Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, January 20, 2017 – The African Development Bank has approved US $20 million to finance Meridian’s soft commodity value chain operations in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: New book helps region understand what might be in store and what to do about it

September 3, 2013, Maseru, Lesotho—The southern region of Africa could be the hardest hit by rising temperatures from climate change, leaving many to wonder what this means for agriculture. Will some areas become unsuitable for farming? Will farmers face lower yields, or turn to new crops? Will climate change threaten food security? These are challenging questions for policymakers, who must plan for the future without available information and analysis.

A new book, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and released today by three research organizations, starts to fill this information gap. Southern African Agriculture and Climate Change offers an analysis of the impact of climate change on the area’s agriculture, including full-color maps illustrating a variety of scenarios for eight of the region’s countries : Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

“National climate change adaptation policies are not informed by robust research evidence combining socioeconomic and biophysical models,” said Sepo Hachingonta, program manager for the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), a regional agricultural research and development organization. “This book offers that evidence but also urges additional and extensive cost-benefit analysis research on climate change adaptation alternatives.”

The book is the result of a collaboration between IFPRI, the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), FANRPAN, and scientists from each of the countries. Using sophisticated modeling and available data to develop future scenarios and explore a range of climate change consequences for agriculture, food security, and resource management, the book offers recommendations to national governments and regional agencies.

Some findings from the book:

• Wheat is particularly vulnerable to high temperatures in most of the tropics, but in relatively temperate South Africa, yields could increase.
• Maize and sorghum yields, on average, will decline, yet some areas are bright spots and will see a rise, such as southern Mozambique.
• Crop yields might struggle to keep pace with anticipated population growth, but this could be offset by a projected doubling of incomes across the region.
• Migration patterns could change as people migrate out of areas hard hit by climate change to cities or to areas favored by climate change.
• Successful agricultural adaptation to climate change is not just about better seeds and practices, but building better roads and education systems, which give farmers greater access to markets and the background necessary to make fully informed decisions about new agricultural practices.

 “Having data available in one place will provide national and regional policymakers with the necessary information to inform policy and decisionmaking,” said Tim Thomas, IFPRI research fellow. “The book serves as a compendium of scenarios looking at the impacts of climate change on agriculture in southern Africa and how it will affect farmers,” he added.

Southern African Agriculture and Climate Change is one of a three-part series examining climate change and agriculture in three regions of Africa: West Africa, East Africa, and southern Africa.  It will be launched today at the FANRPAN High-Level Food Security Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue, which is focused on scaling up agriculture best adapted to climate change. West African Agriculture and Climate Change was launched in April; East African Agriculture and Climate Change will be launched in Burundi at the 2nd Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa General Assembly and Scientific Conference in December.

For more information, including country-specific reports, please visit: http://www.ifpri.org/pressroom/briefing/coping-climate-change-southern-africa

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. It is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. www.ifpri.org.

The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) is a strategic partnership of CGIAR and Future Earth, led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).  CCAFS brings together the world’s best researchers in agricultural science, development research, climate science and Earth System science, to identify and address the most important interactions, synergies and tradeoffs between climate change, agriculture and food security. www.ccafs.cgiar.org.

The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) is a multi-stakeholder, multi-national policy network that supports the development and implementation of better food, agriculture and national resources (FANR) policies in Africa. Its members include universities, research institutes, the business sector, farmer groups and other civil society organizations that have a stake in FANR policies. FANRPAN’s membership is organized into national nodes in sixteen countries, with a national secretariat hosted by an existing national institution that has a mandate for agricultural policy research and advocacy. FANRPAN also has a mandate to work Africa wide.  www.fanrpan.org.

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• The Schwab Foundation announced the winners of the Africa Social Entrepreneur of the Year awards at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa
• Honourees working in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda are among 21 Social Entrepreneurs from around the world taking part in the meeting to provide an on-the-ground perspective on sustainability and social innovation
• Learn more about the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship atwww.schwabfound.org

Cape Town, South Africa, 9 May 2013 – Five social entrepreneurs were named today Africa Social Entrepreneurs of the Year at the World Economic Forum on Africa, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa. The awards were conferred by Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in the presence of President Jacob G. Zuma, Donald Kaberuka, Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, David A. Lipton, and Naveen Jindal.

