Impacts of climate change are worsening, media identified as ally in public sensitization

The impacts of climate change are worsening as a result of human actions and activities, including indiscriminate felling of trees, water pollution through improper waste disposal, and unsustainable land management.

Educating the public on the dangers of these practices and the need to adopt environmentally sustainable practices are necessary to foster behavioral change and reduce impacts.

The Feed the Future (FTF) Ghana Policy LINK Activity considers the media as an important ally in educating and sensitizing the public on climate change, a phenomenon that threatens livelihoods and economic development.

In partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a capacity enhancement training on climate change and environmental issues was organized for reporters and editors in Ghana.

Dr. Gerald Forkuor, Climate Change Lead at Policy LINK, entreated journalists to project indigenous innovations and initiatives that promote climate-smart agriculture.

“The media as key actors for education and sensitization need to increase awareness on climate change issues through accurate reportage, especially in the deployment of technologies by farmers to support their resilience against climate change,” he said.

The media engagement highlighted knowledge of key climate change policies, strategies, and plans on themes such as climate smart agriculture, climate finance, biodiversity, and sustainable land and forest management.

Value of Biodiversity to Agriculture

Dr. Winston Asante, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), emphasized the value of biodiversity and its contribution to the food and agriculture sector is increasingly being acknowledged in international policy agenda.

“The loss of biodiversity leads to reduced sources of food, structural materials, medicinal and genetic resources,” he observed.

Supplying safe and nutritious food for a growing population poses a number of challenges, especially in increasing food production without jeopardizing the ability of the seas and lands to provide for other essential ecosystem functions and to supply food for future generations.

Biodiversity – the variety of life at genetic, species and ecosystem levels – has been described as vital to efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

Dr. Asante spoke about the significant correlation between cocoa yield and water, noting that rainfall is the biggest singular factor influencing distribution of cocoa in Ghana.

“Water and temperature stress in cocoa farms will ultimately trigger and further drive challenges in managing agronomic and other on-farm complexities,” he stated.

Human-induced Degradation  

Due to the effects of management techniques and changes in land use brought on by food and agriculture, food systems are often being undermined.

According to Dr. Kwabena Asubonteng of the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies, population growth, agriculture expansion and deforestation are top drivers of human-induced land degradation.

Activities such as indiscriminate logging, forest burning and unsustainable mining are stresses and land and forests that exacerbate climate change.

Dr. Asubonteng called for the enforcement of laws and policies that restrict certain human activities to help reduce the spate of land degradation.

He also emphasized land restoration as “the process of avoiding, reducing, and reversing land degradation to recover the biodiversity and ecosystem services that sustain all life on earth”.

Climate change policy implementation

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in its annual report: “The State of the Global Climate 2022” has highlighted that the relentless advance of climate change brought more drought, flooding and heatwaves to communities in 2022, compounding threats to people’s lives and livelihoods.

Dr. Daniel Tutu Benefor of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency and Focal Person to the UNFCCC says the country is on the path to implementing clear-up climate change policies as a vehicle to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The country is exploring opportunities to tap into climate and carbon financing frameworks for its climate mitigation and adaptation programmes.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

 

AGN welcomes efforts to address Africa’s climate science knowledge gap

The African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) making efforts to address Africa’s climate science knowledge gaps in relation to the continent’s contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

AGNES is a continental think tank providing technical support to the AGN to advance common Africa position on climate change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

AGN Chair, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima says Africa’s technical negotiators have been yearning for scientific-based evidence to be informed from an African perspective.

“The IPCC is the designated scientific voice on climate science; it is therefore critical for our continent, which contributes very little and yet suffers the most, to be well represented in this body of science,” he said. “As AGN, we support every effort that African institutions such as AGNES, are making to improve the continent’s participation in the climate science discourse. This is particularly important for technical negotiators who have been yearning for scientific-based evidence to be informed from an African perspective.” 

In an effort to close the identified science knowledge gap, AGNES, in collaboration with the Kenya Meteorological Department, Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MEF), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and other scientists/experts from Africa are convening in Nairobi to discuss important climate science knowledge gaps that are unique to the continent.

The meeting is seen as an opportunity for African scientists and experts to identify priority areas critical for the continent, and suggest inclusion during the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) outline scoping plenary. The main aim is to stimulate and catalyse research activities geared towards addressing the identified knowledge gaps and provide an opportunity for greater involvement of African scholars/scientists.

