Student Title:
Madzvamuse, Lupyani, Matsela, OL 341 Assignment 3
Student Date:
October 7, 2012
Project:
OL 341 Assignment 3
Online Learning: OL 341 From the Ground Up for Adaptation
Center for Sustainable Development: http://www.csd-i.org/
Assignment 3. Will your theory of a solution work?
We focused on finding scientific papers and case studies or success stories on the following 5 of our activities to see if they had shown evidence of
solving our project challenge. We searched through Google and the ‘Links to Climate Change Adaptation sites” We noted several scientific papers
for each activity. We had to provide more than one link some of the activities since they are combined.
Activity 1
Surveys and interviews to collect traditional knowledge on agriculture, changes in agricultural cycles, vulnerabilities and coping
strategies
We used the link below to ascertain the validity of indigenous or traditional knowledge systems on enhancing communities’ climate change coping
strategies as well as determine the validity of indigenous knowledge as a science.
1. The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel
A. Nyong Æ F. Adesina Æ B. Osman Elasha
http://ies.lbl.gov/iespubs/8nyong.pdf
Summary Paragraph:
Indigenous knowledge has been directly applied in the Sahel in climate change mitigation through emission reduction, C sequestration
and carbon substitution. In the area of adaptation, indigenous knowledge systems have been applied in weather forecasting, vulnerability
assessment and implementation of adaptation strategies. Considering that agriculture and land use changes are identified as the two
main sources of GHG in Africa, we will review indigenous knowledge systems that have been applied in mitigation and adaptation within
these two sectors.
Activity 2
Poor harvests
Since some of our activities included workshops and community meetings; we guided our search for solutions using the area of inquiry and in this
case its poor harvests.
1. Hazards and opportunities: farming livelihoods in dryland Africa. Lessons from Zimbabwe, Scoones, I.; et al.
http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19986770645.html
Key Words:| resource allocation | drought | risk | farm management | development policies | farm surveys.
Summary Paragraph
A detailed case study of the effect of drought and risk was carried out in Chivi District, Masvingo Province of southern Zimbabwe, during
1991-1994. The study period coincided with perhaps the most severe drought of this century. Although farmers were found to be
constrained from taking risks and dealing with uncertainty by a variety of resource constraints, they have a wide range of strategies for
managing variability in both space and time. However, this range of management strategies is rarely taken into account in the design and
implementation of research and extension programmes in dry areas. During drought, longer-term stresses on asset entitlements and
investment strategies are combined with more sudden shocks affecting production and consumption patterns, resulting in shifts in levels
of vulnerability. Too often, policy responses deal with immediate consequences, such as food deficits without considering underlying
causes, such as changes in entitlement patterns.
Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from Comprehensive Climate Change Scenarios, IFPRI Discussion Paper
01042 December 2010: C Ringler, T Zhu, X Cai, J Koo & D Wang
1. http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01042.pdf
Summary Paragraph
Cereal production growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to decline by 3.2 percent as a result of climate change, with declines in yield
growth of 4.6 percent partially compensated for by increased area expansion (2.1 percent). Among staple crops, negative yield impacts
are projected to be largest for wheat, followed by sweet potato, whereas overall yields for millet and sorghum are projected to be slightly
higher under climate change. Under climate change, by 2050, maize, rice, and wheat prices are expected to be 4, 7, and 15 percent
higher, respectively, compared with the historic climate scenario. Higher food prices contribute directly to lower food demand, which
declines for Sub-Saharan Africa by 1.5 percent by 2050. Little change in net cereal imports is expected as a result of climate change for
Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole because increases and declines in net cereal imports in different agro-ecological zones balance out.
Activity 3
Develop plan that combines resilient and improved agricultural techniques with traditional knowledge for an overall improvement in
productivity
1. Using Traditional Methods and Indigenous Technologies for Coping with Climate Variability, C.J. Stigter, Zheng Dawei, L.O.Z.
Onyewotu and Mei Xurong
http://www.springerlink.com/content/ptj5374774527805/
Summary Paragraph
In agro-meteorology and management of meteorology related natural resources, many traditional methods and indigenous technologies
are still in use or being revived for managing low external inputs sustainable agriculture (LEISA) under conditions of climate variability.
This paper starts with the introduction of an “end-to-end” climate information build up and transfer system in agro-meteorology, in
which the use of such methods and technologies must be seen to operate. It then reviews the options that LEISA farmers have in risk
management of agro-meteorological and agro-climatological calamities. This is based on the role that the pertinent
meteorological/climatological parameters and phenomena play as limiting factors in agricultural production and the expectations on their
variability
Activity 4
Family garden and nutrition program
1.
Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa:Insights from Comprehensive Climate Change Scenarios, IFPRI Discussion
Paper 01042 December 2010: C Ringler, T Zhu, X Cai, J Koo & D Wang
http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01042.pdf
Summary Paragraph
Higher food prices dampen demand for food, as affordability of nearly all agricultural commodities—including basic staples and livestock
products—declines under climate change. As a result, per capita calorie availability across Sub-Saharan Africa declines by 1.3 percent or 37
kilocalories per capita per day. While this change appears rather small, distributional effects are likely significant and those who can least
afford to reduce caloric intake are likely hardest hit.
Activity 5
Animal Husbandry
1. Cattle, Livelihoods, and Coping with Food Insecurity in the Context of Drought and HIV/AIDS in Rural Zimbabwe
http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023
2. Coping with Drought and Climate Change in Zimbabwe
http://www.adaptationlearning.net/projects/zimbabwe-coping-drought-and-climate-change
Summary Paragraph, Link One
Cattle ownership had positive influences on decisions to place land under cultivation and on the quantity of maize harvested. The
decision to plant was the outcome of a complex agricultural decision making process that depended on several variables. Households did
not plant all of their land, and the most common reasons not to plant were low rainfall (40%) and insufficient draft power (28%). Data
from the 2005-2006 season offers a comparison to the 2004-2005 drought season and demonstrates the productive value of cattle during
years with more rainfall. The 2005-2006 agricultural season received substantially more rainfall, and these data show a positive
correlation between cattle ownership and production.
Link two summary paragraph
Interventions under this initiative have focused on diversifying the crop mix to include open pollinated drought tolerant maize varieties,
sorghum, pearl millet, groundnuts, cowpeas and cassava. These crops were integrated with soil moisture management practices and
selection of appropriate planting dates. Farmers compare the performance of introduced (improved) varieties against local varieties
under different management practices. Typical traditional African practices for soil moisture management that the project is building up
on include: making of ridges and infiltration (“zai”) pits. The use of rainwater harvesting (controlling and making use of rainwater in-situ)
in rainfed agriculture has become common as a result of the uncertain nature of the rains in many parts of Africa. The project has also
introduced raingauges and climate forecast products to improve farmer decision making on timing of planting, choice of crops and
weeding
Adaptation. We were able to indentify scientific documents and links fro Google that are related to issues of climate change
adaptation and guides to nutritional development programmes for children and infants. Further we deliberately searched through for
clues on livelihood diversification; hence we were able to identify links that provided success stories from different countries.
We could not provide links for each of the stated activities as most of them are interlinked; hence the identified links can be used on all
the activities. We realized that climate change is cross-sectional and multi-linked; hence any link that talks about adaptation is likely to
be of strategic importance.
Other useful links we identified for this assignment include the following;
1. Effects of vegetables from a school garden, in a school feeding programme, on the school attendance rate and general health
of children in a farm school / Grace Kelebogile Mongwa Mongwa, Grace Kelebogile
http://dspace.nwu.ac.za/handle/10394/1044
Summary paragraph
Objective of the study The specific objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of vegetables in the school feeding
programme over a 15 week period on: the school attendance in the experimental and control schools, the prevalence of
infections, the occurrence of sores in the school going learners of both the experimental and the control schools. Research
setting: This study was part of the larger FLAGH (Farm Labour And General Health) programme that was a follow up of the THUSA
study. Two schools in the Rysmierbult district were selected to participate in this study. One of the schools was used as a control
school and the other school was used as the intervention (experimental) school. The vegetable garden in the experimental school
started in 2003 and in the control school it was started in 2001. In 2004 after the school opened, the garden in the control school
was not functional due to some reasons. Therefore the school was used as a control school as the learners were not fed
vegetables each day. Subjects A total number of 109 primary school learners between the ages of 6 and 14 years old took part in
the study. The intervention school enrolment was 70 learners at the beginning of the study and at week 7 to 15 it was 67, as 3
learners had left school with no reason. The control school enrolment was 42 learners. Study design It was a comparative
evaluation intervention study with baseline and end measurements to assess the effects of vegetable gardens in farm schools to
supplement the school feeding programme. This was a comparison study of two farms schools. The implementation of vegetable
garden projects at schools was one of the interventions aimed at improving the nutritional status of the children.
Keywords: Current climate variability; Climate change; Sub-Saharan Africa; Rain-fed farming; Climate risk management
Coping better with current climatic variability in the rain-fed farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa: An essential first step in adapting
to future climate change? http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880908000145
Summary Paragraph
The paper highlights the ability of agricultural communities and agricultural stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa to cope better
with the constraints and opportunities of current climate variability must first be enhanced for them to be able to adapt
to climate change and the predicted future increase in climate variability. Tools and approaches are now available that allow
for a better understanding, characterization and mapping of the agricultural implications of climate variability and the
development of climate risk management strategies specifically tailored to stakeholders needs. Application of these tools
allows the development and dissemination of targeted investment innovations that have a high probability of biophysical
and economic success in the context of climate variability.
Facebook Posting.
I “Liked” the CSDi Facebook page.