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AbstractThis paper examines the influence of climate change vulnerability on the likelihood and severity of communal violence, with a particular emphasis on delineating large-scale regional patterns. Specifically, the analysis centres on Sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia – both regions being predominantly characterised by rain-fed agriculture and climate-sensitive economic activities – spanning the years 1995 to 2021. Relying on the ND-GAIN Vulnerability Index as a multidimensional measure for propensity of societies to be negatively impacted by climate change, we found robust evidence that greater vulnerability is conducive to a higher likelihood and severity of communal violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. On the other hand, in South/South-East Asia, results suggest that current climate variability, measured as rainfall deviations within the period, exerts a greater effect on communal violence outbreak than overall vulnerability to climate change. In both regions, greater access to productive means is significantly associated to the reduction of communal violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine whether there are significant gender differences in the adoption of climate‐smart agricultural (CSA) practices in sub‐Saharan Africa. Using individual‐level data from four sites in Kenya, Uganda and Senegal, our empirical analysis provides robust evidence that men have a higher likelihood of adopting high‐return CSA practices including modern chemical fertiliser, improved high‐yielding varieties and drought/pest tolerant livestock practices. In contrast, women tend to have a higher likelihood of adopting low‐risk and low‐return traditional CSA practices such as water harvesting, crop covering, rangeland management and pest management. Our subsample analysis shows significant heterogeneity in the gender gap across countries. The results of the decomposition of the observed gender gap show that personal values and norms, access to weather and production information and farm characteristics are important factors that explain the gender differential in the likelihood of CSA adoption. Our findings imply that equalising access to key resources such as plots of land, information and decision making power will be crucial to close the gender gap in the adoption of CSA practices. This is particularly important given the differential impacts of climate change between men and women in sub‐Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate services for small-scale farmers are gaining recognition for contributing to adaptation and resilience to climate variability and change, their provision in developing countries remains a critical challenge. Effective climate services consider why and how farmers of varied socioeconomic background make relevant decisions avoiding the traditional prescriptive forms of transfer that merely focus on delivering climate information. Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa shows that climate services for agriculture generates transformations in how farmers access and use climate information, as well as changes in farmer decision-making. In this paper, we address the question of whether the same effect is also seen in Latin America, where farming systems, farming decisions, socioeconomic contexts and non-climate constraints are very different to those of Africa. A group of 209 farmers in the dry corridor in Honduras was studied. We find that 98% of the trained farmers did uptake and use the climate information, and some 73% expressed that the agroclimatic information was key to the success of their harvest despite the challenging 2019 season. Some 43% of the farmers made changes in farming practices. In particular, farmers changed the crop they grew, the crop and land management, the planting dates, inputs and crop varieties. These changes reportedly had positive effects on their food security, and income. These findings support the hypothesis that Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) plays a positive role in providing effective climate services in Central America, improving decision-making, and enabling farmers to make their own decisions based on the analysis of information and their demands regardless of their level of literacy. We pose that participatory climate services in agriculture can catalyse processes of long-term transformation in farming systems, notably through lifting farmers out of poverty and food insecurity and providing an integrated approach to make informed decisions in the face of climatic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban climate governance scholarship has paid little attention in Sub-Saharan Africa, where studies of this kind are needed. Using semi-structured interviews with officials from three local governments with populations less than 300,000 inhabitants, this paper explores how centralized climate policies are implemented locally in Ghana. The results show that though the national climate policies are good tools, local government's ability to implement them is quite limited due to a lack of independence and funding to make climate decisions. But with the growing climate crisis, the paper concludes that urban climate governance is likely to improve especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the patterns of the occurrences of fire incidents over sub-Saharan Africa are studied on the basis of satellite data. Patterns for the whole sub-Saharan Africa are contrasted with those for northern sub-Saharan Africa and southern-hemisphere Africa. This paper attempts to unravel linear trends and overriding oscillations using regression and spectral techniques. It compares fire patterns for aggregated vegetation with those for specific types, which are savannahs, grasslands, shrublands, croplands, and forests, to identify key trend drivers. The underlying cyclic trends are interpreted in light of climate change and model projections. Considering sub-Saharan Africa, northern sub-Saharan Africa, and southern-hemisphere Africa, we found declining linear trends of wildfires with overriding cyclic patterns that have a period of ∼5 years, seemingly largely driven by savannahs, grasslands, and croplands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This critical review paper expands on the meaning of place. It opens a new narrative on how the geographic concept of place is conceptualized in smallholder farmers and climate change adaptation literature in Sub-Saharan Africa. The review suggested that place is not only the 'where' of a location but a location geographically connected and interdependent to illustrate how smallholder farmers' experiences in adapting to climate shocks interact with global efforts such as improving food security, eliminating poverty and building sustainable rural livelihood. Through the various climate change adaptation strategies exhibited by different farmer groups, the paper demonstrated that people in places have the agency to make choices that control their destinies irrespective of whatever global force overwhelms them. The paper argues sense of place expressed through ecological place meaning shapes people's intuition, beliefs, actions and experiences as illustrated by smallholders' perception of the determinant and barriers to effective adaptation strategies. The ecological place meaning also influences the 'glocalization' of climate impact on agroecological-based livelihoods at different locations and how maladaptive outcomes are perceived. Place gives people identity by (re)shaping actions and experiences and vice versa. There is an undeviating relationship between power, place and people's experience. Further exploration of the relationship between lifeworld experiences, people, and power is central in understanding the meaning of place in smallholder farmers and climate change interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the climate emergency threaten progress in reaching many of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets by 2030. The under-5 mortality and maternal mortality rates are well below the targets, and if we progress at the current pace, there is a high risk of not meeting the 2030 goals. Furthermore, the initial progress in the decline in child and maternal mortality since 1990 is likely to be eroded. Much of this progress has resulted from increased sanitation, drinking water, education, and health service coverage. The adequate provision of public services is possible if there is sufficient government funding. When governments have more income, they spend more on public services, which increases access to fundamental economic and social rights and, thus, contributes to the SDGs. One of the key drivers of government financing, taxation, constitutes 70% of government revenue in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Corporate income tax constitutes 18.8% of tax revenue in African countries compared to 10% of tax revenue in OECD countries. Therefore, it plays a critical role in SDG progress. This paper aims to quantify the contribution of one large taxpayer, that publishes their tax payments, (Vodafone Group Plc) on progress towards SDGs in six African countries. We use econometric modelling to estimate the impact of an increase in government revenue equivalent to Vodafone's average tax paid between 2007–2017. Results: We find that government revenue equivalent to Vodafone's taxes made a significant contribution to progress in attaining selected SDGs. We found that the revenue equivalent to Vodafone's taxes allowed 966,188 people to access clean water and 1,371,972 people to access basic sanitation each year. Over the time period studied, 858,054 children spent an extra year in school and 54,275 children under five years and 3,655 mothers survived. In just one of these countries, Tanzania, the revenue equivalent to Vodafone's tax contribution allowed 174,121 people to access clean water and 223,586 to access sanitation each year. Over the time studied 187,023 children spent an additional year at school, 6,569 additional children under five and 625 additional mothers survived. