allow free flow of water. However, these interventions only seem to be ephemeral due to the rapid rate of littering and re-siltation of the waterways after few rain events. The study highlights the need for more pragmatic and robust engineering solutions to build resilience of Accra to floods.
Barriers to Effective Climate Change Management in Zimbabwe’s Rural Communities
Authors: Nyahunda Louis , Tirivangasi Happy Mathew
Published: May 2021

The daunting effects of climate change are more visible and acute among rural people in most developing countries. Smallholder farmers in rural communities are more encumbered by climate change impacts and they have been reeling with climate induced shocks for some time. Their vulnerability to climate change impacts is aggravated by high dependence on the climate volatile natural resource base, high poverty levels, lack of adaptive capacity, low educational levels, and lack of technoscience-based technologies among other key compounding factors. In the light of this, Zimbabwe is still crawling to implement and administer effective climate change management measures aimed at disaster risk reduction and management, vulnerability reduction, social resilience, and capacity building because of political and socioeconomic quagmires trapping the country. Consequently, rural people are the hardest hit by these developments. Climate change management connotes a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases and adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities through mitigation and adaptation. Nevertheless, rural people are on record of engaging in a plethora of activities to manage climate change and its actual or potential risks. However, their efforts are marred by an avalanche of setbacks which serve as barriers to climate change management. Against this backdrop, this book chapter intends to delineate the factors serving as barriers to climate change management in Zimbabwe’s rural communities.
Dichrostachys cinerea Growth Rings as Natural Archives for Climatic Variation in Namibia
Authors: Mapani Benjamin , Shikangalah Rosemary , Mapaure Isaac , Musimba Aansbert
Published: May 2021

Global Circulation Models (GCMs) are used to forecast climate change in Southern Africa, and the evidence shows that the region is going to warm up by up to 2° by the year 2050. Namibia is one of the driest countries in Southern Africa and is at a high risk of becoming much drier than current situation by 57%. Very few studies have been carried out in Southern Africa to show actual impacts of climate change. Practical applicability of GCMs at a local spatial scale remains limited due to the coarse nature of the models. Hence, improvement of the GCMs must begin with better understanding of the local microclimates and how they respond to regional circulation patterns. In many regions of Southern Africa, the lack of potential tools to access old climatic records precludes the estimation of climate trends beyond 100 years. In spite of these impediments, there are areas with excellent tree species such asDichrostachys cinereathat are able to be used as climatic archives for specific time periods. In this chapter, the study shows that the combination of tree ring chronologies and precipitation records is a powerful methodology in climate modeling in the southern hemisphere and reveals nuances that show climate change. The evaluation of data from tree rings coupled with precipitation trends reveals signals that show that climate has indeed been changing over the past ten decades and will have a negative impact on livelihoods. These data can now be used in predictive models that can be used to project future scenarios and assist policy makers and planners to see how climate will evolve in the next 50–60 years.
Just Societal Transformation: Perspectives of Pastoralists in the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia
Authors: Troeger Sabine
Published: May 2021

Pastoralists’ livelihoods in Africa are highly endangered by adverse forces – the climate change being one among those. Against this background, climate change adaptation is conceptualized as strategic agency in the field of risk-laden livelihood environments, that is, agency in the face of risky options and non-calculable uncertainties.

The chapter conceptualizes pastoralists’ livelihoods exposed to a four-fold hierarchy of environmental risks and forces defining the actors’ arena of strategic decision making: From the global scale of ever extending impacts by the climate change imperative, to the national scale of government policies in terms of decentralization, challenging people to govern and define their communal efforts in terms of climate change adaptation, and down to the regional scale, which in the presented case is dominated by a large-scale investment, the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, which again confronts local actors with adverse forces toward villagization and eviction from pasture grounds. Right at the end of this hierarchy and in accordance with discourses on “climate services,” the end-users and local actors, the pastoralists, are confronted with and offered a product that they can input into their decision making: cattle feed from the residues of the irrigated sugar cane. The question remains whether substantive aspects of processes turning into true environmental and social justice in terms of recognition, procedures, and distribution will be paid attention to.
Resetting the African Smallholder Farming System: Potentials to Cope with Climate Change
Authors: Freyer Bernhard , Bingen Jim
Published: May 2021

