In this info note we provide a brief overview of key

agricultural practices and technologies which enhance

productivity in a sustainable manner, thus contributing to

food security and environmental goals while increasing

the resilience of farming systems.

A twinned info note considers

higher-level measures of

adaptation in agriculture, such

as policies and institutions. Updated: November 2016.

Both info notes are drawn from

longer working papers, all

freely available to download at

In East Africa, agricultural systems are highly vulnerable to climate change and variability because of high dependence on rainfall. The increasing frequency and severity of drought, heat and cold stress as well as floods are likely to lead to major food crises in the region. Rapid population growth rates, poverty and inequality exacerbate problems caused by exposure to climatic change. The region, therefore, requires long-term actions to build the capacity of its people and institutions to better adapt to climate change and climate variability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mixed crop?livestock systems produce most of the world’s milk and ruminant meat, and are
particularly important for the livelihoods and food security of poor people in developing
countries. These systems will bear the brunt of helping to satisfy the burgeoning demand
for food from increasing populations, particularly in sub?Saharan Africa and South Asia,
where rural poverty and hunger are already concentrated. The potential impacts of changes
in climate and climate variability on these mixed systems are not that well understood,

The purpose of this brief is to share insights on agriculture and NAPs with national-level decision makers in developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), multilateral agencies, UNFCCC negotiators and donors. This brief explores how countries are overcoming the biggest challenges in developing NAPs, outlines examples of successful cross-sector adaptation planning, explores influence and leverage necessary for successful NAP processes, and offers specific recommendations.

This study was commissioned to provide an understanding of the complex impacts climate change will likely have on existing gender and social inequalities.

We assessed land use/ land cover changes from remotely sensed satellite imagery and compared this with households perceptions on availability/use of livestock feed resources and feed deficit management strategies since the 1973 in three districts representing the pastoral, agro-pastoral and mixed crop-livestock eco-environments of Ethiopia.

Smallholder farmers in Uganda face a wide range of agricultural production risks, with climate change and variability presenting new risks and vulnerabilities. Climate related risks such as prolonged dry seasons have become more frequent and intense with negative impacts on agricultural livelihoods and food security.

Agriculture remains vital to the economy of most African countries and its development

has significant implications for food security and poverty reduction in the region. Increase

in agricultural production over the past decades has mainly been due to land area expansion,

with very little change in production techniques and limited improvement in yields.

Currently one in four people remains malnourished in Africa. CSA integrates all three dimensions of sustainable development and is aimed at (1)