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Foreword
Climate change and sustainable management of natural resources remain the major
issues for all interventions to improve agricultural production, food access, and
agriculture-based livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Agriculture in SSA is
predominated by small farms and subsistence farming by hand tools and limited use
of other inputs including fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. There is also an
increasing concern on declining land resources due to rapid soil degradation, harsh
and uncertain climate, and the rapidly increasing population. Population of 800 million in 2010 is projected to increase to 1.1 billion in 2020 and to 1.8 billion in
2050 in Africa.
Despite these limitations, signs of agronomic yield increases and noticeable
promise with impressive annual growth rates have been observed. However, sustaining the growth rate will become harder in the future due to increasing population,
warmer climate, limited water resources, soil erosion and contamination, and more
pervasive pests and pathogens. Furthermore, the IPCC Special Report on Global
Warming indicates an increase of 1.5 °C change in temperature in SSA, creating a
threat to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. These threats are more challenging and apparent in SSA than elsewhere. These challenges create a need of
generating new knowledge on natural resource management and climate change to
provide an enabling environment for smallholder farmers for engaging in sustainable agricultural practices.
Recognizing the value of agricultural production, the problems of natural
resource degradation, and the challenge of climate change in SSA, a project entitled
“Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change in Malawi” (CABMACC) was
supported by the Royal Kingdom of Norway and implemented during the period
2013–2018. The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
(LUANAR) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) jointly implemented the program. CABMACC was aimed to strengthen the teaching, training,
research, technology development, and outreach for climate change adaptation and
mitigation planning. A long-term and outstanding collaboration of LUANAR,
NMBU, and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) is further extended in this
knowledge and experience-sharing platform to enhance dissemination of research
Foreword
Climate change and sustainable management of natural resources remain the major
issues for all interventions to improve agricultural production, food access, and
agriculture-based livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Agriculture in SSA is
predominated by small farms and subsistence farming by hand tools and limited use
of other inputs including fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. There is also an
increasing concern on declining land resources due to rapid soil degradation, harsh
and uncertain climate, and the rapidly increasing population. Population of 800 million in 2010 is projected to increase to 1.1 billion in 2020 and to 1.8 billion in
2050 in Africa.
Despite these limitations, signs of agronomic yield increases and noticeable
promise with impressive annual growth rates have been observed. However, sustaining the growth rate will become harder in the future due to increasing population,
warmer climate, limited water resources, soil erosion and contamination, and more
pervasive pests and pathogens. Furthermore, the IPCC Special Report on Global
Warming indicates an increase of 1.5 °C change in temperature in SSA, creating a
threat to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. These threats are more challenging and apparent in SSA than elsewhere. These challenges create a need of
generating new knowledge on natural resource management and climate change to
provide an enabling environment for smallholder farmers for engaging in sustainable agricultural practices.
Recognizing the value of agricultural production, the problems of natural
resource degradation, and the challenge of climate change in SSA, a project entitled
“Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change in Malawi” (CABMACC) was
supported by the Royal Kingdom of Norway and implemented during the period
2013–2018. The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
(LUANAR) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) jointly implemented the program. CABMACC was aimed to strengthen the teaching, training,
research, technology development, and outreach for climate change adaptation and
mitigation planning. A long-term and outstanding collaboration of LUANAR,
NMBU, and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) is further extended in this
knowledge and experience-sharing platform to enhance dissemination of research