The Climate Change Project

From a link Marije placed on this web space and a message from Noel Oettlé, the officer in charge of the project mentioned, I have learnt about a great effort EMG (Environmental Monitoring group - an NGO) is doing to learn from the rural dwellers and involve them in a Participatory Action Research. One of the key messages I came across is that "The opportunities provided by the adaptation processes described in this article have stimulated farmers to learn from one another’s approaches, and to develop further their own adaptation strategies." Quoting from the paper I have made some points that will hopefully stimulate discussion : ) I am looking forward in hearing from you, what do you think about this initiative, if you have similar lessons to share, would you collect additional information in the Climatic calendar (see further down) or any other thinking these notes stimulate! Thanks. The experiences collected come from a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-SA) funded study ‘Increasing the resilience of small-scale tea farmers in responding to climate change’ Responses to climate change in agriculture in South Africa have, however, generally been presented in rather top-down, sectoral ways, with limited recognition of the extent to which adaptation to climate change is often a simple extension of existing risk management activities (Easterling and Aggarwal, 2007). Adaptive strategies of particular significance are in situ conservation and promotion of agricultural biodiversity, as well as soil and water conservation using existing (and often long used) practices. It should be emphasised that in this context local knowledge has not been seen as being in opposition to external knowledge. On the contrary, this experience has demonstrated ways in which two can co-exist and interact in productive ways. As adaptation measures: ...organic production methods and practise sustainable harvesting and farming methods that conserve biodiversity, soil and water. Community-based efforts to reduce soil degradation (for example, the erection of windbreaks using indigenous plant material) and enhance soil carbon have shown promising initial results. These efforts have been further supported by local NGOs and university-based researchers within the context of a Participatory Action Research approach. As local ‘problem holders’, who must respond to problems related to the sustainability of their farming enterprises, the farmers have been supported in their efforts to define research questions and to design and implement potential solutions. The importance of wild varieties Observations of the relationship between precipitation and phenology sheds light on the feasibility for wild rooibos tea to act as a monitoring species for the effects of climate change. Farmers have worked with researchers to monitor onfarm climate conditions (through keeping rainfall records) and climate impacts on farming (measuring plant growth, for example, of cultivated versus wild rooibos), and to identify successful adaptation strategies. A Climatic calendar prepared by Suid Bokkeveld small-scale farmer group gives the target group responses to the following questions: • What do you remember about the weather conditions for this period? • What were the impacts of the weather conditions for this period? • How did you respond to these conditions? • Were there responses you would have liked to have undertaken but could not? • Why were you unable to undertake such a response? ...given that farms engage in multiple livelihood activities, impacts noted were not just direct impacts on rooibos yield, but also indirect impacts, as well as impacts on other livelihood strategies. With regard to rooibos, adaptation strategies undertaken by all farms included: changes in soil preparation (earlier preparation and/or deeper ploughing; as well as ploughing more than once) and tea harvesting times; wind erosion prevention measures (retaining bushed strips in lands, or planting of wind breaks, which reduced loss of tea due to wind); and water conservation measures. With regard to stock farming, adaptation strategies undertaken by all farms for the 2003-4 period comprised stock reduction, the shifting of stock to camps with a higher carrying capacity, and supplemental feeding and water provision (for example, stock were taken directly to the river in the canyon, or extra water was brought to the camps). adaptation strategies that farmers said they would have liked, but were unable, to undertake was the earlier preparation of land. This was not possible due to their inability simultaneously to pay labour and buy petrol (petrol prices in South Africa have increased markedly in the last few years, with adverse impacts for agriculture, amongst other sectors). All farmers would have liked to change tea planting times, but could not (due to, for example, a water shortage, which forced a delay in planting). Two farmers said they would have liked to have marketed their lambs earlier, but could not – in both cases due to poor stock condition, but also, in one case, as a result of predator problems. Lastly, about half the farmers would have liked to have provided more supplemental feed to their livestock, but lacked the resources to do so. In 2005, farmers undertook extended adaptation strategies using as a basis their local knowledge about managing climate risk, conserving biodiversity and conserving soil and water. These were not new activities; they comprised existing activities and strategies. Windbreaks continued to be planted, using indigenous vegetation planted in rows angled (to prevent soil build-up against the barrier) to the direction of the dominant drying wind. The windbreaks have been instrumental in reducing tea loss. Alien vegetation was removed, to aid water conservation. Lastly, alternative income sources continued to be developed, including ecotourism initiatives, and the collection of indigenous medicinal plants and seeds. The value of CWR (Crop Wild Relatives) wild rooibos individuals are more resilient than cultivated plants to the impacts of the current drought (Table 1). This has implications for viewing the cultivation of wild rooibos as an adaptive strategy under conditions of climate change. Wild populations of rooibos in the Suid Bokkeveld are re-sprouters. Plants of this type are able to regenerate despite severe damage to the individual plant. Re-sprouting plants have slower shoot growth rates, and greater underground root storage facilities. The apparent advantage of wild rooibos over cultivated varieties in its resilience to severe climatic events can be ascribed to the carbohydrate reserves held in the subterranean lignotuber of the specific sub-species of wild rooibos in the Suid Bokkeveld area. This enhances its ability to resprout after fire, a severe harvest or grazing. The opportunities provided by the adaptation processes described in this article have stimulated farmers to learn from one another’s approaches, to integrate current scientific knowledge and to further develop their own adaptation strategies.