World Bank roots for small-scale farmers on effects of climate change

By Mangoa Mosota

African Governments have been urged to mitigate effects of climate change to enhance agricultural production, World Bank Special Envoy on Climate Change, Andrew Steer, has said.

Mr Steer added that the continent’s farming activities are threatened by climate change.

"A lot needs to be done to help farmers whose activities are adversely affected by climate change," said Mr Steer. He said governments and other partners have to play a greater role to ensure increased food production in Africa.

"Agricultural production has to be increased by 70 per cent by 2050 worldwide to feed nine billion people," he said in Kombewa, Kisumu West District.

Over one billion people struggle to feed themselves worldwide, more than half of them from Africa.

Yesterday, Steer led a World Bank delegation to Kombewa on a visit of an agricultural soil carbon project funded by the institution.

Over 45,000 farmers are set to benefit in a period of nine years by putting about 60,000 hectares of land under sustainable farming. Steer said the landmark Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project is a pilot venture, the first of its kind in the world.

"We will look at ways of up-scaling the project to the whole country, but I can not say how soon we will do so. There is need for us to show that farmers can increase their yield in a sustainable way," he explained.

Last year, the World Bank signed an agreement with SCC Vi-Agroforestry, a Swedish non-governmental organisation that has been training farmers over the last two years in Nyanza and Western Provinces.

training farmers

The farming practices include agroforestry and sustainable land management use such as mulching and intercropping.

The over 7,000 farmers to benefit are drawn from Wagai, Madianyi and Kombewa divisions in Nyanza Province. A similar number of farmers are in Sirisia, Malakisi and Bumula divisions of Western Province.

SCC Vi Agroforestry Eastern Africa Programme Director Bo Lager said the farmers are to benefit through their groups. The Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement took place at The Hague, Netherlands, last year.

Payment to farmers will be over $350,000 (Sh28 million) with an initial payment of $80,000 (Sh6 million), scheduled to be made this year.