Agricultural production systems, for example, conservation agriculture, climate smart agriculture, organic agriculture, sustainable landuse management, and others, summarized under the term “sustainable intensification,” have been introduced in African countries to increase productivity and to adapt/mitigate CC (CCAM). But the productivity of smallholder farming systems in Africa remains low. High erosion, contaminated water, threatened human health, reduced soil water, and natural resources functionality, that is, ecosystems services, and decreased biodiversity dominate. Low support in the farm environment is also responsible for this situation.

It is hypothesized, based on the huge body of literature on CCAM, that the implementation of already existing arable and plant cultivation methods like crop diversity, alley crops, forage legume-based crop rotations, mulching, organic matter recycling, and reduced tillage intensity will increase CCAM performance and also farm productivity and income. Based on a brief analysis of CCAM relevant arable and plant cultivation methods and agricultural production systems potentials and challenges, this chapter offers guidance for further transforming climate robust African farming systems.
Sustainable Food Production Systems for Climate Change Mitigation: Indigenous Rhizobacteria for Potato Bio-fertilization in Tanzania
Authors: Aloo Becky Nancy , Mbega Ernest Rashid , Makumba Billy Amendi
Published: May 2021

The global rise in human population has led to the intensification of agricultural activities to meet the ever-rising food demand. The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a crop with the potential to tackle food security issues in developing countries due to its short growth cycle and high nutrient value. However, its cultivation is heavily dependent on artificial fertilizers for yield maximization which culminates in global warming and other environmental problems. There is need, therefore, for its alternative fertilization technologies to mitigate climate change. This study evaluated the potential of indigenous rhizobacteria for potato cropping in Tanzania. Ten potato rhizobacterial isolates belonging to Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Serratia, and Enterobacter genera were obtained from a previous collection from different agro-ecological areas in Tanzania. The isolates were characterized culturally, microscopically, biochemically, and by their carbohydrate utilization patterns. Their in vitro plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits such as nitrogen fixation, solubilization of phosphates, potassium, and zinc, and production of siderophores, indole acetic acid, and gibberellic acids were then evaluated. Lastly, sterilized potato seed tubers were bacterized with the inoculants and grown in pots of sterile soil in a screen-house using untreated plants as a control experiment. The potato rhizobacterial isolates had varying characteristics and showed varying in vitro PGP activities. The screen-house experiment also showed that the rhizobacterial treatments significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced different parameters associated with potato growth by up to 91% and established the potential of most of the isolates as alternative biofertilizers in potato cropping systems in Tanzania.
Climate Change Adaptation Among Smallholder Farmers in Rural Ghana
Authors: Asare-Nuamah Peter , Amungwa Athanasius Fonteh
Published: May 2021

Climate change has the potential to disrupt sustainable development initiatives, particularly in developing economies. A substantial body of literature reveals that developing economies are vulnerable to climate change, due to high dependency on climate-sensitive sectors, such as agriculture. In Ghana, a growing body of literature has revealed multiple adaptation strategies adopted by smallholder farmers to respond to and reduce climate change impacts. However, there is a dearth of literature on the effectiveness of adaptation strategies. This chapter explores the adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers and analyzed the predictors of effective adaptation. Through the technique of simple random sampling, 378 smallholder farmers were selected, and data was collected using a questionnaire survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using the SPSS software. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers adopt multiple adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of climate change. In addition, it is revealed that marital status, years of farming experience, knowledge of climate change, and education are significant predictors of adaptation. Moreover, the chapter found that marital status, weedicide application, change in staple food consumption, and planting of early-maturing crops are good predictors of effective adaptation. The chapter recommends the need to intensify adaptation strategies through agricultural extension programs and interventions that improve rural food security and livelihood. In addition, the chapter recommends strengthening the capacity of farmer organizations and rural institutions, particularly agricultural extension and advisory services.
Case for Climate Smart Agriculture in Addressing the Threat of Climate Change
Authors: Eleblu John Saviour Yaw , Darko Eugene Tenkorang , Danquah Eric Yirenkyi
Published: May 2021

