Working on climate resilient agriculture in East Africa

Annemarie Groot, a researcher at Wageningen University & Research shares her thoughts on creating business opportunities through climate action while supporting smallholder famers in Africa to secure their crops and increase their incomes.

Climate change threatens crop yields in Africa as many countries across experience rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and increasing extremities such as floods and prolonged droughts. Climate change is having far-reaching consequences not only for the agricultural sector but also for the management of natural resources as well as the food security situation for the growing urban and rural population.

Researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and CGIAR’s Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) used the latest climate change and weather data to analyse the expected declines in harvests for common food crops in East Africa. This information can help farmers, cooperatives and agribusinesses to adjust their business model to prepare for climate change, secure their income and lower future adaptation costs.

In an interview published in the national Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Agro-food sector Researcher Annemarie Groot from Wageningen University & Research shares her thoughts on how climate change knowledge can lead to new partnerships and food security.

The article is available on the WUR’s website in Dutch and in English.

About the CRAFT project.

SNV has partnered with WUR, CGIAR-CCAFS, Agriterra and Rabo partnerships in the Climate Resilient Agribusiness for Tomorrow (CRAFT) project, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project will accelerate private investments in climate smart agriculture opportunities.