Officially opening the meeting in Nairobi, Principal Secretary at the Kenyan State Department of Environment and Climate Change, Ing. Festus Ng’eno emphasised the importance of ensuring that Africa’s voices are loud enough in the climate science discourse considering the continent’s vulnerability to negative impacts of climate change.

“The products in the 6^th assessment cycle show an improvement in the representation of African issues, however there is still a major room for improvement,” he said. “It is alarming that only 11% of authors of the assessment report are from Africa despite Africa being one of the world’s most vulnerable continents to the impacts of climate change. It is crucial to ensure that African voices are well-represented when finding solutions, crucial too is the inclusion of the role of indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as adequate gender representation.”

Africa’s capacity to cope

While climate change is a global problem, Africa suffers its consequences disproportionately due to its limited capacity to cope. To make the matters worse, the continent contributes less than 4% to global warming emissions.

It is for this reason that there is a clarion call for Africa to be well supported in terms of adaptation finance as well as ensuring the continent’s voices are loud enough in the climate science discourse and on the negotiation table.

Experts across Africa have identified three main barriers to the continent’s scientists and scholars’ active participation and representation in the IPCC.

Firstly, there is limited publication by African scholars/scientists on African climate-related issues. High publishing costs, it is acknowledged, continue to keep African scientists/ scholars out of top science journals.

Secondly, there is a noted disjoint or weak link between the IPCC National Focal Points and the universities and/or research organizations.

Thirdly, serving as a contributing author is not compensated financially, and this is said to be a deterrent to the participation of scientists from countries that continue to work with limited resources.

Some of the solutions that the meeting aims to bring on board include having a common African position on the gaps identified, creation of an awareness and outreach programme to enhance National Focal Points’ link with policymakers, universities/ research institutions and putting in place a support system for African scientists to publish in peer-reviewed journals.

AGNES Team Lead and convener of the meeting, Dr. George Wamukoya, noted the urgent need to fill the identified science knowledge gaps to improve representation of African issues in the IPCC assessments.

“Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to fill the existing gaps in knowledge as well as anticipate the direction of science and research in the field of climate change and reflect this in published papers,” he notes. “This will improve the representation of African issues in the IPCC assessments. The question is, how does Africa plan to contribute towards addressing these knowledge gaps? It is my hope that this convening will get the most strategic solutions to ensure that representation is timely, accurate and inclusive.” 

Meanwhile, African Climate Research Fellow, Professor Chukwuemeka Diji is elated that such a meeting was taking place at a time when the IPCC Sixth Assessment report clearly indicates how Africa’s ability to adapt was being pushed to its limits.

“This meeting has become very important and expedient because the AR6 report shows that Africa’s ability to adapt is being pushed to its limits, calling for urgent action to create awareness and knowledge to urgently reverse the situation and reverse the dangerous direction. This week’s convening will set the groundwork to highlight the exposure and vulnerability of Africa to climate change and its multi–dimensional, socio–economic and political dimensions. Additionally, we also need to identify, scale – up and evaluate the current and future benefits of Adaptation to Africa while also including the voices of African scientists/ scholars.”

 

Pioneering career Fellowship supports Ghanaian women to enhance agri-food policies

Five Ghanaian mid-career women are amongst 49 African women selected as Fellows in the first cohort of The Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship, an initiative of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This new competitive career development Fellowship is targeting African women in agri-food policies who can support the implementation of gender-responsive agricultural policies in Africa.

Women account for nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers and produce 70% of Africa’s food. As such, effective policies are critical if research innovations are to provide gender-inclusive, sustainable solutions which allow Africa to develop equitable agri-food systems capable of feeding its growing population.

Drawn from diverse organizations including the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies, the 49 AWARD Policy Fellows of the inaugural GRASP Fellowship cohort hail from six African Anglophone countries – Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. The Ghanaian women, and others selected for the GRASP Fellowship, are set to participate in a series of interventions designed to enable them to become more effective policy practitioners.

A pressing need for effective policy

Over the past 20 years, Ghana has made significant progress in reducing poverty and hunger and has been hailed for its stability and democratic governance. However, improvements at the national level mask huge inequalities between the north and south of the country, and between rural and urban areas. Hunger and malnutrition persist primarily in northern Ghana, an area that is experiencing increasingly erratic rainfall and long dry periods due to climate change.