Climate smart agriculture (CSA) embodies a blend of innovations, practices, systems, and investment programmes that are used to mitigate against the adverse effects of climate change and variability on agriculture for sustained food production. Food crop production under various climate change scenarios requires the use of improved technologies that are called climate smart agriculture to ensure increased productivity under adverse conditions of increased global temperatures, frequent and more intense storms, floods and drought stresses. This chapter summarizes available information on climate change and climate smart agriculture technologies. It is important to evaluate each climate change scenario and provide technologies that farmers, research scientists, and policy drivers can use to create the desired climate smart agriculture given the array of tools and resources available.
Agro-ecological Lower Midland Zones IV and V in Kenya Using GIS and Remote Sensing for Climate-Smart Crop Management
Authors: Manzi Hilda , Gweyi-Onyango Joseph P.
Published: May 2021

Food production in Kenya and Africa in recent past has experienced vagaries of weather fluctuations which ultimately have affected crop yield. Farming in Kenya is localized in specific Agro-ecological zones, hence understanding crop growth responses in particular regions is crucial in planning and management for purposes of accelerating adoption. A number of strategies for adoption and adaptation to changing weather patterns have been deployed yet only limited challenges have been partially addressed or managed. This chapter examines previous methods used in classifying agro-ecological zones and further provides additional insightful parameters that can be adopted to enable farmers understand and adapt better to the current variable and unpredictable cropping seasons. The chapter scrutinizes past and current documented information on agro-ecological zonal valuations coupled with the use of earth observation components such as air temperature at surface, land surface temperature, evapotranspiration, soil, temperature, and soil and moisture content in order to better understand and effectively respond to new phenomena occurring as a result of climate change in the marginal agricultural areas. Significant variations in precipitation, ambient temperature, soil moisture content, and soil temperature become evident when earth observation data are used in evaluation of agro-ecological lower midland zones IV and V. The said variations cut across areas within the agro-ecological zones that have been allocated similar characteristics when assigning cropping seasons. The chapter summarizes the outcomes of various streams of contributions that have reported significant shifts or changes in rainfall and temperature patterns across Kenya and wider Eastern Africa region. The chapter highlights the need for re-evaluation of the agro-ecological zones based on the recent earth observation datasets in their diversity. The research emphasizes the use of multiple climate and soil-related parameters in understanding climate change in the other marginal areas of Kenya.
Farm-Level Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Reductions for the Predominant Production Systems in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Ayinde Taiwo B. , Ahmed Benjamin , Nicholson Charles F.
Published: May 2021

This chapter summarizes the sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from different economic sectors in Nigeria and emphasizes those arising from agriculture and forestry. The impacts of climate change on agricultural systems in Nigeria are likely to be large, motivating the need for additional knowledge to assess current practices and formulate appropriate modifications for both mitigation and adaptation. Some current farming practices are believed to be adaptive, but further study would provide better assessments. We also analyzed the trade-offs between household income and GHG emissions at two contrasting sites in northern Nigeria. A farm optimization model maximizing the value of crop, livestock, and tree production activities in a single representative year assessed the potential impacts for GHG reductions of 10% and 25% and the maximum allowable reductions of 26% and 30% on farm activities and income. Emissions reductions of 10% reduced annual household incomes by less than 5% but required substantive changes, especially in livestock owned. Maximum possible GHG emissions reductions (while still meeting minimum household consumption needs) would require marked changes in production pattern and would lower household incomes by 22–44%. We did not assess effects over longer periods, where the role of livestock as a key asset may imply additional negative impacts. Productivity-enhancing technologies that would simultaneously reduce GHG emissions and increase incomes are needed for smallholder farms to play a larger role in climate change mitigation without the burden of reduced incomes and greater risk. This suggests the need for programmatic and policy actions both by national agricultural research systems and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
Climate Change Adaptation and Community Development in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Authors: Greenwalt Julie , Dede Michael , Johnson Ibinabo , Nosa Prince , Precious Abi , Summers Barbara
Published: May 2021