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the reported contributions from a single multinational corporation drive SDG progress. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of transparent taxes and explores the responsibilities of global institutions, governments, investors, and multinational corporations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become a global issue and affects various regions at different levels. The hydro-climatic conditions and the natural fragility of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) make it prone to floods. The review was intended to comprehensively explore the determinants of floods in the continent and their effects on public health. An extensive systematic literature search in English was conducted for peer-reviewed papers, abstracts and internet articles, grey literature, and official Government documents and analysed to identify common themes, findings, and outcomes. Finally, the findings were categorized into common themes. The review revealed that the frequency and intensity of precipitations have increased in recent decades in SSA. This is worsened by anthropogenic activities including urban sprawl, population growth, and land use changes. The health effects of floods are diverse, varied, and specific to a particular context which can be immediate and long-term. The economic losses due to the flood events in the continent are huge. In conclusion, Governments across the continent need to give flood management a top priority as part of national disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation. Floods cannot be managed in isolation; it has to be incorporated into national urban planning with urbanization to make cities resilient and sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of land use land cover (LULC) change and climate variability on water resources poses as a major threat in semi-arid environments, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to water scarcity. Hence, there is an urgent need for understanding the various methods for LULC change and climate variability assessment, to aid in water resources management at various scales. Various studies have modelled and assessed the effect of LULC change and climate variability on hydrological responses, using different approaches. In this regard, this paper provides a detailed review on the progress of various remote sensing techniques in modelling and assessing the effect of LULC change and climate variability on hydrological processes. The review also highlights the critical scientific strides and challenges of remotely-sensed applications in LULC change characterization and total evaporation estimation. Specifically, research gaps in the estimation of total evaporation in response to LULC change and climate variability, using remote sensing are also highlighted. The study demonstrated remotely-sensed methods used in hydrologic models such as the SCS-CN, WetSpa, JULES and the SWAT model that are used to determine run-off and streamflow. These methods have a component of total evaporation however evapotranspiration (ET) is not the sole focus. The study showed that the application of the remotely sensed SEBS tool has been widely accepted as a viable method to estimate total evaporation. However, it has been observed that there is limited focus on the impact of LULC change and climate variability on total evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That climate change is a major disruptor of rural livelihoods in the low‐ and middle‐income countries, including sub‐Saharan Africa, has been a key narrative for the continent's development for at least a decade. And while the severity of climate impacts on African development should not be underestimated, in this paper I argue that the vulnerability of smallholders in São Tomé and Príncipe should be considered in the broader political economic and historical context of progressing depeasantisation and proletarianisation of global agricultural labour. Moreover, I posit that certain smallholders' vulnerability can actually increase as a result of both autonomous and externally planned adaptation strategies, the latter most commonly promoted by governments and their international development partners. To substantiate these arguments, the paper combines theoretical insights from labour geography and critical adaptation studies with ethnographic data collected in Liberdade – a village in the small island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe – which participated in a nationwide climate change adaptation project. I trace local smallholders' vulnerability back to the country's political economic history and complement this by an investigation of the changing labour relations at the community level. Here, I analyse the autonomous adaptation strategies pursued by the residents and critically assess the localised effects of planned adaptation embodied by the project, with a specific focus on how they affect local labour relations. I conclude by providing some reflections on addressing the current pitfalls of planned adaptation. In this paper I argue that the vulnerability of smallholders in São Tomé and Príncipe should be considered in the broader political economic and historical context of progressing depeasantisation and proletarianisation of global agricultural labour. Based on ethnographic research conducted in the country, I also critically analyse rural labour relations as they are affected by autonomous and planned adaptation strategies pursued in the village of Liberdade, which participated in a nationwide climate change adaptation project by the government and a large development organisation. I conclude by summarising the argument and providing some reflections on addressing the current pitfalls of planned adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is a drought-tolerant legume in sub-Saharan Africa and is well adapted to marginal agricultural lands. Its seeds have high nutritional value, owing to their protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrate, vitamin, and mineral element contents. Nevertheless, this crop is still underutilized, not well-known and has almost been ignored by researchers and funding bodies. Meanwhile, Bambara groundnut offers opportunities for crop diversification and has a great potential to significantly contribute to food security, especially in the context of climate change. This paper provides an overview of the origin, distribution, adaptation and resilience to climate change of Bambara groundnut, as well as constraints to production and its diffusion. Furthermore, this review highlights the advantages offered by micropropagation, microbial biofertilizers and plant breeding to improve Bambara groundnut yield. Hence, this review provides useful information and tools to fully exploit the potential of Bambara groundnut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on climate exposures and human migration has focused largely on assessing short‐term responses to temperature and precipitation shocks. In this paper, we suggest that this common coping strategies model can be extended to account for mechanisms that link environmental conditions to migration behavior over longer periods of time. We argue that early‐life climate exposures may affect the likelihood of migration from childhood through early adulthood by influencing parental migration, community migration networks, human capital development, and decisions about household resource allocation, all of which are correlates of geographic mobility. After developing this conceptual framework, we evaluate the corresponding hypotheses using a big data approach, analyzing 20 million individual georeferenced records from 81 censuses implemented across 31 countries in tropical Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. For each world region, we estimate regression models that predict lifetime migration (a change in residence between birth and ages 30–39) as a function of temperature and