This paper reports the results of a systematic review of the impacts of climate change on crop productivity in Africa and South Asia. The study, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), assessed eight food crops — rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, millet, cassava, yam, plantain and sugarcane — that make up more than 80 per cent of agricultural production in these regions. Its findings aim to inform DFID's policies, allocation of resources and other practices according to the need for a stronger focus on evidence-informed decision-making on agriculture in a changing climate. The report provides background information; a detailed account of the review protocol and methodology; the data extraction strategy; data collection; meta-analyses; a synthesis of results; and key findings for all crops organised by region. It recognises that climate change will worsen environmental conditions that already affect crops, such as heat, drought, salinity and submergence in water.

This report from the IPCC, provides a complete and comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and understanding of climate change. The report includes four separate documents that cover the physical science basis for climate change, projected impacts, adaptation and vulnerability of different populations, mitigation strategies, and a synthesis report for policymakers.

This study explores strategies for effectively adapting small-scale agriculture to climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors provide background information on the region's agriculture and climate, an overview of adaptation analysis tools and policy frameworks. They suggest a mix of farm practices for successful and resilient adaptation.

This report discusses opportunities for developing countries to pursue low carbon growth within four key areas: energy efficiency, agriculture, and renewable energy technologies. It presents 20 essays — written by a wide range of economic, financial, climate and food crises experts — that focus on the prospects and hurdles facing least developed countries.

This report, published in English and French, looks at the unique responsibilities of African regional institutions in leading the continent on climate issues.

The report makes six recommendations for action by regional institutions: provide technical advice to African climate negotiators; help develop a coherent continental framework for action against climate change; play a 'bridging' role between pan-African organisations and national ones; improve the availability of climate data on the continent by sharing information; and compare strategies for adaptation to inform policymaking.

This guide, published by Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education), outlines the expected impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples around the world, and showcases traditional methods of climate change mitigation and adaption.

Following a basic introduction to climate change and the bodies, mechanisms and processes used for addressing it, the authors outline how climate change is impacting indigenous peoples in diverse ecosystems. For example, food and water insecurity arising from increased flooding or drought, and loss of biodiversity and traditional knowledge from rising temperatures.

The authors discuss the likely impacts of climate change mitigation measures highlighting, for example, the limitations of market-based strategies such as the Clean Development Mechanism. They discuss a range of alternative adaptation measures already being practiced by indigenous people, providing several case studies and examples of innovative strategies used in different regions. For example, African farmers using zero-tillage practices to moderate soil temperatures, Asian farmers growing varieties of crops to minimise the risk of harvest failure, and Honduran farmers using agroforestry and terracing to reduce erosion.

The authors go on to discuss measures for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) and emphasise the need for indigenous people to be fully engaged in the debate.

This book-length report details a study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) that aimed to map vulnerability to the impacts of climate change in Africa. 

Climate change models of four different future scenarios were used and the impacts on agriculture assessed. Biophysical and social vulnerability were also analysed, using indicators developed specifically for this research.

The outcomes suggest, if tentatively, that many already vulnerable systems may be adversely affected by climate impacts, including the mixed arid-semiarid systems in the Sahel and rangelands in eastern Africa, the Great Lakes region, the coastal regions of eastern Africa and the drier zones of southern Africa.

The report concludes that adaptation is best researched at national or regional levels, not the macro level, due to local variability, and that communities themselves need to become much more involved in adaptation strategies.

This chapter of the IPCC special report on climate change's regional impacts is one of the most authoritative sources on the issue, despite a considerable amount of work having been published since.

The chapter covers the regional climate, key vulnerabilities for various sectors, such as terrestrial ecosystems, water resources, agriculture and fisheries, coastal zones, human settlements and health. A synthesis outlines the potential impacts on the continent and lays out the key challenges that should guide further research.

This chapter should be read together with chapter 10 of the IPCC's 'Climate Change 2001' report. They cover similar ground, but various developments in research distinguish the two. The document is also available in French (PDF).

This chapter of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the authoritative source on climate change impacts and vulnerabilities in Africa. It summarises much of the peer-reviewed literature that explains how Africa will fare in a changing climate.

Background information on why Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change is provided. The major issues of regional concern including unreliable water resources, food security, natural resource management and loss of biodiversity, human health, the built environment and infrastructure and desertification and how these will be compounded by projected climate change are discussed.

The chapter highlights the uncertainty of predicting climate change impacts in Africa and emphasises the existing diversity of African climates.

The provided synthesis of years of peer-reviewed research is essential reading for anyone interested in climate change in Africa. The text is also available as an html document.

This paper provides a call for a new Green Revolution focused on Africa. It summarises the successes and failures of the original Green Revolution, setting out the challenge of igniting a new one that can succeed in Africa.

The authors identify the need for more robust seed varieties, more trained scientists, improved inputs and cultivation practices, better supply and marketing infrastructure, and greater access to irrigation. Achieving these, say the authors, will require strong partnerships between philanthropists, governments, donors, research institutes and the private sector, as well as decisive leadership.