Port Harcourt, Nigeria, as with many cities in Africa, is already experiencing impacts from climate change while also facing development challenges and compounding vulnerabilities. There is often a gap between the adaptation recommendations of academia and international organizations and the conditions needed to achieve these recommendations given the realities on the ground in cities with vulnerable populations, pressing challenges, and minimal capacity. This gap can make it difficult to translate theoretically persuasive plans and guidance into practically sustainable actions. This chapter builds on the experience of CMAP, a Port Harcourt-based NGO leading participatory mapping, community media, and public space design programs in the city’s informal waterfront settlements. Drawing on the perspectives of Chicoco Collective, the youth-led volunteer network which CMAP supports, and the datasets that they have built, the chapter explores local awareness and skills for climate change adaptation. This chapter concludes with recommendations relevant for Port Harcourt and similar African cities to build on such local skills and experiences and advocates for a partnership-based approach that brings together adaptation professionals and community-based actors for more effective critical analysis of local conditions and prioritization of actions to meet the development and climate change needs of local communities.
Building Livelihoods Resilience in the Face of Climate Change: Case Study of Small-Holder Farmers in Tanzania
Authors: Mwasha Saumu Ibrahim , Robinson Zoe
Published: May 2021

The impacts of climate change are already being felt on human and environmental systems, with the brunt of the impacts being felt by communities in the Global South, particularly small-holder farmers due to their poverty levels and greater direct dependency on natural resources for their livelihoods. Hence, there is a need to understand how to build small-holder farmers’ resilience to climate change. Climate change adaptation strategies need to build livelihood resilience in the face of climate change as well as address the factors that contribute to farmers’ vulnerability. This chapter draws from a mixed-method study conducted in three villages each in a different agro-ecological zone in the Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, to explore how to build farmers’ livelihood resilience through addressing factors that increase livelihood vulnerability to climate change. These farmers’ livelihoods are vulnerable because of both the impacts of climate variability on the farmers’ livelihood assets and certain social and environmental structures and characteristics. Building small-holder farmers’ livelihood resilience that can ensure the desired levels of livelihood outcomes in the face of climate variability and change, requires integration of strategies across household resource management as well as farm-based livelihood assets, and a holistic rather than piecemeal approach to small-holder farmers’ livelihoods.
Drivers of Level of Adaptation to Climate Change in Smallholder Farming Systems in Southern Africa: A Multilevel Modeling Approach
Authors: Zamasiya Byron , Nyikahadzoi Kefasi , Mukamuri Billy Billiard
Published: May 2021

Climate change is a major development challenge affecting developing countries that rely on rain-fed agricultural production for food and income. Smallholder farmers in these countries are using multiple adaptation practices to manage the effects of climate change. This chapter examines household and community-level factors that influence smallholder farmers’ level of adaptation to climate change in the Hwedza District in Zimbabwe. Data for this study were collected from 400 randomly selected smallholder farmers, using a structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The study used a multilevel modeling approach to examine the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ level of adaptation to climate change. Results from the study show that smallholder farmers’ level of adaptation to climate change is conditioned by access to extension services, access to remittances, family labor, household education (household level factors), and linking capital (community-level factor). This chapter therefore concludes that smallholder farmers that have higher levels of adaptation to climate change are those that are well linked to external organizations and have access to agricultural extension services. The chapter recommends that adaptation to climate change can be enhanced by improving access to agricultural extension services and promoting linkages with external organizations that provide information on agricultural adaptation practices.
Adaptation of Seaweed Farmers in Zanzibar to the Impacts of Climate Change
Authors: de Jong Cleyndert Georgia , Newman Rebecca , Brugere Cecile , Cuni-Sanchez Aida , Marchant Robert
Published: May 2021

