24
presented in ways that are accessible and comprehensible for those doing the CSA
planning and implementation.
Although historic climate trends can be identified across the African continent,
there is a general lack of high-resolution data, including for key biomes and agricultural areas (white areas in Fig. 2.1 showing insufficient data). Some national meteorological agencies have made efforts to improve the information available by, for
example, combining weather-station information with satellite imagery to create
high-resolution gridded historical time-series climate datasets (Dinku et al. 2016).
Overall, though, there remains a lack of precise information for decision-making.
Weather-station record keeping has declined over the past decades due to lack of
maintenance and a failure to install new stations. This trend must be reversed.
Increasing the available data on observed weather across the continent is critical to
understanding the changes that have occurred already, to predict future changes, and
to plan appropriately to address them.
Even as new data are collected, development practitioners and decision-makers
should make use of the information and tools now available to help them understand
the climate context. CMIP5 projections are freely available through the Climate
Wizard, a web application that allows anyone to easily query and map downscaled
future climate change projections for specific places globally (ClimateWizard.org).
Similarly, the Servir ClimateServ allows for easy online analysis and querying of
historic observed precipitation, vegetation greenness and moisture stress, as well as
seasonal forecasts looking forward in the short-term for most of the globe (climateserv.servirglobal.net/). More training is needed to help those implementing CSA
learn how to access and use these tools. Such training should include profiling of
CSA opportunities, prioritization of investment portfolios, design and implementation of CSA projects, and assessing the results of CSA projects (Girvetz et al. 2017).
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize these key points:
• The climate has already changed, with temperatures continuing to rise and precipitation patterns changing, and more disruption is certain in coming years and
decades.
• The collection of weather observations at local weather stations must improve,
and should be incorporated with satellite data.
• Climate data and tools are available and accessible to practitioners. More effort,
however, should be put into disseminating this information and ensuring that
development practitioners understand how it can be used for CSA planning and
implementation.
• Given the uncertainties surrounding exactly how climate change will affect specific places, the best CSA options are those that build resilience and help farmers
cope with a wide range of climate risks, especially heat, drought, erosion and
flooding.
Farmers are already suffering from the effects of climate change. Average temperatures are rising, rainfall is becoming less predictable, and extreme weather
events are growing more common. The situation poses a real and ever-increasing
threat to rural livelihoods and food security. Government, civil society and the priE. Girvetz et al.
presented in ways that are accessible and comprehensible for those doing the CSA
planning and implementation.
Although historic climate trends can be identified across the African continent,
there is a general lack of high-resolution data, including for key biomes and agricultural areas (white areas in Fig. 2.1 showing insufficient data). Some national meteorological agencies have made efforts to improve the information available by, for
example, combining weather-station information with satellite imagery to create
high-resolution gridded historical time-series climate datasets (Dinku et al. 2016).
Overall, though, there remains a lack of precise information for decision-making.
Weather-station record keeping has declined over the past decades due to lack of
maintenance and a failure to install new stations. This trend must be reversed.
Increasing the available data on observed weather across the continent is critical to
understanding the changes that have occurred already, to predict future changes, and
to plan appropriately to address them.
Even as new data are collected, development practitioners and decision-makers
should make use of the information and tools now available to help them understand
the climate context. CMIP5 projections are freely available through the Climate
Wizard, a web application that allows anyone to easily query and map downscaled
future climate change projections for specific places globally (ClimateWizard.org).
Similarly, the Servir ClimateServ allows for easy online analysis and querying of
historic observed precipitation, vegetation greenness and moisture stress, as well as
seasonal forecasts looking forward in the short-term for most of the globe (climateserv.servirglobal.net/). More training is needed to help those implementing CSA
learn how to access and use these tools. Such training should include profiling of
CSA opportunities, prioritization of investment portfolios, design and implementation of CSA projects, and assessing the results of CSA projects (Girvetz et al. 2017).
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize these key points:
• The climate has already changed, with temperatures continuing to rise and precipitation patterns changing, and more disruption is certain in coming years and
decades.
• The collection of weather observations at local weather stations must improve,
and should be incorporated with satellite data.
• Climate data and tools are available and accessible to practitioners. More effort,
however, should be put into disseminating this information and ensuring that
development practitioners understand how it can be used for CSA planning and
implementation.
• Given the uncertainties surrounding exactly how climate change will affect specific places, the best CSA options are those that build resilience and help farmers
cope with a wide range of climate risks, especially heat, drought, erosion and
flooding.
Farmers are already suffering from the effects of climate change. Average temperatures are rising, rainfall is becoming less predictable, and extreme weather
events are growing more common. The situation poses a real and ever-increasing
threat to rural livelihoods and food security. Government, civil society and the priE. Girvetz et al.