This Working Paper summarizes projected climate change impacts on livestock across
Africa, using a combination of literature review and some new results on the projected
impacts of climate change on the rangelands of Africa. Findings show that there are
many options that can help livestock keepers adapt, but there appear to be no options
that are widely applicable which do not have constraints to their adoption. An
enabling technical and policy environment will thus be needed to ensure livestock

CGIAR and partner scientists met in Cancun, Mexico, with the purpose to advance science on climate change adaptation and mitigation, according to the scope of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food security (CCAFS).
The objectives of the workshop were to (1) understand ongoing research as a foundation for future collaboration and advances, and (2) explore research that shows the highest promise for scientific breakthroughs.

A classification of the major ruminant livestock production systems in West Africa is proposed. The proposed typology has two major classes of systems-sole livestock and crop-livestock. The sole livestock class has two systems (rangeland-based and landless) and the crop-livestock class has three sub-classes (annual crop-livestock, tree-crop-livestock and irrigated/flooded cropland-livestock). Within the 3 crop-livestock subclasses 13 systems defined by the dominant crops are identified.

National governments across East Africa are in the process of formulating and implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies to assist farmers cope with climate change. These include formulating actions, frameworks and programs to address climate change and embedding these within the long-term national development plans.

A myriad of agricultural and livestock production systems co-exist in the developing countries. Agricultural research for development should therefore aim at delivering strategies that are well targeted to the heterogeneous landscapes and diverse biophysical and socioeconomic contexts the agricultural production system is operating in. To that end, in the recent past several approaches to spatially delineate landscapes with broadly similar production strategies, constraints and investment opportunities, have been applied. The mapped Seré and

Agriculture – on which we all depend for our food – is under threat from climate change. There is no doubt that systems worldwide will have to adapt, but while consumers may barely notice in developed countries, millions of people in developing countries face a very real and direct threat to their food security and livelihoods. Even without climate change, many agricultural systems in developing countries are nearing crisis point. Feeding a rapidly rising global population is taking a heavy toll on farmlands, rangelands, fisheries and forests. Water is becoming scarce in many regions.

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

Climate change will likely have significant impacts on the agricultural sector in Colombia, which accounts for over one-tenth of the country’s GDP and employs over one-fifth of its population. Analyses indicate that by 2050, there will likely be significant temperature rises, more erratic precipitation, and higher pest and disease prevalence. To address the extensive socioeconomic implications of these effects, the government must prioritize adaptation, investing in regionally-based assessments; research and development; and technology transfer to and training for farmers.

To ensure a food-secure future, farming must become climate resilient. Around the world, governments and communities are adopting innovations that are improving the lives of millions while reducing agriculture’s climate footprint. These successful examples show the many ways climate-smart agriculture can take shape, and should serve as inspiration for future policies and investments.