MainDB: Understanding Agricultural Systems Vulnerability to Climate Change – the Case of Botswana in the Limpopo River Basin

Title: Understanding Agricultural Systems Vulnerability to Climate Change – the Case of Botswana in the Limpopo River Basin
NWPWeblink: https://www.charm-eu.eu/
https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NWPStaging/Pages/Stories-from-our-partners.aspx

NWPTypeOfOrganization: University/education/training organization
NWPGeographicRegion: Africa
Scope of work: Assessment; Design of approaches; Data collection and management; Development of strategies; Development of national policies; Implementation; Investment; Stakeholder engagement; Communication and outreach
NWPMandatesandFrameworks:  - UNFCCC


 - Paris Agreement


 - Botswana’s National Adaptation Framework


- Nairobi Work Programme (NWP)

NWPModalityApproachandMechanism: Transdisciplinary research integrating ecological and social dimensions.


 Mixed-method approach combining quantitative and qualitative data.

NWPEffortsToAddressSOE: - Enhanced monitoring and prediction of climate variables (e.g., temperature, precipitation).


- Development of long-term adaptation strategies.

NWPRelevantStakeholders:   - UNFCCC


   - IWMI


   - Local government (Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation, and Tourism)


   - Smallholder farmers


   - NGOs and academic institutions

NWPFocusonNElossesFlag: Emphasis on understanding and mitigating losses in agricultural productivity due to climate change.

NWPImpactAreas:
NWPOutputs:
Good practices and lessons learned: Good practices specific to the research approach:
1. The continuous collaboration with a high-valued in-country partner, the IWMI, has been extremely valuable for redistributing the right resources and understanding the local context. Local stakeholder inclusion was indispensable for the research, analysis and outcome.
2. This project applied a transdisciplinary approach to assess vulnerability to climate change and identify measures from ecological and social dimensions. This methodology allowed synergistic collaboration and enabled transdisciplinary insights to be tailored to the needs of the specific stakeholders in question including smallholder farmers. This has been a unique approach to closing a LAKI knowledge gap.
3. The adopted research methodology allowed for consideration of vulnerable groups, that are increasingly marginalised, such as women who face further challenges as a result of climate change. The inclusion of considerations for women within agriculture in Botswana provided insights into the gendered differences experienced when it comes to accessing resources and information.
 
Good practices specific to research outcomes:
1. One thing the research team discovered early on, is that a knowledge gap can never truly be closed, but rather continuous work must be directed into enhancing it to understand how a subregion can enhance their adaptive capacity. Closing the knowledge gap is not a singular event, but rather an evolutionary process of researching, learning, collecting and implementing feedback, and reiterating. This work may be the first of its kind and has achieved its aim of enhancing knowledge on climate sensitivity in agroecological zones and in doing so has laid the groundwork for further research and engaged stakeholders to bring attention to major issues.
2. The concepts of sustainability and climate change are constructed and perceived differently across disciplines and extra-academic actors, and dimensions of society. Continuous engagement with diverse stakeholders, therefore, is key for future research projects and their implementation.
NWPGapsChallenges:
Date of submission:
Abbreviation: CHARM-EU
Activities:    - Climate vulnerability assessments.


   - Stakeholder engagement and participatory workshops.


   - Data collection and analysis on climate impacts and adaptation practices.

Adaptation element: Capacity building; Climate observations; Climate scenarios; Communication and outreach/awareness; Education and training; Financial support; Impact assessment; Knowledge management; Monitoring and evaluation/M&E; Science and research; Socio-economic data and information; Stakeholder involvement; Vulnerability assessment
Adaptation sector/theme: Agriculture; Food security; Water resources; Ecosystems; Biodiversity; Ecosystem-based adaptation; Community-based adaptation; Adaptation finance; Infrastructure; Gender; Indigenous and traditional knowledge
Climate hazard: Drought; Erratic rainfall; Extreme heat; Floods; Increasing temperatures; Land and forest degradation; Loss of biodiversity; Shift of seasons
Country: Botswana
NWPDataSource: UNFCCC; IWMI (International Water Management Institute); World Bank; Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation, and Tourism, Botswana ; National Climate Change Adaptation Framework
Description: Agriculture remains the backbone of many economies in Africa. With most of the population dependent on rainfed agriculture, the impacts of climate change are ravaging many agricultural systems on the continent - manifesting through among other phenomena, droughts and floods. In Botswana, the agriculture sector is the second-largest employer of the labour force (after the diamond industry), yet the country is prone to droughts given its location in the Kalahari Desert. It was against this background that Botswana was spotlighted to address contextualise a knowledge gap (lack of knowledge on the sensitivity of agroecological zones across the sub-region to historic and future climate change) identified through the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI) for the Southern Africa sub-region.
 
The project was undertaken by six graduate students from the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) Partner, the Challenge-Driven, Accessible, Research-based, and Mobile European University (CHARM-EU), and guided by NWP partner – the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) based in Southern Africa.
 
Through a transdisciplinary and challenge-based learning approach, the students strove to elaborate on how knowledge of the vulnerability in agroecological zones in Botswana can be enhanced and leveraged to increase the adaptive capacity of communities in the Limpopo River Basin.
Expected outcome: - Improved understanding of the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

 

 - Development of actionable strategies for adaptation and mitigation.

Further information: This case study is the outcome of the first group of graduates from CHARM-EU to partner with the UNFCCC Secretariat through the Nairobi Work Programme. CHARM-EU is a European University alliance, co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme, between the University of Barcelona (coordinator), Trinity College Dublin, Utrecht University, the University of Montpellier, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Åbo Akademi University, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bergen. CHARM-EU aims to work together to design and create a new university model to become a world example of good practice to increase the quality, international competitiveness and attractiveness of the European Higher Education landscape. The leading university partner of this project was Trinity College Dublin.
 