precipitation anomalies in early life, defined as the year prior to birth to age four. Results suggest that early‐life climate is systematically associated with changes in the probability of lifetime migration in most regions of the tropics, with the largest effects observed in sub‐Saharan Africa. In East and Southern Africa, the effects of temperature shocks vary by sex and educational attainment and in a manner that suggests women and those of lower socioeconomic status are most vulnerable. Finally, we compare our main results with models using alternative measures of climate exposures. This comparison suggests climate exposures during the prenatal period and first few years of life are particularly (but not exclusively) salient for lifetime migration, which is most consistent with the hypothesized human capital mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kingdom of Morocco decisively increased trade and diplomatic interaction with countries of Western and Sub-Saharan Africa since the mid-2000s, supplementing Morocco's long-standing foreign policy orientation toward the 'West'. Under the guidance of King Mohammed VI, the country gradually sought regional political rapprochement after several decades of relative isolation. The push for regional integration is taking place across multiple policy fields and goes hand in hand with a more assertive demeanour on the stage of international diplomacy. Environmental sustainability – encompassing renewable energy production and environmental protection measures – is a policy sector on which the autocratic Moroccan regime places special emphasis. This paper traces Morocco's 'green turn', the development of environmental sustainability policy under King Mohammed VI in context of Morocco's general foreign policy realignment. It analyses Morocco's environmental engagement at the foreign policy level in terms of soft power activity and gives tentative insight on Morocco's path of becoming an influential regional player in Western and Sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the adoption of improved pigeon peas in female-headed households (FHHs) and male-headed households (MHHs) in semi-arid Kenya and its effect on yield as a proxy for household food security. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 450 households through a multi-stage sampling approach. We applied the endogenous switching regression model to establish the determinants of adoption decision and their effects on yield. Results showed that adoption increased crop yield. The adopting MHHs had significantly higher yield compared with the FHHs. The difference in yield was explained by both observed and unobserved characteristics in gender of the household head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become a serious environmental matter of global concern. This paper attempts to verify if there is climatic change in Sub-Saharan Africa with the help of monthly station data from January 1901 to December 2020 on the mean temperatures of 48 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. To do this, we employ fractional integration to account for the data's probable long memory feature. However, because other statistical features such as linear trends and seasonality might also be present in the data, we propose a broad framework that treats these three characteristics (long-range dependence, time trends, and seasonality) in a unified treatment. We first note that long memory is an observed feature in the data and using the original data, the time trends are found to be significant in Southern and Eastern countries, with higher coefficients being observed when the post-War II data are employed. When looking at the anomalies with respect to selected periods, long memory is found in all cases, and a higher number of trends are detected. Thus, 41 countries show significant time trends, with the values being higher again in the post WW2 sample, suggesting that industrialization might have contributed to global warming. The results also indicate some degree of heterogeneity across the African countries. • Examined mean temperatures in 48 countries through a monthly sample spanning January 1901 to December 2020. • Long memory is an observed feature in the data. • Time trends are found to be significantly positive in Southern and Eastern countries. • Higher coefficients are observed when the post-War II data are employed. • The results also indicate some degree of heterogeneity across the African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the progress in climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in sub-Saharan Africa farming systems. Farmers, organizations and Governments in the region have developed policies and innovations to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. It appears that the developed and implemented innovative adaptive farming systems and technologies have culminated into resultant overall productivity improvement in farming systems, necessitating scaling up in order to widely strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities to the impacts of climate change. Additionally, climate governance instruments that are aligned to the ratified international treaties have been developed and related programs have been rolled out in different countries. This offers hope for well-coordinated efforts and interventions for the mitigation and adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change on the environment and livelihoods. Observably, there is a pressing need to scale up climate smart innovations sustainably through creation of an enabling policy environment, capacity building, and conducting climate change related research and outreach, and effective dissemination of climate technologies and information, especially in remote areas in the region. Since climate change is a global issue, local initiatives and actions for mitigating and adapting to the adverse impacts ought to be well integrated into the broader international context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the debate on the determinants of deforestation, a menace that is posing threat to sustainable development particularly in tropical developing regions. Specifically, the paper focuses on the effect of energy justice and democratization. The main contribution to the literature hinges on the emphasis on energy justice - operationalized as rural-urban equality in access to electricity and clean fuels and technologies for cooking - and its interaction with democracy. Using a panel data of 47 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2000–2020 and the dynamic two-step generalized method of moment estimator, the results generally indicate that improvement in rural-urban equality in access to electricity and clean fuels and technologies for cooking is associated with a reduction in deforestation. Democracy is similarly found to be associated with reduction in deforestation. The conditional effect analysis largely depicts an intensified reducing effect of energy justice on deforestation in the presence of improved democratic practices. The results though robust to an alternative estimator, the Driscoll-Kraay estimator, differ when sub-regional analysis is considered. The paper aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 7, 13, 15 and 16. • How energy justice and democratization contribute to deforestation is examined. • Energy justice is measured by rural-urban equality in modern energy access. • Participatory, deliberative, egalitarian, liberal and electoral democracy are used. • Improving rural-urban equality in access to modern energy reduces deforestation. • Improving democracy reduces deforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a scarcity of long-term groundwater hydrographs from sub-Saharan Africa to investigate groundwater sustainability, processes and controls. This paper presents an analysis of 21 hydrographs from semi-arid South Africa. Hydrographs from 1980 to 2000 were converted to standardised groundwater level indices and rationalised into four types (C1–C4) using hierarchical cluster analysis. Mean hydrographs for each type were cross-correlated with standardised precipitation and streamflow indices. Relationships with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) were also investigated. The four hydrograph types show a transition of autocorrelation over increasing timescales and increasingly subdued responses to rainfall. Type C1 strongly relates to rainfall, responding in most years, whereas C4 notably responds to only a single extreme event in 2000 and has limited relationship with rainfall. Types C2, C3 and C4 have stronger statistical relationships with standardised streamflow than standardised rainfall. C3 and C4 changes are significantly (p < 0.05) correlated to the mean wet season ENSO anomaly, indicating a tendency for substantial or minimal recharge to occur during extreme negative and positive ENSO years, respectively. The range of different hydrograph types, sometimes within only a few kilometres of each other, appears to be a result of abstraction interference and