“During the coming decades, global change will impact food and water security in significant but highly uncertain ways.
There are strong indications that developing countries will bear the brunt of the consequences, particularly from climate
change. In Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture—the mainstay of rural livelihoods—is particularly vulnerable to the adverse
impacts of climate change, and the adaptive capacity of rural smallholders is extremely low. Consequently, it is important
to understand the impacts of global change on agriculture and natural resources in Sub-Saharan Africa and to identify
informed and effective adaptation measures and investment priorities to alleviate the harmful impacts of global change.
This set of briefs assesses these issues with a focus on the Nile Basin in Ethiopia and the Limpopo Basin in South Africa.
Authors identify climate change impacts on agricultural productivity and food production; assess the vulnerability of the
farming sector and farm households to climate variability and change; examine climate change perceptions; and suggest
adaptation strategies at the farm, basin, and national levels alongside the associated investments needed to implement such strategies.”
