The CCAFS program documented incremental chages in farming practices in part in response to climate change adaptation, noting a lack of evidence of full scale transformational changes.
7 September 2012: The Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Program (CCAFS) has released a study on the incremental adoption of climate-resilient farming by smallholders in East Africa. Farmers’ strategies to cope with climate change, in the countries surveyed, include: adoption of short-cycle crop varieties and drought tolerant crops; planting of trees on farms; and intercropping.
Other activities have been adopted at a much lower rate, such as using manure/compost, improved soil management, and management of agricultural waste.
The study, based on a survey of over 700 households in four countries, indicates that food insecurity is preventing farmers from making further, needed changes.
This survey represents a part of a systematic effort to better understand food security levels, the actions and adaptation strategies pursued by farmers, the information they have been receiving and using, and the services they receive. The larger effort will cover 5,040 households in 252 villages across 36 sites in 12 countries in East Africa, West Africa and South Asia. [CCAFS Press Release] [Publication: Are food insecure smallholder households making changes in their farming practices? Evidence from East Africa] [Infographic of Findings]