As part of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program #AAAP, the Netherlands is partnering with the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) to support farmers in becoming more resilient and less vulnerable: farmers are increasingly being confronted with droughts, floodings (water stress) as well as heatwaves due to climate change.
Our partner GCA leverages outside support for the “Building Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security” #BREFONS project of the African Development Bank Group in Kenya. Through these projects, farmers like Nancy (on the picture) are better able to innovate, adapt to climate change, and improve farming practices.
GCA provides and mobilizes expertise to assess climate risks and to implement adaptation solutions. This enables farmers like Nancy to diversify cropping systems with new crops and varieties.
The support that GCA and BREFONS provide, builds on what Nancy already does, knows and wants. GCA facilitates farmers to co-create knowledge as well as experiment with new technologies and crops. Nancy, for example, uses intercropping of sorghum and millet: the sorghum is planted for the birds to eat. In turn the birds prevent pests by eating the insects, they warn Nancy for dangerous wildlife, and even enable her to forecast the weather. Because of the sorghum, the millet is not eaten by the birds and is for Nancy and her family. In addition, millet is better adapted to dry hot conditions and lower rainfall.
This is just a small example of her (ecological) knowledge and wisdom that contributes greatly to resilient farming at the local level. By taking the capacities of Nancy as a foundation, the project integrates its outside resources into the local context. Nancy’s leadership increases the chance that after the project terminates the results will be sustained over time.
#foodsecurity #watersecurity #climateadaptation #resilience
Global Center on Adaptation - African Development Bank Group - Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken - Laurent Umans
Retired at Dutch Embassy Paramaribo
2dVan harte gefeliciteerd en héél veel succes toegewenst vanuit Suriname 🇸🇷.