Nevertheless, across the country, Ghana’s food systems face numerous challenges. In addition to gender inequality, the industry is also beleaguered by low prices, poor road infrastructure, lack of access to finance, inadequate markets, post-harvest losses, insufficient education and knowledge, unsustainable farming systems, and rural-urban migration.[i]

Through their work, the Ghanaian GRASP Fellows have experienced first-hand some of the challenges facing the agricultural sector. Policies are essential in driving and supporting change – and these can be implemented throughout the value chain for effective transformation, notes Fellow Portia Adade Williams from the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI). “In the face of a changing climate, we must support the poorest and most vulnerable by building a resilient agricultural system,” she says. “This includes researching ways to build the adaptive capacity of smallholders against climate change and sustain their productivity.”

Female future makers

To aid in enhancing women’s position within agriculture and create economic opportunities for them, Fellow Rose Aawulenaa works for Plan International on their ‘WISE’ (Women’s Innovation for Sustainable Enterprises) project. Over 12,600 women have received training to develop their communication and business development skills – and Rose appreciates the difference this is making. “When you get to work with people, especially women, and you’re able to make an impact on their lives, the smile on their faces alone brings fulfilment,” she enthuses.

Meanwhile, improving food safety is the primary concern for Fellow Clara Agyeman-Attafuah Darko, who works at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. “We work directly with farmers, processors, and other agricultural value chain actors to aid them in producing more quality food produce and products to get more income,” she shares. Clara also targets policymakers to improve support for these actors at the highest level. “Our reports give policymakers information to make national policy decisions about agriculture, which we then implement.”

Providing policymakers and key agricultural stakeholders with information as a means to enhance food security is also significant for Comfort Yelipoie who works in the Ministry of Agriculture’s Directorate of Crop Services. She is working on building a seed database, to help develop environmentally-sustainable, accessible, and affordable seed varieties for farmers. However, effectively targeting policymakers takes work – which is something that Fellow Augustina Quaynor Korkoi understands. Through her position at the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa, she is helping develop programs that train young agricultural workers in advocating with policy stakeholders.

 

Getting to grips with GRASP

The GRASP Fellowship, through mentorship, provides Candidates with much-needed support and guidance by building their skillsets and connections. This aspect of the program has been a draw for many applicants. “The unique thing about this AWARD scheme is that I get a mentor,” asserts Clara Agyeman-Attafuah Darko whose mentor is a Professor at Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. “Professor William Otoo Ellis is guiding me in shaping my ideas and ensuring they become a reality.” On the other hand, Rose Aawulenaa shares that she is looking forward to mentoring a younger colleague and “encouraging other young women to have self-confidence.” 

Augustina Quaynor Korkoi appreciates the significance of being selected as a Fellow. “This is a great opportunity for me to gain more knowledge and improve my research and advocacy skills,” she notes. Meanwhile, Comfort Yelipoie reveals she has already found the GRASP training sessions to be “particularly empowering” – and is thrilled that her new skills “will enable me to respond to gender issues within the agricultural sector effectively.”

 

Applications for the second cohort of the AWARD GRASP Fellowship are now open for women who are citizens of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal. Submissions can be made via https://eu.jotform.com/230430982603956, and must be completed by 15 May 2023. For more information on the GRASP Fellowship, click here.

---

 

Adaptation to climate change remains a key priority for Africa – AGN

The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has re-affirmed its commitment to ensuring Climate Change adaptation remains a top agenda item for the continent.

Ahead of the final stage of the Global Stocktake (GST) later this year, the climate adaptation was one of the key highlights among several important agenda items discussed at the first AGN Preparatory Meeting in Livingstone, Zambia.

The discussions centred on the need for the Global Stocktake to take a balanced approach by removing inherent bias for mitigation at the expense of adaptation.

“The inherent bias in favour of mitigation ought to be rectified while the needs of adaptation and recognition of adaptation actions as part of the contribution of Parties towards the global effort should be accorded sufficient attention,” said AGN Chair, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima. “As AGN, we would like to see an outcome that is comprehensive and balanced to facilitate progress across all the thematic areas, and respect the priority issues of all Parties and stakeholders,” he said.

