By: Lili Szilagyi and Catherine Mungai (CCAFS)
Pre-event at the Seventh Climate Change and Development in Africa Conference reflects on the involvement of youth in agriculture.
The recently released report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns us that "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" are needed to limit global warming.
We are only beginning to feel the impacts of climate change. We need to think about future generations and involving youth in climate change work is paramount. Youth have a key role to play in climate change processes, such as influencing decisions at country, regional and global levels and being engaged in the development of climate change interventions that respond to the needs of vulnerable communities.
At the Seventh Climate Change and Development in Africa Conference (CCDA VII), the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) co-organized a pre-event around youth in agriculture. The session was led in cooperation with the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (CSAYN) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Read More
Recent studies on agriculture and climate change in Africa point to a growing risk of failed seasons amongst farmers occasioned by a warmer climate. However, the situation is not all gloom and doom, as there are opportunities for innovation through adoption of appropriate climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and policies that can help smallholder farmers sustain and improve their livelihoods. CSA integrates the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) and entails a suite of technologies and practices that can increase productivity and incomes, enhance adaptation and build resilience to climate change, and where possible reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.