cannot be confidently attributed to variations in climate or hydrogeological setting. It is possible that high groundwater abstraction near C3/C4 sites masks frequent small-scale recharge events observed at C1/C2 sites, resulting in extreme events associated with negative ENSO years being more visible in the time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries in Sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which include changes in mean temperature, increasing rainfall variability and the occurrence of extreme weather events. This article reviews evidence on the magnitude of climate change and the nature of its impacts on both inland and marine fisheries. In addition, the review also focuses on the impacts of climate change on fishery-dependent communities and finally highlights climate change adaptation strategies adopted by fishers. A systematic approach was employed to search and select relevant published literature used in this review paper. The reviewed literature indicated the challenge of declining fish catches in several fishing communities, which was associated with climate change and variability. Changes in mean temperature, rainfall quantities and patterns, sea-level changes, water salinity, and lake levels affect fish productivity. Fishers in sub-Saharan Africa adopt different strategies to sustain their livelihoods and food security, which are being threatened by climate change. Adaptation strategies employed by fishers to cope with the impacts of climate change include, changing fishing gear, migration, targeting new species, and increasing fishing grounds and time spent fishing. To promote socio-ecological adaptation and fisheries sustainability, it is crucial to understand the impacts of climate change at a local level, which would inform policy and fisheries management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of growing evidence of non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) active participation in both bottom-up and top-down climate change policy negotiations and implementation, a research effort that focuses on the former barely exists. Grounded within the qualitative research approach, this paper contributes to the emerging climate policy literature by drawing on experiences from three purposefully selected non-state actors' adaptation program in Ghana. The paper observes that through tripartite mechanisms—climate advocacy, direct climate service provision and local empowerment, NGOs significantly play a complementary role in building local adaptive capacities, especially among people who are already living at or close to the margins of survival. The paper again found that NGOs tacitly explore four interrelated "social tactics" (rulemaking, alliance brokerage, resource brokerage, and framing) to gain the cooperation of local actors for the implementation of adaptation interventions. In order to improve the performance and sustainability of adaptation interventions, the paper puts forward that NGOs should, among other things, harmonize their interventions to resonate with local interest and identity and also nurture capable project caretakers before community exit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is threatening food security in many tropical countries, where a large proportion of food is produced by vulnerable smallholder farmers. Interventions are available to offset many of the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, and they can be tailored to local conditions often through relative modest investments. However, little quantitative information is available to guide investment or policy choices at a time when countries and development agencies are under pressure to implement policies that can help achieve Sustainable Development Goals while coping with climate change. Among smallholder adaptation options, developing seeds resilient to current and future climate shocks expected locally is one of the most important actions available now. In this paper, we used national and local data to estimate the costs of climate change to smallholder farmers in Malawi and Tanzania. We found that the benefits from adopting resilient seeds ranged between 984 million and 2.1 billion USD during 2020–2050. Our analysis demonstrates the benefits of establishing and maintaining a flexible national seed sector with participation by communities in the breeding, delivery, and adoption cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a qualitative case study from the Northern Region of Ghana, this paper examines smallholders' perceptions of environmental change and contemporary Green Revolution prescriptions promoted by foreign donors, NGOs and the state. These prescriptions seek to commercialise and intensify production in Ghana through increasing use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and faster-growing seed varieties. We argue that many smallholders are reluctantly adopting the inputs and techniques of the Green Revolution in response to erratic rainfall, shortened growing seasons, and drier soils with diminished fertility, as well as other structural constraints such as increasing competition for land. Farmers' responses are also influenced by social inequalities, as gender and wealth differences affect access to agro-inputs and participation in farm contracts. Female farmers are especially disadvantaged in adoption, which is serving to widen disparities. However, even those farmers who are following the Green Revolution prescriptions are not uncritical of its impacts, as they commonly described their decision to adhere to this technical package as a short-term trade-off to meet subsistence needs at the expense of worsening soil health and increasing debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry is land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials are deliberately used on equivalent land management units as crops and/or animals. Its systems combine tree growing with the assembly of different crops or animals. Hence, developing positive ecological and economic interactions between components, agroforestry systems aim to produce a variety of environmental, economic and social advantages to farming communities. It plays a major role in soil conservation and global climate change mitigation particularly due to its tree component. Trees control soil degradation through their roots and accumulate greenhouse emission (GHG) in their biomass. What is more, it conjointly helps in global climate change adaptation. It's a long-time undeniable fact that despite our gift effort at global climate change mitigation (GHG reduction), there is an additional pressing ought to address the impact of global climate change (adaptation). Peoples ought to be acutely aware regarding the scope and advantages of agroforestry and that they ought to participate in the implementation and development of agroforestry within the country. Thus, this paper reviews different analysis findings on the opportunities and challenges for scaling up agroforestry practices. Therefore, the agroforestry system is economically and ecologically sound practices with an improvement of overall farm productivity, soil enrichment through litterfall, maintaining environmental services like international global climate change mitigation (carbon sequestration), phytoremediation, watershed protection and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the environmental migrations has become a triggering factor nowadays as the result of climate change effects, the issue of migration is still controversial for the international poltics. It is estimated that by 2050 one in every 45 people in the world will be displaced by the impact of climate change. More than 143 million (around 2,8%) internal climate migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America could be forced to move within their own countries to escape the slow-onset disasters by the 2050. Therefore, it becomes a responsibility at the international level, however there is no concrete international law to protect the environmentally induced migrants. As both developed and developing countries are facing huge challenges they should, therefore, portray its urgency, depth and coordinated framework for addressing challenges with “hotspot”s to reduce their vulnerability to the impacts of environmental disasters and manage the risks. This paper tries to explain how big the problem is, what international liability lies on developed and developing countries in reducing risk, and the problems of environmentally induced migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of still-low-but-rising levels of motorization and economic growth, increasing social and spatial inequalities, and growing concerns about air pollution and climate change, the formulation and implementation of policies, practices and partnerships that can support an accelerated implementation of sustainable mobility policies is an urgent concern for rapidly developing cities. This paper seeks to contribute to reframing some of the knowledge and methodologies produced in and about cities of Sub-Saharan Africa, through a comprehensive assessment of mobility patterns and accessibility needs within a larger debate about mobility transitions and sustainable development. By deploying a mixed-methods approach that builds upon case-study focus groups and city-wide accessibility and mobility analysis in the city of Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, the paper maps travel patterns and their links with structural factors such as urban form, poverty, informality and social identities at the macro, meso and micro levels. The paper also presents evidence from a variety of methods that illustrate the significance of accessibility-centred information and analysis for establishing policy priorities for improving urban mobility and accessibility in the local, African and global contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The livestock sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is under increasing pressure to define its role in jointly addressing food security and climate change. