With maize production in southern Africa expected to drop by 30% due to climate change, experts are calling for more effective agricultural systems and practices such as agroforestry.

The Zimbabwean reports on a study commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation which shows how climate change is already altering the dynamics of drought, rainfall and heat waves across Africa. This is triggering the spread of pests and resulting in increased competition for resources leading to biodiversity loss.

The article summarises presentations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha looking at the challenges of feeding Africa and the world with a changing climate. The practices of Climate Smart Agriculture, which may be tailored to different regions and able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining or improving yields, generated considerable interest at the last conference.

One successful example is an agroforestry project in Niger which has already benefited 1.25 million households, sequestered carbon and produced an additional 500,000 tons of grain per year.

“Without strong adaptation measures, climate change will reduce food crop yields by 16% worldwide and by 28% in Africa over the next 50 years,” says the article.

Read the full story: Maize production in southern Africa to drop 30%