Conclusion

The accounts in these pages show that communities all across Africa are worried about current changes in rain patterns. The weather is not what it used to be just five, 10 or 30 years ago. The rain does not fall when it should, the season only lasts for short periods, or it rains more than before, causing devastating floods. In short, the rain has become unpredictable and no longer follows set patterns.

50% Yield Reduction
Increased water shortages are the main problem associated with these unpredictable rains. It doesn't rain enough for crops to mature, natural rivers and ponds dry up and groundwater levels decrease. In other words, it is becoming harder to access sufficient water to sustain people and animals, and uphold food and fodder production. According to the IPCC, some African countries may have their yields from rain-fed agriculture reduced by up to 50% by 2020, leading to increased malnutrition and lower food security.

Improving Water Access is Possible
The accounts you have just read show how people and communities in Africa are using ingenuity, drive and locally-based solutions to improve access to small and diminishing water supplies, and to provide a consistent water supply throughout the year. Their experiences can be replicated by many thousands of other families in similar situations. However, increasing problems with access to water cannot be solved by personal or village initiatives alone.

Cooperation, Knowledge and Technology are Necessary
As we have seen, African communities are implementing life-improving methods that work, but in each of our three examples, the communities have also received help and support from outside organisations in the form of knowledge, technology or economic resources. Dams, like the one in Tigray, Ethiopia, cannot normally be built without outside guidance, including advice on where and how to build a lasting dam, and how to avoid water shortages for people living downstream. Wells of the type that were dug in Makuku, Kenya, can be promoted in villages all over Africa, but cooperation and supervision is often needed because many countries are experiencing sinking groundwater levels due to overconsumption of water.

Many pastoralists across Africa are coming up against the same problems raising their livestock as the people of Fantida in Ethiopia. In several places, pastoralists are also under pressure from the authorities to give up their traditional way of life and become settled farmers. This is not necessarily a good solution for all pastoralists. However, it is a necessary strategy for some and, as the account from Fantida highlights, this option should not be promoted without training in agricultural and sustainable irrigation techniques.

Adaptive Measures Cannot Compensate for Unpredictable Rains in the Long Run
There is no doubt that many people across Africa are already experiencing water shortages because of climate change. None of the practical solutions to compensate for growing water shortages influence rainfall patterns. If the current climatic conditions continue, or if there is even less rain in the future, there will not be enough water to sustain many African communities. These communities will then be forced to relocate in order to find alternative livelihoods.