Conclusion

Mitigating Climate Change and Reducing Poverty
The most dramatic effect of climate change in Africa is the threat to food production. Agricultural production and food security (including access to food) in many African countries and regions are likely to be severely compromised by climate change and climate variability, according to the IPCC. The accounts you have just read leave little doubt that food and fodder production are already difficult in many parts of Africa. However, the accounts also show that introducing new techniques can make farmers more resilient to climate change by improving harvests and diversifying produce. Mitigating climate change and reducing poverty are often two equally important results when introducing new agricultural methods.

Developing New Techniques
The new techniques being introduced are a combination of rediscovering traditional methods, developing new techniques locally and introducing new discoveries through agricultural experts. Perfecting these methods and adapting them to the continually changing climate will be an ongoing process, one in which African farmers will play a key role. The more organised and conscious this process is, the more efficient it will be.

Diversification
Climate change adds risks and increases vulnerabilities for rural communities. Measures which reduce vulnerability are the key to helping these communities to help themselves, and this calls for strategies tailored to each individual community. However, a common overarching theme is diversification. Diversification of crops and livestock reduces famers' vulnerability and gives them more options when adverse weather strikes.

Ability to Adapt
In order to develop pioneering techniques and diversify their production, farmers require access to technology and know-how. In Malawi, Etrida Luhanga was shown how to grow maize in pits; Beatrice Gona in Zambia planted nitrogen-fixing trees to reduce the effects of deforestation; and, in Ethiopia, the villagers of Maygua received help in the construction of hand-pumped wells. People's ability to adapt depends on a variety of factors like education, social networks, economic resources, access to infrastructure and political stability.

In Africa, illiteracy levels are still high among the adult population and three out of five of African farmers are subsistence farmers. Their farms barely produce enough for survival and there is little or no surplus to invest in tools, seed or fertilisers. External support is, therefore, often required to realise adaptation measures. Most importantly, as shown on the previous pages, agricultural adaptation is vital to ensure food security in farming communities.