May Muthuri
Native shrubs: a simple fix for drought-stricken crops in Sub-Saharan Africa
Variability is the only guarantee when it comes to the rainfall of the Sahel, the transitional zone between the parched Sahara Desert and the wetter savanna in the south. The rains often arrive late, and sometimes they barely come at all. This can lead to devastating crop failures and famine in a region that relies […] Continue Reading
The method of restoring degraded lands efficiently contributes to climate change mitigation
Integrating trees in agricultural systems helps rural communities adapt to climate change, mitigate its impact and improve their livelihoods. Particularly for farmers in the Sahel, trees growing on agricultural land play an important role: they do not only prevent soil erosion but provide a wide range of services such as food, increased soil fertility, and […] Continue Reading
The future of food: growing more with the same land
There are three main reasons why the productivity of existing farmland will need to dramatically increase in the next 40 years. The world’s population is unlikely to stabilise this century and is on course to reach up to 12 billion by 2100. That’s double the existing population and a lot of people to feed. The […] Continue Reading
How climate change efforts by developed countries are hurting Africa’s rural poor
In recent years there has been significant movement toward land acquisition in developing countries to establish forestry plantations for offsetting carbon pollution elsewhere in the world. This is often referred to as land grabbing. These carbon trading initiatives work on the basis that forestry plantations absorb carbon dioxide and other polluting greenhouse gases. This helps […] Continue Reading
Getting smart about change: Climate and Agriculture
Many households in Africa spend a significant amount of their income on food. Additionally, the world’s population is increasing significantly, presenting tremendous changes in diets which later translate to increased threats to the food supply, due to increased competition for land, water, energy and other inputs. Climate change however presents various challenges to food supply […] Continue Reading
Getting a picture of when nature isn’t a friend to farmers
Natural disasters brought about by extreme weather have caused numerous losses in the central coastal region’s steep terrain transected by short rivers. Exacerbated by climate change, extreme weather is increasing in frequency, intensity and unpredictability. To reach a practical understanding of climate-change impacts and local people’s response, the researchers and partners involved in the Climate-smart, […] Continue Reading