“Agriculture is a critical component of
national and sub-national economies,
yet it is also highly vulnerable to
weather extremes and scarce water
resources. Climate change is increasing
disaster risks in Southern Africa.
Despite progress on integrated climate
change and disaster risk management
frameworks, the 2015/2016 El Niñolinked
drought severely affected the region. The focus remains on disaster relief rather than on risk reduction and adaptation for longterm resilience. A case study for the
Western Cape province of South Africa indicates that improved drought
resilience can be observed where
sustainable land management practices
have been taken up by farmers.
Further progress is contingent on
strengthened co-operation across all
tiers of government and across sectors,
adequately resourced relief funds,
availability of financial mechanisms for
post-drought recovery and the clearing of bureaucratic
bottlenecks that hamper adaptive water planning. Local experiences and stakeholder participation are essential
for appropriately contextualised adaptation planning.”