Seaweed farming is an important alternative livelihood activity that has been heralded as a development success story. It has advanced women’s empowerment and economic liberation in coastal communities in Zanzibar, despite recent declines in its production. Using data from 36 semistructured interviews, we explore the impacts of climate change on seaweed farming in Zanzibar and the coping and adaptation strategies available to farmers. Interviews reveal that climatic changes observed in Zanzibar are characterized by increased temperatures, increased winds, and irregular rainfall, and these changes have negatively affected coastal seaweed farming yields and quality. Combined with economic challenges, these environmental stressors are threatening the sustainability of seaweed farming and the wider development impacts that have been gained over the past decades. Establishing seaweed farms in deeper water, using new technologies, could be an adaptation method to overcome rising temperatures; however, there are significant socioeconomic barriers for this to happen. For example, women lack access to boats and the ability to swim. Adaptation options to the increasing impacts of climate change will be possible only with institutional support, significant investment, and through the empowerment of women and the participation local communities.
Climate Change Adaptation: Opportunities for Increased Material Recycling Facilities in African Cities
Authors: Mutezo Gamuchirai , Mulopo Jean , Chirambo Dumisani
Published: May 2021

Africa’s urban morphology is expected to develop at a steady rate between 2020 and 2050. Population growth, rising urbanization rates, growing energy consumption, and industrialization are only a few of the reasons causing these changes. Likewise, waste production is projected to rise from 125 million tons in 2012 to 244 million tons annually by 2025. Around 60.0% and 80.0% of African waste is made up of organic material, which is a viable methane source. Fly tipping, free disposal, landfilling, and incineration have been used as a large-scale waste treatment system in most African cities. However, with the anticipated morphological changes, these solutions are no longer viable in the future due to lack of airspace, availability of urban land for new landfill sites, and concerns over carbon emissions. This chapter discusses the potential for improved adoption of material recycling facilities (MRF) in urban environments as an incentive to support waste diversion from landfills, decentralize waste separation activities, and increase the transformation of waste materials into valuable raw materials. A case study is discussed for Ethiopia, Ghana, and South Africa with the goal of explaining current processes, urban planning initiatives required for greater implementation, and how they can be interpreted as adaptation initiatives.
Clean Energy Technology for the Mitigation of Climate Change: African Traditional Myth
Authors: Airoboman Abel Ehimen , Airoboman Patience Ose , Airoboman Felix Ayemere
Published: May 2021

The global Anticipated Energy Transition Period (AETP) is one that all stakeholders must embrace with respect to curbing energy poverty, thereby addressing issues related to climate change especially in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. The region is endowed with abundant richer, cleaner, and affordable energy sources, majority of which has remained untapped due to many reasons, one of which is tied to the socio-cultural traditional beliefs and value systems of the citizens. This has forced majority of the inhabitants to continue to rely on the use of non-biodegradable materials for the purpose of cooking and many other activities. This value system, therefore, contributes to have had an adverse effect on the climate and also on the health of the citizens most of whom are women and children residing in rural areas. The outlook on the AETP, their effect on climate change, the use of Clean Energy Technology (CET) domestically, the various strata expected to come with the AETP, the socio-cultural dynamics in terms of acceptability by all (rural, peri-urban, and urban areas) is addressed in this chapter. The chapter concluded by designing a CET model that could assist in planning for the AETP and mitigating climate change.
Sustainable Urban Drainage Practices and Their Effects on Aquifer Recharge
Authors: Gichuhi Getrude , Gitahi Stephen
Published: May 2021

Between 1994 and 2006, an 18% increase of freshwater flow into the earth’s ocean was recorded, as well as extreme weather events such as prolonged drought and intense floods. Following this period was an era of increased evaporation from oceans and seas, which heightened global warming in Africa. This chapter proposes the use of man-made aquifers recharge processes as methods of draining water into the soil before the runoff water reaches water bodies. Source control involves controlling the volume of water entering drainage systems or rivers by cutting off runoff water through storing for reuse or evapotranspiration as seen in green roofs. Pre-treatment is the use of trenches to filter and remove contaminants from water before getting to water bodies. Retention systems on the other hand is controlling the rate at which water is discharged to waterways by providing water storage areas such as ponds, water retention areas, etc., while Infiltration Systems are areas that allow natural soaking of stormwater runoff to the ground naturally recharging the water table. The proposed methods will see replenishing of the water table, a great leap in the efforts of curbing global warming. This practice can easily be adopted by both individuals and government as we build more and more buildings creating a balance between the need for human settlement and the natural way of water replenishing itself. The methods do not introduce extra costs to an already existing budget. In some cases, the methods help to reduce the costs of projects especially in urban areas. Africa which hosts many of the growing countries sees and will continue to experience surges in urbanization. For such, these methods presented in this topic will be, if implemented, a best method to solve the urban drainage problems before this even occurs.
Smart Climate Resilient and Efficient Integrated Waste to Clean Energy System in a Developing Country: Industry 4.0
Authors: Matheri Anthony Njuguna , Mohamed Belaid , Ngila Jane Catherine
Published: May 2021