Students:
Maryan Blas Lobo (maryanblaslobo@gmail.com)
Jordan Eustace (jordan.rh.eustace@gmail.com)
Robert Fitzgerald (robbie.g.fitzgerald@gmail.com)
Migle Labeikyte (migle.labeikyte@gmail.com)
Aneta Nerguti (aneta@carrig.ie)
Femke van der Zaag (femkevdzaag@gmail.com)
 
Advisors:
Unnikrishnan Brijitha Madhavan (brijithu@tcd.ie)
Matthew Saunders (saundem@tcd.ie)
NWPGeographicScope: Local; National; Regional; Subregional; Transboundary
Indicators of achievement: - Reduction in climate change vulnerability scores.


- Implementation of recommended adaptation measures.

 

- Increased resilience and adaptive capacity among smallholder farmers.

NWPInformationType: Case study
NWPJoinDate: 21/05/2024
NWPPartner: Challenge-Driven, Accessible, Research-based, and Mobile European University
Purpose: - To assess the vulnerability of the Limpopo River Basin to climate change, focusing on smallholder farmers.

 

 - To identify key knowledge gaps and adaptation strategies for enhancing resilience.

Regional group: Least Developed Countries
Target group: Academics and scientists; Communities; Policy makers; Practitioners
NWPWorkStream: NWP
NWPYear: 2,023
NWPOutcome: Overall, the results indicated that rain-fed agriculture is highly exposed to climate change, with physical factors such as water flow and crop yield sensitive to changes in key climatic variables including temperature and rainfall. In light of this climate variability, the sensitivity of ecological systems translates into high exposure for smallholder farmers who rely on rain-fed agriculture. Financial capital, technology, and education were identified as key contributors to improving adaptive capacity and reducing vulnerability amongst farmers in general, especially amongst female farmers.
 
Recommendations
The research culminated in a technical report and an executive summary featuring key recommendations on strengthening localised climate awareness, investment in climate research and information services, promotion of open data and information sharing, and mandatory and enhanced inclusion of women and girls in decision-making through appropriate strategies as we have identified in our key recommendations:
1. Localised climate awareness. Relevant ministries and stakeholders should promote campaigns and workshops for farmers communicated in Setswana, English, and Kalanga (with more languages to be added) to inform the farming community about transitioning to more climate-resilient practices. Inclusivity should be ensured by involving all relevant stakeholders such as men, women, the elderly, and youth in the consultation and implementation processes.
2. Investment in climate research and information services. This includes expanding existing infrastructure (i.e., regional weather stations) and personnel training on monitoring monthly rainfall, temperature, climate resilient crops and consecutive wet and dry days at regional and national scales and subsequent translation to actionable knowledge accessible by farmers. Example: https://www.seacrifog.eu/seacrifog-tool
3. Open-source data portal for farmers. To be facilitated by the government ensuring that local weather stations gather reliable data to provide farmers with up-to-date information (in English and local languages) to inform adaptation practices better.
4. Establishment of Botswana National Strategy for Women and Girls with action points for each sector, for example, establishing a gender quota in environmental decision-making at all levels beginning with greater (improved) women’s representation in farming groups and local committees.
5. Microfinancing e-platform, such as the WoFarming described in the final project report, would provide farmers with support systems, relevant knowledge, and access to funding mechanisms to aid in transforming existing farming practices. The microfinance platform would be initially set up by a small team and would incorporate development partners, county government and civil society.
 
Prototyping
To improve farmers’ adaptive capacity, we developed a prototype for a microfinancing e-platform dubbed WoFarming with the intention to operationalise it should relevant resources be identified. We aim to build a digital infrastructure connecting smallholder farmers with resources and financing for sustainable agriculture. For smallholder farmers, the platform will offer microfinancing opportunities that allow them to make the investments they need to support transforming agroecological practices. Special focus and priority will be given to women farmers due to the lack of representation within the farming community.
 
We also provide private sector companies and microfinance institutions (MFIs) the opportunity to invest in farmers and receive progress reports for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. By bringing together different stakeholders within the agricultural value chain, we aim to create a mutually beneficial ecosystem that helps to promote the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices and increase adaptive capacity to climate change. Through our digital infrastructure, we can connect smallholder farmers with the resources and support they need to succeed. It also provides companies with a way to contribute to the sustainability of our food systems and has a positive impact as it relates to various SDGs.
NWPPartners:
Type of knowledge resource:
Scale of work:
NWPSlowOnsetEvents:
NWPReferences: To all individual reports and final report: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o3d-ZRXoMu7dlOhB0iEJUCj-5ZimR0kf?usp=sharing
Implementing partners: Lilian Daphine Lunyolo and Hyesu Yoon of the UN Climate Change
Dr. Manuel Magombeyi from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) of South Africa
Mr. Phemelo Makoba from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) of Botswana
NWPYearPublication: 2023

NWPUpdate:
SourceItemID: 2522
NWPSecendaryEmail:
NWPPrimaryEmail: brijithu@tcd.ie
NWPTypeOfKnowledge: Technical document/report
NWPCountryItem:
NWPRelevantWeblinks: https://www.charm-eu.eu/capstone-challenges-2022-2023;#Description of the Capstone Challenge

Created at 21/05/2024 15:30 by crmmocservices
Last modified at 21/05/2024 15:30 by crmmocservices
 
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