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been widely leveraged as an approach to achieving both food security and climate change outcomes through suites of interventions that maximize synergies and reduce tradeoffs among three pillars: productivity, climate change resilience, and climate change mitigation. However, operationalization of the CSA approach in the livestock sector is hindered by a lack of clarity around what the pillars mean for livestock systems, given their fundamental attributes compared to crops and the spatial and temporal dimensions of these attributes. A conceptual framework is also lacking for assessing and comparing the potential CSA synergies and tradeoffs that different livestock systems and interventions may generate. In this paper we aim to offer guidance on the operationalization of the CSA approach in the livestock sector. We draw on a literature review to explore the essential attributes of livestock systems in SSA as they relate to CSA objectives over different temporal and spatial scales. Based on this review, we propose a practical and flexible framework for assessing and comparing the synergies and tradeoffs that different livestock systems may generate among food security and climate change objectives over different spatial and temporal scales. The framework consists of four elements: CSA pillars, spatial-temporal scales, CSA objectives mapped to each spatial-temporal scale, and indicator guidance. Using farm survey data and national statistics, an illustrative application of the framework to two dairy farms in Rwanda is presented and discussed. The illustrative application demonstrates how the framework can be used to identify important, spatial-temporal CSA synergies and tradeoffs that otherwise may go unrecognized. Additional applications are needed to assess the utility, practicality, and potential of the framework to guide CSA operationalization in the livestock sector in SSA. Maximizing synergies and reducing tradeoffs among food security and climate change outcomes in the livestock sector is critical for a sustainable food future. With an emphasis on flexibility for tailoring to specific development contexts and compatibility with varying levels of data availability and methodological complexity, the framework is intended to support diverse stakeholders involved in policy and development seeking to identify those livestock systems that contribute most to food security and climate change objectives over time and space. [Display omitted] • Maximizing synergies among food security & climate change in the livestock sector is critical for a sustainable future. • However, the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach has not been fully operationalized in livestock sector development. • Spatial & temporal dimensions determine when, where, and for whom CSA synergies & tradeoffs in the livestock sector arise. • We propose a spatial-temporal framework to assess and compare the CSA synergies & tradeoffs of different livestock systems. • Applying the framework can help identify important CSA synergies & tradeoffs that otherwise may go unrecognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change continues to pose a threat to food and nutrition security for many households in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Several studies have therefore examined the challenges of climate change to agricultural productivity and poverty, and the impacts of adaptation to climate change on outcomes such as farm yields, net farm incomes, as well as food and nutrition security of households in SSA. In this paper, I review this voluminous literature on the challenges and adaption to climate change by farmers in the region. I will first provide an overview on the literature on the challenges and adaptation to climate change within the last two decades, followed by a brief discussion of the methods used in modeling the impact of adaptation to climate change on farm performance. Finally, I will present some empirical results on the impact of adoption of climate-smart techniques on crop yields by farmers in Ghana, and provide some thoughts on policy implications and future research in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambitious climate policy increases the cost of energy and therefore has important interactions with the prospects of development in the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. These interactions include the potential for gain for the continent in the form of new trade opportunities and climate finance. In this paper we quantify the costs and benefits of climate policy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using an Integrated Assessment Model, we consider key characteristics of the continent, including the favorable conditions for renewable energy. A newly designed scenario analysis allows identifying the main drivers of the results. We show that Sub-Saharan Africa could implement climate policy in line with the 2 °C target at roughly net zero costs if the international community follows up on its commitment towards supporting developing countries as declared in the Paris Agreement. Sub-Saharan Africa could become an important supplier of energy from biomass and could thus even benefit from more ambitious climate policy due to higher demand for this source of energy. The absence of a painful trade-off between short-term development and long-term climate stabilization could provide policy-makers with a much richer policy option space than previously considered. One such option is to link climate policy with poverty reduction through, for example, the provision of clean electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in the production of food crops are no longer keeping pace with population growth in Africa, so the continent is increasingly relying on food imports. This would not be the case if crop yields ivere closer to their potential under good crop management. As climate change makes rainfall more variable, it becomes more risky for smallholders to adopt high-input technologies for crop intensification. This paper uses case studies on the yield gap in cassava, maize and cotton and examines the factors that contribute to low yields, the disincentives for technology adoption and some of the strategies required to close the yield gap. The paper argues that institutional factors are as important as technical ones in addressing the current yield gap in Africa. The main conclusions are that the yield gap is much more difficult to close in rainfed agriculture than in irrigated production where low soil fertility constrains the response to inorganic fertilizer. The combination of institutional and agronomic factors that influence the ability of farmers to improve crop yields profitably often operates at the farm or local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of population growth, urbanization and climate change, agricultural systems around the world face enormous pressure on the use of resources. There is a pressing need for wide-scale innovation leading to development that improves the livelihoods and food security of the world's population while at the same time addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation. A variety of promising climate-smart interventions have been identified. However, what remains is the prioritization of interventions for investment and broad dissemination. The suitability and adoption of interventions depends on a variety of bio-physical and socio-economic factors. Also their impacts, when adopted and out-scaled, are likely to be highly heterogeneous. This heterogeneity expresses itself not only spatially and temporally but also in terms of the stakeholders affected, some might win and some might lose. A mechanism that can facilitate a systematic, holistic assessment of the likely spread and consequential impact of potential interventions is one way of improving the selection and targeting of such options. In this paper we provide climate smart agriculture (CSA) planners and implementers at all levels with a generic framework for evaluating and