Project Case Study
Building smallholder farmers’ climate resilience in East and Southern Africa
Improving food security through climate smart agriculture approaches
Vuna is an initiative to help farmers combat climate change in East and Southern Africa. Vuna, meaning harvest in many dialects of the region, exists to transform the agriculture sector so smallholder farmers can build climate resilience and improve their livelihoods in the face of current and future climate shocks and stresses.
Climate change is making already difficult farming in East and Southern Africa more difficult. During the last 25 years, average annual temperatures have increased by 1 to 2 degrees C. A similar rise is expected over the next 30 years. Drought is already endemic, but may become more frequent.
Rainfall intensity is expected to increase, likely to lead to more erosion and flooding. Farmers need to adapt their practices to changing weather patterns, but face a lack of access to agro-inputs, information, finance and markets.
Vuna implements a climate smart agriculture approach. This means Vuna targets improvements in the resilience of farming systems in East and Southern Africa. Such interventions include providing farmers’ access to drought resistant crop and livestock varieties, strengthening markets to allow access to agro-inputs and helping farmers to access credit.
Vuna is focused on three key activities:
- Strengthening the climate-smart agriculture evidence-base;
- Piloting ways to link famers and private companies in agricultural value chains; and
- Improving enabling conditions.
Vuna will set the foundations for a regional climate-smart approach, connecting countries together in a coalition to build the climate resilience of farmers and improve food security for both rural and urban communities.