Climate change impacts a natural and human system on the entire globe. Climate-related extreme weather such as drought, floods, and heat waves alters the ecosystems that society depends on. Climate, land, energy, and water systems (CLEWS) are a critical aspect of high importance on resource availability, distribution, and interconnection. The nexus provides a set of guidelines to South Africa that aims on creating a level playing field for all sectors while achieving the aims of the SDGs that are cross-sectoral and multilevel approaches to climate change. The nexus expressed three domains that included resources, governance, and security. It integrated a smart climate resilient with inclusion of the governance and involvement of the stakeholders. Recognition of spatial and sector interdependencies should inform policies, investment and institutional for enhancing nexus security and climate change towards making transition green carbon deals. The nexus offers an integrated approach that analyzes the trade-offs and synergies between the different sectors in order to maximize the efficiency of using the resources that adapt institutional and optimum policy arrangements. Economic transformation and creation of employment through green economy is one of the COP26 green deal agendas in curbing the carbon emissions (green house emission, industrial processes, fuel combustion, and fugitive emissions) as mitigation to climate change, which is cost-effective and economically efficient. The future climate change policy in the developing countries is likely to be both promoted by climate technology transfer and public-private cooperation (cross-sector partnership) through the technology mechanism of the nexus and inclusion of the gender.
Climate-Induced Food Crisis in Africa: Integrating Policy and Adaptation
Authors: Chiawo David O. , Otiende Verrah A.
Published: May 2021

Climate change threatens development and economic growth in Africa. It increases risks for individuals and governments with unprecedented negative impacts on agriculture. Specifically, climate change presents a major threat to food security in Africa for the long term due to the low adaptive capacity to deal with successive climate shocks. There is a need for greater awareness of the trends of food crisis patterns and adaptive initiatives. The objective of this chapter was to analyze the trends of the food crisis in Africa within the past 10 years and adaptive initiatives. Quantitative data analyzed for food security indicators were obtained from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Development Indicators (WDI) available at the Environment and Climate Change data portal. Policy and adaptation measures related to climate change were reviewed in 26 countries in Africa, with the view to highlight their integrative nature in enhancing food security. High prevalence of undernourishment was observed in six countries, all in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Chad, Liberia, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Countries with a high land acreage under cereal production recorded reduced undernourishment. Niger demonstrated effective adaptation for food security by registering the highest crop production index in extreme climate variability. However, Kenya appears to be the most predisposed by registering both high climate variability and below average crop production index. It is observed that diversification and technology adoption are key strategies applied across the countries for adaptation. However, the uptake of technology by smallholder farmers is still low across many countries in SSA.
Triple Helix as a Strategic Tool to Fast-Track Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Kenya: Case Study of Marsabit County
Authors: da Silva Izael , Bricca Daniele , Micangeli Andrea , Fioriti Davide , Cherubini Paolo
Published: May 2021

The lack of affordable, clean, and reliable energy in Africa’s rural areas forces people to resort to poor quality energy source, which is detrimental to the people’s health and prevents the economic development of communities. Moreover, access to safe water and food security are concerns closely linked to health issues and children malnourishment. Recent climate change due to global warming has worsened the already critical situation.

Electricity is well known to be an enabler of development as it allows the use of modern devices thus enabling the development of not only income-generating activities but also water pumping and food processing and conservation that can promote socioeconomic growth. However, all of this is difficult to achieve due to the lack of investors, local skills, awareness by the community, and often also government regulations.

