Fighting for Survival: Africa Adapts to Climate Change
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NEWSLETTER 2010 FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL: AFRICA ADAPTS TO CLIMATE CHANGE OFF FARM POTATO PRODUCTION EURO FARM CHIEF ENTERPRISE 5 IN ETHIOPIA 10 IN KENYA 12 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION www.selfhelpafrica.net CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTING FOR SURVIVAL Dear Supporter, When we reach a African farms face up milestone, most of us look back at the road we’ve travelled and wonder to climate challenge about the journey that lies ahead. In 2009, Self Help Africa will celebrate its 25th birthday, and so we’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the past and planning for the future. The successes and the achievements of this organisation and the communities we work with are a result of the great vision of our founders; the energy, commitment and dedication of those who have followed them; and the loyal support of so many who have shared our vision over the past quarter century. But our journey is far from over. Within the pages of this newsletter, you’ll see that while much has been achieved since Self Help Africa started out in 1984, a great deal more must be done to tackle hunger and poverty. There is no shortage of challenges ahead - spiralling world food and fuel prices, the global economic downturn, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, lack of access to agricultural inputs, poor standards of health and education, and unacceptably high infant mortality rates. Most worrying perhaps is the threat presented by climate change, which will have far reaching and Tsewe Tshaga with his rain-harvesting pond on his farm in Ethiopia. potentially devastating consequences for millions of Africa’s poorest and most or anyone who has witnessed the more unpredictable as a result. There will be vulnerable people. conditions in which smallholder African more droughts and more floods. Staple crops We focus particular attention in this farmers survive, the threat posed by cli- will be unable to cope with a four-degree rise newsletter on climate change - how it’s mate change is frightening. In the nine in temperatures, and yields will fall by up to impacting across the continent and how F countries in which Self Help Africa works, 40%. There will be greater numbers of pests Self Help Africa is working to help farmers no-one is in any doubt that the change has and soil fertility will drop. adapt to it. arrived – and farmers are the first to see what The greatest irony is that the people most at We also look at the vital role that women the future holds. risk from climate change live in countries that play in the development process, from There are around 80 million small farms on have contributed the least to the atmospheric credit unions to crop production. Other the continent, and over 70% of all Africans build-up of carbon dioxide and other green- articles highlight how we are supporting farming communities as they develop new rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. In the house gases linked to global warming. The business opportunities. last few years, new investment in farming state of Texas, with a population of 23 mil- In all of this work, your support is vital. brought improved harvests – last year, there lion, emits more carbon dioxide than all 720 For 25 years, you have been at our side as was a 3.5% increase in output from the million residents of sub-Saharan Africa. we worked with some of Africa’s poorest continent, mostly from small farms. The most vulnerable countries also tend to be rural communities. On behalf of everyone But African agriculture is particularly vulner- the poorest. And the countries that face the whose lives were improved by that work, able to a change in growing conditions. Less least harm – and that are best equipped to a heartfelt thank you. And please, stay at than 4% of agricultural land is irrigated, so deal with the harm they do face – tend to be our side, to allow this work continue. production is heavily dependent on the tim- the richest. Little wonder then that develop- Yours sincerely, ing and quantity of rain. The world is heating ing nations are asking the West for help in up, and as it does, the rains will no longer fall tackling this new threat. to the same pattern. Climate change has come to Africa, felt grad- Many scientists now believe that global ually at first but now so common that all are Ray Jordan temperatures will rise by up to four degrees affected. Droughts were once experienced Chief Executive Celsius by 2050, and rains will become ever in East Africa every decade; now they are 2 SELF HELP AFRICA NEWSLETTER 2010 coming every two to three years. In Ethiopia, the belg rains of spring have disappeared. Climate Change: A Hot Topic for Self Help Africa Farmers across the continent are struggling An extensive programme of activities ment of crop varieties that are robust through prolonged dry spells, flash floods is underway across Self Help Africa’s enough to withstand harsh weather condi- and unseasonal heat. It’s playing havoc with programmes to support communities tions and others that are early yielding, and farming practices and with lives. to adapt to climate change. Amongst thus in the ground for a shorter time. “Farmers across the conti- these activities are: nent are struggling through Managing the water Building check dams and repairing gullies prolonged dry spells, flash are just two examples of activities being floods and unseasonal heat. promoted to manage soil moisture and It’s playing havoc with control water tables. Water from dammed areas is available to farmers for irrigation, farming practices and with while slowing down rainwater run-off can lives.” raise the water table and make groundwa- ter more accessible to local communities. For African farmers, the challenge is to find Holding onto rain ways to adapt to this change as it happens, Collection and storage of rainwater is the Investing in the land as most of them simply don’t have the re- most cost effective way of providing water Communities using degraded land are sources to play catch-up. For Self Help Africa, to communities living in the dry and arid encouraged to ‘enclose’ this land, keeping the challenge is to develop new adaptation climates of sub-Saharan Africa. We have livestock out, planting shrubbery and trees strategies for the communities in which we devised a range of ‘rainwater harvesting’ and putting further soil erosion techniques work. We do this by listening to farmers as methods to support individual farmers, in place. This allows the land to ‘recover’, they share their discoveries, by linking in with communities, schools and others to secure and can also have an impact on local research institute programmes, and by shar- water for their drinking and crop irrigation rainfall patterns. ing lessons with other organisations. needs – and in doing so are often lifting the burden of back-breaking water gather- Disaster Risk Reduction ing from women and children in these rural All activities identified on this page are part communities. Roofs, roads, hillsides and of an overall approach designed to reduce ground catchments are amongst the meth- the vulnerability of communities to climate ods being used to provide cost effective change. These activities are part of a pro- solutions to water shortage problems. gramme of Disaster Risk Reduction, to help people cope with extreme climatic events. Encouraging crop diversification With the number of people affected by We are assisting and supporting farmers to such events expected to rise by 25% by introduce new crop varieties. In Zambia, for 2015, we are focused on building local example, farmers in the eastern Chipata preparedness, merging new technologies Baking heat and torrential rain has destroyed once fertile land, Ethiopia. region have begun to grow groundnuts with local know-how to give communities for guaranteed southern African markets, a sense of ownership of these strategies. Overleaf, you’ll find details of the Climate rather than relying solely on maize or cot- Frontline project, a collaboration between ton, as previously. Using fuel efficient stoves Self Help Africa and four other international The use of wood for cooking organizations designed to show how climate Increasing access to water has resulted in widespread change is impacting on farmers across the The use of treadle pumps and drip kits in deforestation and soil erosion. continent. It’s part of a wider attempt by us small-scale irrigation has had a profound In an effort to respond, to pool the information on climate change impact on farming across our programmes. we promote a range adaptation strategies from our projects and Small and medium scale irrigation has of improved cooking share this knowledge with others working in allowed large numbers of farmers to stoves that are being the farming world. produce horticultural cash crops such as made available to rural Farmers are on the front line of climate onions, mustard, cabbage and tomato, families. Although change, but the way in which they work – which increase food availability and house- the stove designs from the amount and type of crops they plant hold income. These activities are invaluable differ from country to to the way in which they till the land and because they can also take place during country, the principle protect natural resources, including forests, the traditional dry season. Farmers who is the same – these can help to cut carbon levels. can irrigate from streams, rivers or shallow stoves use less fuel As a global community, we must all face wells save a huge amount of time and to generate similar up to the challenge of a hotter and more labour by deploying simple yet practical heat and also burn inhospitable planet.