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Preface
Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are dependent primarily on agriculture
for economic growth and livelihoods. Majority of the households, especially rural
smallholder farmers, are perpetually food insecure due to unsustainable practices in
agriculture, degrading agroecology, poor natural resource management, and political and institutional challenges. Agriculture in SSA countries is dominated by small
farms, often less than 2 ha, and is primarily based on hand tools and manual operations with limited use of farm machinery and soil amendments, insufficient supplemental irrigation, and inadequate measures for soil and water conservation.
The harsh and changing climate has further aggravated the situation, adversely
affected the natural resources, jeopardized agricultural production, and marginalized the livelihood opportunities. Adverse effects of climate change on agricultural
production and the environment have made the SSA region as one of the hot spots
leading to severe degradation of soil, drastic depletion of nutrients and soil organic
matter stocks, water scarcity and contamination, and reduction of the above- and
below-ground biodiversity.
The overall goal of the project “Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change
in Malawi” (CABMACC) was to improve livelihoods and food security through
innovative responses and enhance the capacity of adaptation to climate change. It
was conducted at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
(LUANAR) in Malawi in cooperation with the Norwegian University of Life
Sciences (NMBU). The project was implemented in several districts of Malawi,
which are considered the hot spots for climate change-related vulnerability.
To deliberate some of the challenging issues stated above, an international conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management under
Changing Climate in sub-Saharan Africa was organized at LUANAR, Lilongwe,
Malawi, from 16 to 18 October 2018. The conference was an avenue to bring in
researchers who conducted research in SSA and share findings that can be
documented to provide scientific evidences to form policies to attain sustainable
agriculture and natural resource management under changing climate. The major
objectives of the conference were to bring new knowledge on sustainable use of
natural resources to enhance agricultural productivity under changing climate and
Preface
Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are dependent primarily on agriculture
for economic growth and livelihoods. Majority of the households, especially rural
smallholder farmers, are perpetually food insecure due to unsustainable practices in
agriculture, degrading agroecology, poor natural resource management, and political and institutional challenges. Agriculture in SSA countries is dominated by small
farms, often less than 2 ha, and is primarily based on hand tools and manual operations with limited use of farm machinery and soil amendments, insufficient supplemental irrigation, and inadequate measures for soil and water conservation.
The harsh and changing climate has further aggravated the situation, adversely
affected the natural resources, jeopardized agricultural production, and marginalized the livelihood opportunities. Adverse effects of climate change on agricultural
production and the environment have made the SSA region as one of the hot spots
leading to severe degradation of soil, drastic depletion of nutrients and soil organic
matter stocks, water scarcity and contamination, and reduction of the above- and
below-ground biodiversity.
The overall goal of the project “Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change
in Malawi” (CABMACC) was to improve livelihoods and food security through
innovative responses and enhance the capacity of adaptation to climate change. It
was conducted at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
(LUANAR) in Malawi in cooperation with the Norwegian University of Life
Sciences (NMBU). The project was implemented in several districts of Malawi,
which are considered the hot spots for climate change-related vulnerability.
To deliberate some of the challenging issues stated above, an international conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management under
Changing Climate in sub-Saharan Africa was organized at LUANAR, Lilongwe,
Malawi, from 16 to 18 October 2018. The conference was an avenue to bring in
researchers who conducted research in SSA and share findings that can be
documented to provide scientific evidences to form policies to attain sustainable
agriculture and natural resource management under changing climate. The major
objectives of the conference were to bring new knowledge on sustainable use of
natural resources to enhance agricultural productivity under changing climate and