Transcript Slide 1
Strategies for Adapting to Climate
Change in Rural SSA: Targeting the
Poor
Doug Merrey
FANRPAN Regional Dialogue
2 September 2008, Lilongwe, Malawi
Outline
Overview (adapted from Jerry Nelson, IFPRI)
Climate change and variability—impacts on the poor
Adaptation strategies
Project goals
Outcome of Kickoff Workshop
Roles of FANRPAN and ASARECA
Conclusions
Impacts and Vulnerability to Climate
Change & Variability
Rich countries emit majority of GHGs
Poor countries are more vulnerable
Geography (hotter, less rain, more variation)
Greater dependence on agriculture and natural resources
Limited infrastructure and low-input agriculture
Low income, poverty and malnutrition
Inadequate complementary services, like health and
education
Weak institutions
Thus, lower adaptive capacity (less resilience)
Location matters!
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Much Adaptation Policy is Extension
of Good Development Policy
Promote growth and diversification
Invest in research and development,
education and health
Improve international trade system
Enhance resilience to disasters and
improving disaster management
Promote risk-sharing, including social
safety nets, weather insurance
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Types of Adaptation
Autonomous or spontaneous adaptations
Response to observed/anticipated climate
change without intervention by a public agency
Initiatives by private actors rather than
governments, triggered by market or welfare
changes induced by actual or anticipated climate
change
Policy-driven or planned adaptation
Proactive response
Result of deliberate policy decision on the part of
public agencies
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Adaptation Responses and Issues
Type of
response
Autonomous
Policy-driven
Short run
• Crop choice, crop area,
planting dates
• Risk-pooling insurance
• Improved forecasting
• Policy reform
• Technology
dissemination
Long run
• Private investment (on-farm
irrigation)
• Private crop research
• Relocation
• Public investment
(water storage, roads,
info infrastructure)
• Public crop research
Issues
• Adaptive capacity of poor
• Social safety nets
• Uncertain returns to
investment
• Targeting
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Effective Adaptation Policy Strategies
Must go beyond good development policy to explicitly target
the impacts of climate change, particularly on the poor
Requires spatially targeted adaptation
Market signals
essential factor in determining the responses to a
changing environment
but involves potentially expensive time lags and overlooks
equity
Climate change adaptation must therefore be proactive, not
merely reactive
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Why does location
matter?
Where do the global climate models agree
(yellow/green) and disagree (blue/red)
Low emissions scenario
High agreement southern
& eastern Africa
Change in Precipitation 2000 - 2050
(mm/month) June, high emissions scenario
Black – no
change
Yellow –
decrease in
mean
Blue/green –
increase in
mean
A lot of
yellow!
Decreasing
mean
rainfall
Project Goals
Assess where should adaptation
policies/programs be targeted
Identify what kinds of adaptations might be
cost-effective and pro-poor
Propose methods and tools for policymakers to evaluate options
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Planned Project Products
Global change scenarios
Changes in climate, land use, socio-economic
factors, and alternative policies
Typology of production systems
Integrates biophysical and socio-economic factors
Household-level impact and response matrix
Micro-level adaptation case studies
Policy decision framework tools
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FANRPAN Hosted
Kick-off Workshop 23-25 June 2008
Outcomes
Identified large number of related projects—
agreed to cooperate and build synergies
Data base of projects, institutions, individuals
working on adaptation to climate change
Commitment of partners present to collaborate
IFPRI, FANRPAN, ASARECA, two German partners
(PIK, ZALF), represented governments, African
research institutions
Work plan agreed
Ideas contributing to project implementation
Indicative List of Suggestions
Agriculture in a wider socio-economic context
Economic diversification = adaptation strategy
Target and sensitize wide spectrum of
stakeholders & decision makers
Participatory pro-active approach with policy
makers
Regional focus (SADC, COMESA) makes more
sense than purely national approach
Capacity building and practical adaptive
strategies will be more valuable than academic
publications
Roles—FANRPAN & ASARECA
Facilitate access to data, linkages of
international with regional scientists
Networking function critical given growing
number of projects and activities
Assist in design of socio-economic scenarios
Organize workshops and consultations with key
decision makers
Policy dialogues as results emerge
Facilitate linking regional students with capacity
building opportunities
See PhD opportunity at www.fanrpan.org
Conclusion
o Project provides opportunity to build regional
linkages and capacity
Our strength is capacity to bring researchers together
with regional stakeholders, decision makers
Partnership with ASARECA a valuable opportunity
with future potential benefits for region
o Measures to strengthening capacity for
adaptation to climate variability and change is
usually good developmental policy
But as a recent Norwegian review of its Malawi
projects show, there are implications: need to
diversify – diversify – diversify
From David Grey
Variability - Annual rainfall in Kenya during 1956 – 1982
3.0
10.0
1.0
5.0
0.0
-1.0
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
0.0
1979
Real GDP growth (%)
2.0
-2.0
-5.0
-3.0
Real GDP grow th (%)
Variability in Rainfall (Meter)
-10.0
-4.0
Years
Correlation between GDP and Rainfall in Zimbabwe
Mozambique flood
Variability in Rainfall (Meter)
15.0
Thank you!
Credit: Gilberto Ricardo
Cattle drinking water in the Shinguedzi River, competition for water
resources with wildlife in the Limpopo National Park (Mozamique)