Adjusting to climate change

DAVID NJAGI, ESTHER TOLA AND CHRISTINA SCOTT - Jul 03 2008 09:49 The map will replace this text. If any users do not have Flash Player 8 (or above), they'll see this message. African farmers are already adapting to climate change, according to case studies in Bénin, Kenya and Malawi. The studies, carried out by local environmental groups for the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), found that farmers are using locally relevant methods to adjust to their unpredictable environments. Almost all African agriculture relies on rainwater rather than irrigation, but all farmers interviewed said erratic rainfall patterns and less predictable growing seasons are triggering major changes in farming practices, such as a switch to faster-growing crops or varieties. Increasing capacity to cope with change is also... [read full story]