prioritising potential interventions. This entails an iterative process of mapping out recommendation domains, assessing adoption potential and estimating impacts. Through examples, related to livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa, we demonstrate each of the steps and how they are interlinked. The framework is applicable in many different forms, scales and settings. It has a wide applicability beyond the examples presented and we hope to stimulate readers to integrate the concepts in the planning process for climate-smart agriculture, which invariably involves multi-stakeholder, multi-scale and multi-objective decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several climate change related factors including temperature increases, changes in rainfall patterns and outbreak of pests and diseases negatively affect agricultural productivity and food security. Climate change effects significantly increase production risk and rural vulnerability, particularly in regions that already suffer from chronic soil and water resource scarcity or high exposure to climatic extremes, such as droughts and flooding. The effects of climate change on agriculture may depend not only on changing climate conditions, but also on the agricultural sector's ability to adapt through changes in technology and demand for food. Significant proportions of the growing populations in developing countries derive their livelihoods from agriculture and are, therefore, vulnerable to climate change effects. The task of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, as per Millennium Development Goals, will require both regional and global research efforts and concrete actions among which biotechnology adoption plays a key role. Advances in biotechnology can lead to cutting-edge technologies in agriculture. However, sub-Saharan Africa faces an uphill task with regard to the adoption and use of agricultural biotechnology. The potential to improve the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers is a strong incentive to meet the challenge. This paper reviews research work on climate change in relation to increasing food insecurity situation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the significance of plant biotechnology in reversing the disturbing food insecurity trends on the continent. To move plant biotechnology forward, the paper recommends that African countries institutionalize effective bio-safety regulatory frameworks, and commit resources to capacity building and provision of infrastructure for biotechnology development. Funding of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) related research into tropical and sub-tropical staple foods, suitable for the needs of small-scale farmers in SSA countries, is strongly recommended. There is also the need for researchers to engage in effective education and communication with the general public so as to enhance adoption of biotechnological products in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive population displacements are now regularly presented as one of the most dramatic possible consequences of climate change. Current forecasts and projections show that regions that would be affected by such population movements are low-lying islands, coastal and deltaic regions, as well as sub-Saharan Africa. Such estimates, however, are usually based on a 2°C temperature rise. In the event of a 4°C+ warming, not only is it likely that climate-induced population movements will be more considerable, but also their patterns could be significantly different, as people might react differently to temperature changes that would represent a threat to their very survival. This paper puts forward the hypothesis that a greater temperature change would affect not only the magnitude of the associated population movements, but also—and above all—the characteristics of these movements, and therefore the policy responses that can address them. The paper outlines the policy evolutions that climate-induced displacements in a 4°C+ world would require. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Securing sustainable livelihood conditions and reducing the risk of outmigration in savanna ecosystems hosted in the tropical semiarid regions is of fundamental importance for the future of humanity in general. Although precipitation in tropical drylands, or savannas, is generally more significant than one might expect, these regions are subject to considerable rainfall variability which causes frequent periods of water deficiency. This paper addresses the twin problems of “drought and desertification” from a water perspective, focusing on the soil moisture (green water) and plant water uptake deficiencies. It makes a clear distinction between long-term climate change, meteorological drought, and agricultural droughts and dry spells caused by rainfall variability and land degradation. It then formulates recommendations to better cope with and to build resilience to droughts and dry spells. Coping with desertification requires a new conceptual framework based on green-blue water resources to identify hydrological opportunities in a sea of constraints. This paper proposes an integrated land/water approach to desertification where ecosystem management supports agricultural development to build social-ecological resilience to droughts and dry spells. This approach is based on the premise that to combat desertification, focus should shift from reducing trends of land degradation in agricultural systems to water resource management in savannas and to landscape-wide ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop a spatio-temporal model to estimate climate change effects on crop yield. • Accounting for spatial spillover amplifies the effect of wet days for millet in SSA. • Accounting for temporal spillover reduces the effect of wet days for millet in SSA. • Local yield levels are affected by the millet yield in neighboring regions. • The effect of temperature on millet yield differs between poor and rich countries. This paper reports estimates of the economic impact of changes in weather variables on sub-Saharan African pearl millet yield based on panel data for 1970–2016. We control for spatial effects in all the components of our exposure–response function, plus a lag in time of the covariates through spatio-temporal econometrics techniques. Our results indicate own-location weather variables have significant contemporaneous impacts on millet yield. Specifically, we find that vapor pressure deficit, wet day frequency and temperature are important determinants of millet yield. In addition, accounting for spatial and temporal spillovers exacerbates and attenuates wet day cumulative effect, respectively, and local crop production is affected by neighboring countries' production. The results are robust to several sensitivity checks, including accounting for adaptation using long-term averages, and are consistent across country-income groups. We also use our estimates to forecast how crop production would respond to climate change in the mid-future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future climate change potentially can have a strong impact on the African continent. Of special concern are the effects on food security and the restricted adaptive capacity of Africa's poverty stricken population. Targeted policy interventions are, therefore, of vital importance. While there is a broad consensus on selection of climate and agricultural indicators, a coherent spatial representation of the populations' vulnerability is still subject to debate, basically because important drivers at household and institutional level are captured at the coarser (sub)-national level only. This paper aims to address this shortcoming by capitalizing on available spatially explicit information on households, food security institutions and natural resources to identify and characterize vulnerable groups in climate change prone areas of East and West Africa. First, we identify and localize groups with varying degrees of vulnerability, using food security and health indicators from georeferenced household surveys. Second, we characterize these vulnerable groups using statistical techniques that report on the frequency of occurrence of household characteristics, social bonding, remittances and agro-ecological endowments. Third we localize areas where climate change conditions affect production of major staple crops even after a maximum adaptation of crop rotations. Fourth, we characterize the vulnerable groups in the climate change affected areas and compare their profiles with the overall assessment to elucidate whether generic or climate change targeted policies are required. Since climate change will impact predominantly on agricultural production, our analysis focuses on the rural areas. For West Africa, we find that vulnerable groups in areas likely to be affected by climate change do not fundamentally differ from vulnerable groups in the study area in general. However, in East Africa there are remarkable differences between these groups which leads to the conclusion that in this part of Africa, poverty reducing strategies for climate change affected areas should differ from generic ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most scholarship on rural–urban migration in Sub-Saharan Africa demonstrates that migrants tend to move in a “circular” fashion and only spend short periods of time in cities before returning home to rural villages. However, some scholars working on the impacts of climate change on migration suggest that deteriorating environmental conditions may undermine rural livelihoods and lead people to move to cities for longer periods of time. If this is true, then climate change threatens to accelerate urbanisation and lead to renewed stress on urban infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to explore these positions and we do so by collecting survey [n = 241], in-depth interview [n = 75] and focus group [n = 123 participants] data from rural and urban Malawi. Two key results stand out as significant. The first is that migrants in Malawi's capital city tend to stay in the urban environment for longer periods of time than conventional understandings of migration would predict. The second key result is that climate change may actually lead, in the case of Malawi, to reverse (i.e urban–rural) migration. This is because many of the people in Malawi's cities depend on products produced in rural environments (e.g. food and fuelwood). If climate change undermines rural livelihoods, then many urban residents will find the basis of their livelihoods removed and will likely respond by moving back to rural villages. Overall, our results, therefore, suggest that in at least one case the effect of climate change on migration may not be to increase migration towards cities but to stimulate an exodus from cities and back to the rural countryside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experiences soil degradation, food and livelihood insecurity, environmental pollution and lack of access to energy. Biochar has gained international research attention, but few studies have investigated the potential of biochar to address the challenges in SSA. This paper seeks to identify and evaluate generic potential opportunities and constraints associated with biochar application in sub-Saharan Africa using Zimbabwe as case study. Specific objectives were to; (1) identify and quantify feedstocks for biochar production; (2) review literature on the biochar properties, and evaluate its potential applications in agriculture, environmental remediation and energy provision, and (3) identify research gaps, risks and constraints associated with biochar technology. Biochar feedstocks in Zimbabwe were estimated to be 9.9 Mton yr −1 , predominantly derived from manure (88%) and firewood (10%). This will yield 3.5, 1.7 and 3.1 Mton yr −1 of biochar, bio-oil and synthetic gas, respectively. Land application of the 3.5 Mton yr −1 of biochar (≈63% C) would sequester approximately 2.2 Mton yr −1 of soil carbon in Zimbabwe alone, while simultaneously minimizing the environmental and public health risks, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with solid organic wastes. Biochar potentially enhances soil and crop productivity through enhanced nutrient and soil moisture availability, amelioration of acidic soils and stimulation of microbial diversity and activity. Due to its excellent adsorption properties, biochar has potential applications in industrial and environmental applications including water and wastewater treatment, remediation and revegetation of contaminated soils and water. Biochar products have energy values comparable or higher than those of traditional biomass fuels; thereby making them ideal alternative sources of energy especially for poor households without access to electricity. Before the benefits of biochar can be realized in SSA, there is need to overcome multiple risks and constraints such as lack of finance, socio-economic constraints including negative perceptions and attitudes among both researchers and consumers, and environmental and public health risks. Therefore, there is need to conduct fundamental research to demonstrate the benefits of biochar applications, and develop policy framework and criteria for its production and subsequent adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With climate change projections indicating a likely future increase in extreme weather phenomena, it is an urgent matter to assess the effect of drought on civil conflict. However, studies of this relationship so far provide inconclusive findings. One reason for this inconsistency is that existing research has not sufficiently taken into account the local vulnerability and coping capacity that condition the effect of drought. In particular, the exposure to sustained droughts undermines alternative coping mechanisms of individuals. Moreover, reliance on rainfed agriculture for income and food provision renders individuals particularly vulnerable to droughts. Based on these observations, I suggest that areas experiencing sustained droughts or depending on rainfed agriculture are more likely to see civil conflict following drought as individuals in these regions are more likely to partake in rebellion in order to redress economic grievances or to obtain food and income. Using novel high-resolution data on civil conflict events in Sub-Saharan Africa from 1989 to 2008, this paper evaluates the relationship between sustained drought, rainfed agriculture and civil conflict violence at the subnational level. In line with the argument, areas with rainfed croplands see an increased risk of civil conflict violence following drought. There is also some support for the proposition that areas experiencing sustained droughts have a higher risk of conflict. The results are robust to a wide range of model specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-driven reconstruction (CDR) has become a new paradigm in post-conflict development. It combines infrastructure restoration with introducing good governance at the local level. Recent evaluations show that governance objectives are not easily met and significant change cannot be demonstrated. This paper adds to this argument on the basis of ethnographic research on a CDR programme in eastern DRC. It seeks to find explanations for the lack of demonstrable governance impact in the content and implementation of training. It identifies room for improvement by better adjusting capacity building to locally prevailing accountability mechanisms and by coordinating capacity building with other development programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are particularly vulnerable to climate change, given dependence on agricultural production and limited adaptive capacity. Based on farm household and Participatory Rural Appraisal data collected from districts in various agroecological zones in Kenya, this paper examines farmers' perceptions of climate change, ongoing adaptation measures, and factors influencing farmers' decisions to adapt. The results show that households face considerable challenges in adapting to climate change. While many households have made small adjustments to their farming practices in response to climate change (in particular, changing planting decisions), few households are able to make more costly investments, for example in agroforestry or irrigation, although there is a desire to invest in such measures. This emphasizes the need for greater investments in rural and agricultural development to support the ability of households to make strategic, long-term decisions that affect their future well-being. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In numerous countries of Sub-Saharan Africa the strategic agenda of the water-sector is undergoing substantial change because of demographic pressure, climate change and economic transformation. Two new policy questions are arising from the need to make better use of available groundwater storage to improve water-supply security: What is the scope for promoting much increased groundwater use for irrigated agriculture, and how might the investment risks be reduced and sustainable outcomes ensured? How can the demand to expand urban groundwater use, for both further supplementing municipal water-supply systems and for direct in situ water supply, be best channelled to maximise the benefits whilst minimising the risks? This 'new agenda' poses very different challenges from the long-standing requirement to provide rural water supplies of adequate coverage, reliability and quality (which, while still not yet fully addressed, is outside the scope of this paper). Balanced answers to these new questions are needed to provide a sound basis for appropriate investment policies on managed groundwater development and adequate institutional provisions for their implementation. They are discussed here from the standpoint of the GW-MATE experience in some World Bank-supported projects in eastern Africa during 2001-2010, together with a review of some developments in western Africa and insights from parts of Asia and Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a simple indicator to measure the exposure to natural disasters for the poor and non-poor population, in order to assess the global and regional trend of natural hazard and poverty. Globally, poor people are two times more exposed to natural disasters than the non-poor in the twenty-first century. The time trend varies across regions, with poor people in East Asia and Pacific being most exposed to natural disasters, followed by those in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The change of exposure measure over time is decomposed into two factors: a pure exposure change, which could be fuelled by climate change; and a concentration component. The result shows that the total net increase of exposure between the 1970s and the 2000s is driven significantly by the increased concentration of the poor (26 per cent) in disaster-prone areas, whereas the contribution of that factor remains very small for the non-poor (six per cent). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Are the achievements of sustainable development and the improvement of environmental standards mutually exclusive in the 21st century? Is there a possibility to combine the two? This study is an effort to investigate the mutual exclusiveness of the two policy areas and asks for the necessity and possibility to combine the two with a reference to Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). After describing the historical, geographical, and climatic backgrounds of SSA, negative effects of global warming and local environmentally harmful practices are discussed. Subsequently, the appropriate development measures for the region are elaborated in order to understand their compatibility with regards to improving the environment. It is concluded that to change the dependency on agriculture, the economy needs to be restructured towards technologies. Furthermore, it is found that there is a direct link between global warming and economic efficiency. Theories, which imply that some regions are simply ‘too poor to be green’, are investigated and rebutted by another theory, which states that it is indeed possible to industrialize in an environmentally friendly way. It follows that environmental and development measures are interconnected, equally important and can be reconciled. The paper finally concludes that the threat posed by global warming and the previously practised environmentally-harmful local measures might be so pressing that it may be too tragic to go for ‘develop first and clean up later’ approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this century climate change is assumed to be the major driver for changes in agricultural systems and crop productivity at the global scale. However, due to spatial differences in cropping systems and in the magnitude of climatic change regional variations of climate change impact are expected. Furthermore, the recent climate projections are highly uncertain for large parts of West Africa. In particular with respect to annual precipitation and variability the projections vary between trends with decreasing precipitation and trends with slightly increasing precipitation within the next decades. On the other hand, the extensive fallow systems in this region suffer from increasing population pressure, which compromises soil fertility restoration. In the Republic of Benin, the demographic projections for the first half of this century indicate a continuous growth of the population with a narrow interval of confidence. Thus, in the absence of an adequate soil fertility management with judicious use of mineral fertilizers, the soil degradation process with decreasing crop yields is expected to continue. The objective of this paper was, therefore, to quantify the regional effect of future population growth on crop yields in West Africa and to compare it with the potential effects of climate change scenarios. Three land use scenarios (L1, L2 and L3) for the Upper Ouémé catchment where derived from different demographic projections combined with assumptions regarding future road networks and legal frameworks for forest protection using the CLUE-S modeling approach. The fallow-cropland ratio decreased in the three scenarios from 0.87 in the year 2000 to 0.66, 0.48 and 0.68 for L1, L2 and L3, respectively in 2050. Based on the projected ratio of fallow and cropland, trends of maize yield for the three land use scenarios were calculated using the EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) model coupled with a spatial database. Maize yields followed the decreasing trend of the fallow-cropland ratio and estimated yield reductions amounted to up to 24% in the period 2021–2050. This trend was compared with the impact of the SRES climate scenarios A1B and B1 based on the output of the GCM ECHAM5 downscaled with the REMO model and the A1B scenario output of the GCM HADC3Q0 downscaled with the RCMs SMHIRCA and HADRM3P. The yield reductions due to the projected climate change in the three models accounted for a yield decrease of up to 18% (REMO A1B scenario) in the same period. Taking into account the smaller uncertainties in the scenario assumptions and in the model output of the land use scenarios, it is concluded that, in low input fallow systems in West Africa, land use effects will be at least as important as climate effects within the next decades. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper analyses the relationship between climate change and urban development in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and discusses potential adaptation policies for moderating the consequences of climatic changes on urban development in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prominence accorded the environment and the importance of public engagement in sustainable development issues during the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development underscores the role of environmental information in achieving local environmental sustainability goals. The paper examines the role of the Nigerian press, one of the most vibrant in sub-Saharan Africa, in reporting environmental issues at the turn of the twenty-first century. Two national newspapers, The Daily Times and The Guardian were content analysed for coverage of environmental issues, including climate change, for the 5-year period 1999-2003. The degree of prominence and nature of environmental reports are assessed. The results show that energy issues dominate reports on the environment in both newspapers while climate change, a critical global environmental issue is accorded very little attention. Both newspapers assessed are yet to actively feature environmental articles tailored to issues of everyday life as majority of environmental publications are news reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper estimates the relationship between average rainfall and population density in Sub-Saharan Africa in order to assess the consequences of climate and demographic changes in terms of future water stress in that region. Geographic Information System (GIS) data on density and rainfall and climate change scenarios are combined in order to identify areas which will be subject to increased pressures stemming from excessive population, given their precipitation levels. We first describe the empirical relationship existing between average yearly rainfall and density over sub-Saharan Africa. The limit of 900 mm of annual rainfall appears to define the threshold below which water constitutes a binding constraint to higher densities. Above that threshold, density and rainfall are not spatially correlated. In a second stage, we identify areas subject to water stress. In our framework, those are defined as zones belonging to the right end of the distribution of densities conditional on average rainfall. In a last step, localized population projections and changes in rainfall predicted by two mainstream climate change scenarios are utilized to assess the respective impacts of those two factors on the changes in extent and distribution of high-stress zones over the continent between 2000 and 2050. If population growth follows projected trends, density increases across the continent should lead to a significant increase in the extent of such zones, especially around the Sahel belt and in Eastern Africa. The impact of changes in rainfall is more difficult to assess, because climate models differ locally as regards projections of yearly rainfall, especially in intermediate zones such as the Sahel. If, according to the predictions of most climate models, the Sahel were to experience average rainfall increases, these would ease, though not offset totally, the pressure stemming from demographic growth in that region. In contrast, in most of Eastern Africa, predicted drops in average rainfall would work in the same direction as demographic changes to increase the pressure on significant parts of the territory. In Southern Africa, demographic stagnation is likely to mitigate significantly the impact of climate change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]