Curated Content

A farmer in Kilolo explains why he practices burning and what he observes after burning. Photo: Kelvin Shikuku and Caroline Mwongera.

It is a moral outcry that almost 1 billion people go hungry to bed every night. At the same time climate change has devastating effects on our food production woldwide. The only solution is to double our food production in a climate smart way.

Namibia needs 4% agricultural growth per year to meet the food requirements for the growing population

Global food demand requires that soils be used intensively for agriculture, but how these soils are managed greatly impacts soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Soil management practices can cause carbon to be either sequestered or emitted, with corresponding uncertain influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The situation is further complicated by the lack of CO2 flux measurements for African subsistence farms. For widespread application in remote areas, a simple experimental methodology is desired. As a first step, the present study investigated the use of Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) instrumentation to measure the energy balance and CO2 fluxes of two contrasting crop management systems, till and no-till, in the lowlands within the mountains of Lesotho. Two BREB micrometeorological systems were established on 100-m by 100-m sites, both planted with maize (Zea mays) but under either conventional (plow, disk-disk) or no-till soil management systems. The results demonstrate that with careful maintenance of the instruments by appropriately trained local personnel, the BREB approach offers substantial benefits in measuring real time changes in agroecosystem CO2 flux. The periods where the two treatments could be compared indicated greater CO2 sequestration over the no-till treatments during both the growing and non-growing seasons.

The Government of South Africa, through the Department of Environmental Affairs, has set up the Green Fund to support the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and pro-employment development path. The Green Fund supports green economy initiatives, including research, which could advance South Africa’s green economy transition. In February 2013, the Green Fund released a request for proposals (RFP), ‘ Research and Policy Development to Advance a Green Economy in South Africa’, inviting interested parties with relevant green economy research projects to apply for research funding support. The RFP sought to strengthen the science-policy interface on the green economy by providing an opportunity for researchers in the public and private sectors to conduct research which would support green economy policy and practice in South Africa. Sixteen research and policy development grants were awarded in 2013. This peer-reviewed research report series presents the findings and policy messages emerging from the research projects.

En se référent aux différents modèles de simulation climatique, nous voulons montrer l’impact que peut avoir le changement climatique sur les ressources en eau en RDC à l’horizon 2100.

Le PANA est un processus d’adaptation devant permettre aux populations les plus vulnérables et aux communautés de base les plus exposées de faire face aux conséquences des changements du climat dans le pays.

En RDC, l’activité agricole vise à améliorer les performance de production. La ferme Kitoko Food est calquée sur le modèle israélien des kibboutz, un concept intelligent et novateur.

This document is a compilation of 20 African Indegenous crops which are underutilised. It describes the crops, where they grow, how they grow  and their uses. Examples include finger millet, baobab, enset and egusi. It is a result of a study which was done by Worldwatch Institute.

The Morama bean project is a program sponsored by SIDA in collaboration with the Swedish Trade Council under its 2010- 2012 partner driven collaboration. This project is currently being implemented in Botswana and Namibia in collaboration with five consortium partners.