Village chief Theodore, disappointedly looking at his crops
With climate change doing what the experts have been saying it would do – wreaking havoc on the environment, experts are worried about how it will affect some of the more at-risk countries. For this, predictive studies are being performed so as to allow the governments of those countries to take measures in order not to be too badly hurt by the incoming climate changes.
One of the most recent studies of this type involves a certain area, and sub-Saharan Africa needs agricultural reforms to stop climate change. The reforms can come in more than one way, it’s the choice of each individual country in the region, but experts will advise them on what to do in order to be as least affected as possible.
The main crops at risk are a very important resource for both the area and as a huge export. The agricultural practices for maize beans and bananas will have to be the first to change. And for the first time since scientists have been warning us about the impending doom of climate change, we have a timeline.
According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Julian Ramirez-Villegas, who is also collaborating with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS),
This study tells where, and crucially when, interventions need to be made to stop climate change destroying vital food supplies in Africa. We know what needs to be done, and for the first time, we now have deadlines for taking action.
By examining crops that constitute half of all food production in sub-Saharan Africa, the study determined the effect climate change will have on each region. While a larger percentage of the food resources growing in the area can withstand extreme climate shifts, a very important part can’t.
This part consists of 30% of the areas where bananas grow and 60% of the areas that produce beans. If nothing is done about this extremely soon, with the changes to be completed by 2025, the area will become completely unviable by the end of the century.
But the good part is that the area’s governments have more than a single choice to fix the problem. The three choices faced by sub-Saharan African governments would be to change the type of crop grown in the area, to improve their irrigation systems, or in very drastic circumstances to move away from agriculture.
But this is just for the general area. Each individual government will be given their own individual options. For example, if in Uganda coffee is intercropped with bananas, it would not only raise the incomes by 50%, but it will also yield crops far more resilient to climate change.
Image source: Wikimedia