All the above mentioned barriers to the uptake of electricity in rural Kenya could be solved by the coordinated effort of government, private sector, and academia, also referred to as Triple Helix, in which each entity may partially take the other’s role. This chapter discretizes the above and shows how a specific county (Marsabit) has benefited from this triple intervention. Existing government policies and actions and programs led by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international agencies are reviewed, highlighting the current interconnection and gaps in promoting integrated actions toward climate change adaptation and energy access.
Panel Analysis of the Relationship Between Weather Variability and Sectoral Output in Kenya
Authors: Mulama Olga Nekesa , Kariuki Caroline Wanjiru
Published: May 2021

Climate change and economic growth are closely connected. Climate change has the potential to reduce economic growth in developing countries due to their limited ability to respond to the negative impacts of a changing climate. A better understanding of weather variability can enhance climate change policies, which would help to support economic growth in these countries. As such, this research sought to examine if there is a long-run relationship between sectoral output and weather variables (temperature and rainfall) and to analyze the effect of weather variability on sectoral output using a panel of 13 sectors in Kenya.

A Pedroni cointegration test was carried out to find out if there exists a long-run relationship among the variables and thereafter, a fully modified ordinary least squares regression was conducted to establish the effect of weather variability on sectoral output. The results indicate that there is a long-run relationship between temperature and sectoral output. Moreover, temperature has a larger effect on sectoral output compared to rainfall. With the evidence gathered from this research, it can be concluded that weather variability has an economic effect on sectoral output in Kenya. Given this, the Kenyan government needs to take a keen interest in understanding the effect of weather variability on the economy and in the broader picture, take steps to mitigate climate change.
Climate Change Adaptation in Southern Africa: Universalistic Science or Indigenous Knowledge or Hybrid
Authors: Mutambisi Tafadzwa , Chanza Nelson , Matamanda Abraham R. , Ncube Roseline , Chirisa Innocent
Published: May 2021

The aims of this chapter are to seek answer, through a document review, case studies, and thematic content analysis, to which direction Southern Africa should take in the face of climate change and to suggest a framework for adaptations by communities experiencing climatic events. Acknowledging that the fundamental set of ideas provided by indigenous knowledge (IK) works best at a small scale, the chapter argues for the need to seriously value IK-based response practices in the knowledge hybridization agenda. The worsening vulnerability potentiated by the increasing magnitude and severity of climate change impacts is a reminder that local-based indigenous response practices in Africa need to be complemented. Adaptation to climate change calls for real and surreal measures all being applied in combination. Across Africa, these measures have, at times, included the preservation of forest resources which increased carbon sinking and enhanced community resilience against climate change. Universalistic and orthodox sciences have punctuated and amplified these efforts by speaking of such initiatives as mitigation and adaptation through programs, e.g., Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). The merits of the two approaches have resulted in increasing call among scholars for the merging of these programs with IK. However, it remains to be fully understood how such a hybrid approach could be operationalized without treating the latter as an inferior element in climate science discourses.
Climate Change Adaptation Mechanism for Sustainable Development Goal 1 in Nigeria: Legal Imperative
Authors: Orie Erimma Gloria
Published: May 2021

Despite international efforts on poverty reduction in the last decade, poverty is rampant in many countries including Nigeria. Poverty remains a principal challenge for development in twenty-first century and a threat to achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, which is a global attempt, among others, to end poverty by 2030. Meanwhile, 13 out of the 15 countries where extreme poverty is rising are in Africa. According to the World Poverty Clock, Nigeria, by 2018, had the largest extreme poverty population of 86.9 million, thus making the people vulnerable to malnutrition, armed conflict, migration, and other socioeconomic and environmental shocks. Whereas these impacts are exacerbated by climate change (CC), unfortunately, Nigeria’s adaptation efforts are inadequate due to certain impediments. The chapter finds that Nigeria lacks the CC law to properly regulate institutional and policy interventions to impacts of CC. It argues that although adaptation as opposed to mitigation is interim, yet integrating adaptation measures into Sustainable Development (SD) framework and poverty reduction strategies is a potent means of addressing CC impacts on the poor and achieve SDG1 target. The chapter therefore recommends the establishment of CC law in Nigeria that incorporates adaptation measures in poverty reduction strategies and mainstreaming of CC issues.
Biomass Burning Effects on the Climate over Southern West Africa During the Summer Monsoon
Authors: Dajuma Alima , Silué Siélé , Ogunjobi Kehinde O. , Vogel Heike , N’Datchoh Evelyne Touré , Yoboué Véronique , Diedhiou Arona , Vogel Bernhard
Published: May 2021

