Identifying potential synergies and trade-offs for meeting food security and climate change objectives in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Potential interactions between food production and climate mitigation are explored for two situations in sub-Saharan Africa, where deforestation and land degradation overlap with hunger and poverty. Three agriculture intensification scenarios for supplying nitrogen to increase crop production (mineral fertilizer , herbaceous legume cover crops— green manures —and agroforestry—legume improved tree fallows ) are compared to baseline food production, land requirements to meet basic caloric requirements, and greenhouse gas emissions. At low population densities and high land availability, food security and climate mitigation goals are met with all intensification scenarios, resulting in surplus crop area for reforestation. In contrast, for high population density and small farm sizes, attaining food security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions require mineral fertilizers to make land available for reforestation; green manure or improved tree fallows do not provide sufficient increases in yields to permit reforestation. Tree fallows sequester significant carbon on cropland, but green manures result in net carbon dioxide equivalent emissions because of nitrogen additions. Although these results are encouraging, agricultural intensification in sub-Saharan Africa with mineral fertilizers, green manures, or improved tree fallows will remain low without policies that address access, costs, and lack of incentives. Carbon financing for small-holder agriculture could increase the likelihood of success of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries programs and climate change mitigation but also promote food security in the region.

The State of Soil Degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Baselines, Trajectories, and Solutions

“…Most studies in the literature compare and contrast management practices [31][32][33][34] or examine one farming practice across different regions [5,35]. There are relatively few studies that attempt to examine soil degradation at a scale that can encompass the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of farmed landscapes in SSA.…”

Association between Grain Size and Shape and Quality Traits, and Path Analysis of Thousand Grain Weight in Iranian Bread Wheat Landraces from Different Geographic Regions

“…With increasing world population, it has been estimated that the global demand for wheat will increase by a further 60% by 2050 (Licker et al, 2010). It is a huge challenge to ensure global food security through sustainable wheat production for the projected population with the increasing adverse impact of climate change (Palm et al, 2010). So, it is necessary to continuously raise production mainly through higher yields.…”

Presenting Triple-Wins? Assessing Projects That Deliver Adaptation, Mitigation and Development Co-benefits in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

“…However, the challenges presented by climate change also create opportunities to develop new agricultural management techniques that incorporate both adaptation and mitigation (Tubiello and van der Velde 2010). This has been recognised at a theoretical level within the literature (Lal 2004;Palm et al 2010). For example, FAO (2009) describes an overlap between soils that lack carbon ('carbon-gaps') and the geographic incidence of hunger.…”