The global stocktake, as enshrined in Article 14 of the Paris Agreement, is a process for taking stock of the implementation of the Paris Agreement with the aim to assess the world’s collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the agreement and its long-term goals.

The first stocktake got underway at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021 and is expected to conclude at COP28. Each stocktake is a two-year process that happens every five years.

Africa’s Special Circumstances

The AGN Preparatory Meeting was held alongside the Young Climate Change Negotiators Training.

Zambia’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary, Ing. John Msimuko says adapting to the impacts of climate change remains one of the key challenges that Africa is facing.

“Adaptation remains a key priority as people, infrastructure and ecosystems on the continent continue to experience climate shocks and economic distress. The latest science by the Intergovernemntal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported that Africa will need up to 86.5 billion USD for adaptation alone by 2030. Yet Africa only contributes approximately 4% to the global Green House gas emissions,” he emphasised. “Therefore, let us continue pursuing Africa’s special needs and special circumstances even at this year’s COP28. There is need for a transformative agenda on adaptation at COP28".

COP28 will be held in the United Arab Emirates from 30^th November to 12^th December, 2023.

An anecdotal example highlighting the importance of adaptation to Africa was provided by host city Mayor, Constance Muleabai, who fingered climate change as the reason for reduced tourist numbers to the Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

“Climate Change has continued to adversely affect our tourism sector which the people of the city of Livingstone heavily rely on,” she said. “Due to increasing temperatures, we have been experiencing low water levels in the Zambezi River, leaving the falls almost dry. The immediate resultant effect is reduced numbers of Tourists visiting the site. This means reduced incomes for the local communities.”

With a busy schedule awaiting negotiators, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the outcomes and achievements of COP27 and strategise on the Group’s work plan and their expectations for the forthcoming sessions; SB58 in June and COP28 later in December.

The AGN Strategy meeting further considered the Chair’s report from his engagements with stakeholders including at the 36^th Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit at which he briefed the Committee of African Heads of State on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) on COP27 key outcomes and their implications on the continent.

Some of the key issues and priorities for Africa discussed included; modalities on the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund; doubling of adaptation finance and the general need for reforms of the climate finance architecture; Just transitions work programme taking into account national circumstances – Africa’s special needs and circumstances; a call for ambitious mitigation in the context of the recently released IPCC Synthesis report; Koronivia Joint work on Agriculture and food security; and implementation of the Gender Action Plan.  

Gender and Climate Change

According to the UBFCCC, climate change has a greater impact on those sections of the population, that are most reliant on natural resources for their livelihoods and/or who have the least capacity to respond to natural hazards, such as droughts, landslides, floods and hurricanes.

Women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change in situations of poverty, and the majority of the world’s poor are women. Women’s unequal participation in decision-making processes compound inequalities and often prevent women from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation.

Yet, women can, and do play a critical role in response to climate change due to their local knowledge of, and leadership in sustainable resource management and/or leading sustainable practices at the household and community level. It is for this reason that Parties to the UNFCCC have recognized the importance of involving women and men equally in UNFCCC processes by establishing a dedicated agenda item under the Convention addressing issues of gender and climate change and by including overarching text in the Paris Agreement. 

In acknowledging the importance of gender equality, the AGN has been undertaking deliberate steps on gender responsiveness. At COP27, the AGN released key findings of a Gender Responsive Climate Action study, which was undertaken through support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Building on that report and recognising the need to increase number of female negotiators, the AGN organized a training of young negotiators, which was attended by over 46 young negotiators from across Africa from 28-29 March, 2023 in Livingstone, Zambia.  

UNDP strongly believes that having more women negotiators will strengthen the AGN and make it more impactful as a negotiating organ,” said Excellent Hachileka, UNDP Regional Climate Expert for Africa. “Building the capacity of the new young negotiators is extremely important as we move towards 2030 and as countries enhance their climate actions through the revised and more ambitious NDCs and the associated enhanced transparency reporting commitments.”

For the AGN Chair, supporting gender responsive climate action is a key strategy aimed at addressing identified inequalities.

“We support gender responsive climate action in all thematic areas. It is an open secret that women do not only suffer the most from climate vagaries but are also very committed when you get them involved in the climate discourse processes,” said Ephraim Mwepya Shitima. “It is against this background that as a negotiating block, we welcome initiatives aimed at empowering women and girls to be actively involved at both the negotiating table and implementation of activities in their communities.”

