Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: Water Resources Management Options for Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
The MDG Centre, East and Southern Africa, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University
By Stephen N. Ngigi, PhD, one of East Africa's top experts on water resources management. A research associate at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, he is also a water coordinator for Millennium Villages. This project fights poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa by targeting investments in agriculture, health, education and infrastructure.
In 2006, 25 African countries required food aid, largely due to recurring drought. Poverty and food insecurity are linked to low agricultural productivity aggravated by climate change and variability. As 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug stated, ”Humankind in the 21st century will need to bring about a Blue Revolution to complement the Asian Green Revolution of the 20th century… New science and technology must lead the way.”
A key challenge for decision makers, policy makers, and development partners is to understand the strategies adopted by farmers and other stakeholders in their efforts to address climate change-induced water stress. Smallholder farmers are the most vulnerable to climate change, and they have no alternative but to adapt their livelihood systems to changing climatic conditions. Fortunately, several practical options for adaptation exist.