Biomass Burning (BB) aerosol has attracted considerable attention due to its detrimental effects on climate through its radiative properties. In Africa, fire patterns are anticorrelated with the southward-northward movement of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Each year between June and September, BB occurs in the southern hemisphere of Africa, and aerosols are carried westward by the African Easterly Jet (AEJ) and advected at an altitude of between 2 and 4 km. Observations made during a field campaign of Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) (Knippertz et al., Bull Am Meteorol Soc 96:1451–1460, 2015) during the West African Monsoon (WAM) of June–July 2016 have revealed large quantities of BB aerosols in the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) over southern West Africa (SWA).

This chapter examines the effects of the long-range transport of BB aerosols on the climate over SWA by means of a modeling study, and proposes several adaptation and mitigation strategies for policy makers regarding this phenomenon. A high-resolution regional climate model, known as the Consortium for Small-scale Modelling – Aerosols and Reactive Traces (COSMO-ART) gases, was used to conduct two set of experiments, with and without BB emissions, to quantify their impacts on the SWA atmosphere. Results revealed a reduction in surface shortwave (SW) radiation of up to about 6.5 W m−2 and an 11% increase of Cloud Droplets Number Concentration (CDNC) over the SWA domain. Also, an increase of 12.45% in Particulate Matter (PM25) surface concentration was observed in Abidjan (9.75 μg m−3), Accra (10.7 μg m−3), Cotonou (10.7 μg m−3), and Lagos (8 μg m−3), while the carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratio increased by 90 ppb in Abidjan and Accra due to BB. Moreover, BB aerosols were found to contribute to a 70% increase of organic carbon (OC) below 1 km in the PBL, followed by black carbon (BC) with 24.5%. This work highlights the contribution of the long-range transport of BB pollutants to pollution levels in SWA and their effects on the climate. It focuses on a case study of 3 days (5–7 July 2016). However, more research on a longer time period is necessary to inform decision making properly.

This study emphasizes the need to implement a long-term air quality monitoring system in SWA as a method of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Climate Change Impact on Climate Extremes and Adaptation Strategies in the Vea Catchment, Ghana
Authors: Larbi Isaac , Nyamekye Clement , Hountondji Fabien C. C. , Okafor Gloria C. , Odoom Peter Rock Ebo
Published: May 2021

Climate change impact on rainfall and temperature extreme indices in the Vea catchment was analyzed using observation and an ensemble mean of bias-corrected regional climate models datasets for Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP 4.5) scenario. Rainfall extreme indices such as annual total wet-day precipitation (PRCPTOT), extremely wet days (R99P), consecutive wet days (CWD), consecutive dry days (CDD), and temperature indices such as warmest day (TXx) and warmest night (TNx) from the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Monitoring Indices (ETCCDMI) were computed for both the historical (1986–2016) and future (2020–2049) period using the RClimdex. The parametric ordinary least square (OLS) regression approach was used to detect trends in the time series of climate change and extreme indices. The results show an increase in mean annual temperature at the rate of 0.02 °C/year and a variability in rainfall at the catchment, under RCP 4.5 scenario. The warmest day and warmest night were projected to increase by 0.8 °C and 0.3 °C, respectively, in the future relative to the historical period. The intensity (e.g., R99p) and frequency (e.g., CDD) of extreme rainfall indices were projected to increase by 29 mm and 26 days, respectively, in the future. This is an indication of the vulnerability of the catchment to the risk of climate disasters (e.g., floods and drought). Adaptation strategies such as early warning systems, availability of climate information, and flood control measures are recommended to reduce the vulnerability of the people to the risk of the projected impact of climate extreme in the future.