Why journalists must be concerned about the impact of climate change on agriculture

Humanity can still stop the worst consequences of climate change, says scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

 

But time, it argues, is running out.

 

“Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and damages for nature and people, it will also provide wider benefits,” said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee. “This Synthesis Report underscores the urgency of taking more ambitious action and shows that, if we act now, we can still secure a liveable sustainable future for all.”

 

And given the need for urgent action before that time runs out – transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis is the focus of the 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the world’s largest research partnership for agriculture and food security.

 

Under the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, journalists and communicators have been identified as critical allies in telling the story of how agriculture can help deliver a more resilient, climate-smart future in Africa.

 

In a step towards enhancing the climate change narrative, the AICCRA Spring School on Climate Change and Agriculture in Africa was held in Cape Town, South Africa, in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

 

The workshop was to help make the case for prioritizing and investing in transformative innovations in agriculture, and the climate services that support them.

 

“We can make climate-smart agriculture one of the hottest talking points at global climate summits, shifting perceptions, encouraging commitments, holding leaders accountable,” said Rhys Bucknall-Williams, Global Communications and Knowledge Manager at AICCRA.

 

Why food and agriculture?

 

Around 250 million small-scale African farmers produce 70 percent of the continent’s food supply, on plots smaller than one hectare. They will need to produce enough nutritious food for a fast-growing continental population set to reach 2.5 billion by 2050.

 

Climate change, however, threatens the drive to protect the interest of smallholder farmers.

 

“It’s critical for Africa’s broader development that its agriculture sectors adapt to become more resilient and productive under climate change,” observed Rhys. “This is a strategic priority for African leaders - through the Malabo Declaration and the African Union’s new climate change strategy.”

 

AICCRA is a programme implemented in 6 African countries – Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia – and works to deliver a climate-smart African future driven by science and innovation in agriculture.

 

Role of media and communication professionals

 

“Journalists are first humans and are not superhuman; all human livelihoods are dependent on the earth and its components, hence the need to take lead in campaigns on climate change and agricultural productivity,” observed Kenyan journalist Agnes Oloo who attended the AICCRA Spring School.

 

The media are among the world’s most influential institutions, and how they shape the climate change narrative remains vitally important.

 

Research, however, indicates top news media are failing to identify climate change as a contributor to some of the world’s biggest crises, including migration, food insecurity and conflict.

 

Awareness of how climate change threatens food security will help offer better support for policies and investments that can pre-empt future crises.

 

To accelerate climate action, it's vital that African media leaders and influencers understand the impact of climate change on African agriculture, and how to amplify key messages by partners and stakeholder networks to scale climate-smart agriculture for a more resilient future for African smallholder farmers.

 

The media have the power to shape the global conversation on climate change. Such conversations are critical to help millions of smallholder farmers in Africa adapt to climate change in time.

 

The AICCRA Spring School explored the impact of climate change on African agriculture and food systems and how to transform African agriculture and food systems for a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

 

Sabrina Trautman moderated sessions to unpack climate smart agriculture and climate change reporting by exploring the root causes of the phenomenon.

 

In an interview, she described journalists as change makers on the continent, emphasising the need for journalists to tell stories that connect to the bigger narrative.

 

“Journalists need to move from being reactive to being proactive by looking at the root causes and creating investigative stories to get policy action.

 

“At the moment a lot of African journalism is very reactive to the climate impact, but there is a lot more we can be writing about to be proactive in solutions and innovations, and change some of the language we are using in our journalism,” she said.

 

Sabrina also called for the sharing of knowledge and the amplification of cross-country dialogue as countries on the African continent share similar experiences in climate impact.

 

According to the IPCC, “the solution lies in climate resilient development. This involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide wider benefits.

 

“Climate resilient development becomes progressively more challenging with every increment of warming. This is why the choices made in the next few years will play a critical role in deciding our future and that of generations to come”.

 

The media cannot sit aloof and the AICCRA Spring School on Climate Change and Agriculture has offered an insightful learning experience and the impetus for journalists to develop rich storytelling skills and built networks to amplify the climate and agriculture narrative.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh