Students develop Climate Scenario Planning Toolkit for planned climate adaptation technologies and strategies

Study conducted by University of Michigan graduates sets recommendations for farmers and practitioners in Namibia

Graduates at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability dedicated their Master's thesis research project to help increase the resilience of farmers in subsistence farming communities in northeastern Namibia.

The project has resulted in a climate scenario planning toolkit that can be used to identify the impacts that four different potential climate conditions - extreme heat, drought, shortened wet season and extreme rainfall - may have in the region on subsistence farming practices. The toolkit also provides a set of recommendations for future climate adaptation projects.

Intended to address knowledge gaps identified by the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI) focusing on agricultural security in the region, the students utilized the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Risk Assessment framework to identify climate hazards and both agricultural and gender vulnerabilities in subsistence farming communities.

“This study is only one step in increasing the resilience of farmers in northeastern subsistence farming communities, and we hope that this research can lead to further developments”, said Marissa Lazaroff, one of the graduates involved in the project.

A participatory approach

This study utilized literature reviews, expert interviews, climate scenario development, and a survey with engagement from 205 subsistence farmers in three administrative regions of Namibia (Kavango West, Kavango East, and Zambezi). Survey questions focused on the demographic information of subsistence farmers, their awareness of and past adaptation to climate change, barriers faced in adapting to climate change, and recommendations farmers have to address these barriers.

The study produced by the students is intended to be used to: assess the impacts of each scenario on staple crops in the northeastern regions; evaluate the challenges or limitations preventing a farmer from implementing climate smart approaches; and identify the resources needed to overcome these gaps.

Outcomes

In total, nine recommendations were proposed, spanning across three categories: preparing for climate change, implementing climate smart agriculture, and addressing financial barriers. These recommendations were written with a variety of audiences in mind from the Namibian Government to the farmers, to aid in increasing resilience to climate change across many levels. The recommendations include:

1. Plan for all potential climate scenarios

2. Increase monitoring of climate features and early warning systems

3. Facilitate the adoption of resilient crops

4. Improve on currently used technologies

5. Foster farmer collaboration networks

6. Expand research on climate smart agriculture for subsistence farming communities

7. Focus Namibia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) on climate smart agriculture

8. Conduct research on new financial mechanisms for climate smart agriculture

9. Provide assistance to farmers applying for financial resources

More information

The 15-month collaborative project, which began in February 2020, was conducted in partnership with the University of Namibia, the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa, and the Climate Resilient Agriculture in three of the Vulnerable Extreme northern crop growing regions (CRAVE) Project. The Nairobi Work Programme also supported the students via its UN Climate Change Universities Partnership Programme.

Find more details on the UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme here.

Access the Climate Scenario Planning Toolkit and the full study on Assessing Barriers to Climate Smart Subsistence Agriculture in Northeastern Namibia.

Photo by Clay LeConey found on Unsplash.