OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN ENHANCING FOOD PRODUCTION AND SECURITY IN THE
CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN ENHANCING FOOD PRODUCTION AND SECURITY IN THE
CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

N. ASSAN

This discussion explores the opportunities and challenges in
enhancing food production and security in the context of climatic
variability in Sub Saharan Africa. The promotion of sustainable use of
plant and animal products with emphasis on satisfying basic human
needs, improving people’s standard of living, enhancing food security
and reducing poverty have taken a center stage in Sub Saharan
Africa. However, the efforts in this direction are being impacted
negatively by climate change, through animal and crop production
which have not been spared due to the natural disasters and
environmental challenges which have affected all regions of Sub
Saharan Africa indiscriminately. Climate is a particularly important
driver of food production systems performance at the agriculture end
of the food chain. It can affect the quantities and types of food
produced as well as production-related income especially for the
poor resource farmers. In order to be able to adequately address
food production and security in the context of climate, there is need
for the region to carry out thorough climatic vulnerability and
adaptation assessments. Supporting research and training of experts
to carry out vulnerability and adaptation assessments on crop and
livestock production is crucial in order for respective countries to
develop climate change adaptation measures to meet the obligation
on food production and security. Sub Saharan Africa’s agro-
ecological regions are variable and need to develop specific adaptive measures to reduce vulnerability to climate change. Due to the
changing climatic conditions which the continent has already
witnessed many severe climatic induced vulnerability such as decline
in rainfall amounts and intensity, reduced length of rain season and
increasing warm and occasionally very hot conditions has affected
food production and security. Crop and livestock production systems
will need to adapt to higher ambient temperatures, lower nutritional
value of feed resources and new diseases and parasites occurrence. It
can be seen that the present crop and livestock production systems
based on pastoral or rangeland grazing husbandry systems, ecological
destruction through climatic variability and overgrazing due to high
stocking rates in areas where feed and water has been compromised
due to high temperatures caused by climate change does not augur
well for future livestock productivity. The understanding of climate
change variables and their impacts is the first step in climate change
research and prerequisite for defining appropriate adaptive
responses by local crop and livestock farmers. Sustainable crop and
livestock production supporting rural development should be
compatible with the goals of curbing the effects of climate change.
Production priorities should be directed towards promoting local
crop and livestock genetic resources by providing comprehensive
research support services on the impact of climate change. Both
crops and livestock play important roles in farming systems, as they
offer opportunities for risk coping, farm diversification and
intensification, and provide significant livelihood benefits and food
security. The chapter therefore, concludes that the effectiveness of
biophysical responses of crop and livestock production systems to
specific environmental challenges that are anticipated as a result of
climate change, and then the range of adaptive measures that might
be taken by local producers to ameliorate their effects will be the
prerequisite for defining appropriate societal responses and meet
food security targets

Scientific Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences

2014