39
© The Author(s) 2019
T. S. Rosenstock et al. (eds.), The Climate-Smart Agriculture Papers,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92798-5_4
Chapter 4
Large Scale Crop Suitability Assessment
Under Future Climate Using the Ecocrop
Model: The Case of Six Provinces in Angola’s
Planalto Region
Roland Hunter and Olivier Crespo
4.1 Introduction
The planalto midlands is a plateau that extends across central Angola, including the
majority of the provinces of Huíla, Benguela, Cuanza Sul, Bié, Huambo and Malanje
(see Fig. 4.1). The plateau ranges in altitude from 800 to 1600 m above sea level and
extends eastwards from the escarpment above the semiarid coastal region towards
the central highlands of the country. The Köppen-Geiger classification defines the
climate of the interior plateau as “temperate with dry winters and warm/hot summers” (Köppen-Geiger abbreviations Cwa and Cwb, respectively), while the lowlands between the coast and plateau are classified as arid steppe (BSh). Collectively,
the region represented by the arid lowlands of Huíla, Benguela, Cuanza Sul and the
comparatively temperate highlands above supports a diverse and productive agriculture sector and is a major producer of economically important staple and cash crops.
There is a risk that climate change will undermine the potential contributions of
these crops toward national objectives for sustainable development and food security. However, stakeholders are unable to plan for or respond to the risks posed by
climate change to agricultural productivity, food security and socioeconomic development, due to the absence of more detailed information to assess the scope and
scale of climate-change impacts.
This study assessed the likely impact of climate change on the future suitability
of Angola’s planalto region on two staple crops commonly grown in the region,
R. Hunter (*)
African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town,
Cape Town, South Africa
e-mail: roland.hunter@uct.ac.za
O. Crespo
Climate System Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
e-mail: olivier@csag.uct.ac.za
© The Author(s) 2019
T. S. Rosenstock et al. (eds.), The Climate-Smart Agriculture Papers,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92798-5_4
Chapter 4
Large Scale Crop Suitability Assessment
Under Future Climate Using the Ecocrop
Model: The Case of Six Provinces in Angola’s
Planalto Region
Roland Hunter and Olivier Crespo
4.1 Introduction
The planalto midlands is a plateau that extends across central Angola, including the
majority of the provinces of Huíla, Benguela, Cuanza Sul, Bié, Huambo and Malanje
(see Fig. 4.1). The plateau ranges in altitude from 800 to 1600 m above sea level and
extends eastwards from the escarpment above the semiarid coastal region towards
the central highlands of the country. The Köppen-Geiger classification defines the
climate of the interior plateau as “temperate with dry winters and warm/hot summers” (Köppen-Geiger abbreviations Cwa and Cwb, respectively), while the lowlands between the coast and plateau are classified as arid steppe (BSh). Collectively,
the region represented by the arid lowlands of Huíla, Benguela, Cuanza Sul and the
comparatively temperate highlands above supports a diverse and productive agriculture sector and is a major producer of economically important staple and cash crops.
There is a risk that climate change will undermine the potential contributions of
these crops toward national objectives for sustainable development and food security. However, stakeholders are unable to plan for or respond to the risks posed by
climate change to agricultural productivity, food security and socioeconomic development, due to the absence of more detailed information to assess the scope and
scale of climate-change impacts.
This study assessed the likely impact of climate change on the future suitability
of Angola’s planalto region on two staple crops commonly grown in the region,
R. Hunter (*)
African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town,
Cape Town, South Africa
e-mail: roland.hunter@uct.ac.za
O. Crespo
Climate System Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
e-mail: olivier@csag.uct.ac.za