“Social entrepreneurs are an integral community of the World Economic Forum and an increasingly sought after one,” says David Aikman, a Senior Director at the World Economic Forum and Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. “A growing number of corporations see income inequality and environmental problems like climate change as fundamental threats to their long-term growth. Many governments are starting to rethink the way they deliver goods and services that improve social outcomes. I am confident this trend will only continue to grow in the future, and the Forum is proud to be at the forefront of catalysing partnerships among these stakeholder groups for social and environmental change.”

“To improve education and health standards, and eradicate poverty, we need entrepreneurial solutions. Governmental plans and actions have to be complemented by innovative ideas taking into account local conditions,” said Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation.

The following have been selected as the 2013 Africa Social Entrepreneurs of the Year:

Frederick K.W. Day, Buffalo Bicycle Company, Southern Africa                           

Rural Africans experience challenges of daily survival, including limited water, food and fuel, as well as inadequate access to education and healthcare. With transportation, access to these elements can be greatly enhanced. Compared to walking, a bicycle quintuples carrying capacity and quadruples travel distance while saving time. The Buffalo Bicycle Company is a robust, purpose-built bicycle designed specifically for African terrain and load requirements. More than 45,000 have been sold to individuals and organizations and another 70,000 bicycles have been granted using a unique work-to-own model.

Anne Githuku-Shongwe, Afroes, South Africa                           

African youth present an interesting paradox to the continent’s future: the mobile revolution has created massive potential to inform, connect and educate youth. On the other hand, these 400 million youth are disempowered, jobless and considered a threat to the stability of countries or a burden to states. Afroes uses interactive mobile learning strategies to teach youth about entrepreneurship and leadership, and to empower them as citizens to address their countries’ challenges. To date, Afroes has achieved this through mobile games for social change, including award-winning MORABA, which addresses difficult questions on gender-based violence, and HAKI, a game series built for Kenya by Kenyans to promote national cohesion.

Njideka U. Harry, Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF), Nigeria

Since 2001, YTF has worked in regions of Africa plagued by poverty and pervasive unemployment, especially among youth and women. YTF Academy provides beneficiaries with life skills and resources to join the economic mainstream. Since inception, 40% of YTF Academy graduates have been employed by local companies in YTF’s partner network, and are being paid three times the average salary, while 38% have gone on to become self-employed. YTF Academy has impacted the lives of over 1.5 million youth in Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, South Africa, and Kenya and, most recently, Colombia.

Chuck Slaughter, Living Goods, Uganda

Living Goods seeks to reinvent how the poor access vital goods and services, leading to significant gains in the health and wealth of families living in poverty. Living Goods empowers networks of micro-entrepreneurs who go door-to-door teaching families how to improve their health and wealth while selling life-changing products like simple treatments for malaria and diarrhoea, fortified foods, safe delivery kits for pregnant mothers, clean burning cook stoves and solar lights. By combining the best practices of microfinance, franchising, direct selling and public health, Living Goods is creating a fully sustainable system to improve the health, wealth and productivity of the world’s poor.

Andrew Youn, One Acre Fund, Kenya                           

Rural farmers make up 75% of the global poor. Since 2006, One Acre Fund has developed an innovative, market-based approach that enables any poor farmer to double farm profits in one planting season. In Africa, One Acre Fund provides a unique “market bundle” that brings a functioning value chain directly to rural farmers. This includes high-quality seed and fertilizer, financing, weekly farm training, and post-harvest and market support. Since 2006, One Acre Fund has used this combination of services to enable farmers to permanently transform their livelihoods – from poverty to profit-generation.

View the descriptions of all Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs taking part in the World Economic Forum on Africa.

About the Schwab Foundation

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was co-founded by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and his wife, Hilde. Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation has been identifying the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and involves the community of more than 200 award winners in advancing the field of social innovation in collaboration with corporate, government and academic stakeholders. Selected social entrepreneurs of the Schwab Foundation network participate in World Economic Forum events, thus providing unique opportunities for them to connect with business, political and media leaders.http://www.schwabfound.org.

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