Working back from the future: planning for Africa’s climate-altered conditions

By the year 2040, if shifts in the East African climate bring heavier rainstorms to the region, this will most likely result in greater flooding, urban infrastructure damage, and disease outbreaks in cities. Planning for that eventuality — putting the right drainage systems in place, for instance — calls for practical decision-making today that can be put into immediate effect so that cities in 2040 are prepared.

Locally adapted millet may boost farmer resilience in a drier Sahel

January 4, 2021
// Agriculture

Farmers in the semi-arid Sahel region of West Africa have domesticated strains of pearl millet in a way that has made these ‘landraces’ ideally suited to the specific growing conditions of the region. Seed sharing between farmers and seed selection over many generations has been central to adapting the genetics of this crop to the hot, dry climate here, and its nutrient-poor soils.

Rising temperatures may alter lightning activity over Africa

Parts of Africa are already lightning hotspots, and warming atmospheric conditions linked with rising carbon pollution may drive increased lightning activity during thunderstorm events in certain regions, according to new research from the University of Leeds and the UK Met Office.

December 2020 newsletter

As the world’s temperatures rise, Lake Victoria killer storms expected to intensify

Lake Victoria bordering Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, is the largest Lake in Africa and the Nile's primary source. However, deadly, intense thunderstorms build upon the Lake at night as fishers go fishing. The International Red Cross estimates that between 3,000 and 5,000 fishers lose their lives in Lake Victoria's violent storms every year.

Wiki4Climate – improving the global knowledge on climate change through Wikipedia

From the 24th of November to the 1st of December over 118 participants gathered online for Wiki4Climate, a week of Wikipedia editing on climate change topics, organised by FCFA and CDKN and with support from experienced Wikipedia editors.

Multi-pronged response to boost climate-resilience for Senegalese farmers

Agriculture is the backbone of rural economies in Senegal, and yet warming temperatures and increasing drought pressure linked with rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are reducing crop yields in the West African country. This is undermining farmers’ livelihoods and the region’s food security.

Webinar recording: Reflecting on effective approaches to research uptake and action

Watch the recording of this rich and interactive discussion on the barriers and enablers to effective research uptake and knowledge brokering (facilitation of an exchange of information, knowledge and experience aimed at supporting more informed practice), and how these lessons can inform improved design models for future programmes.

Future Climate for Africa podcast: the African climate breakdown

Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) is excited to release a podcast series where we will be sharing the innovative research and on-the-ground climate change stories from FCFA researchers. This series aims to engage listeners about climate change and its impact on Africa but also to highlight some of the key progress being made towards a more resilient future for the continent.

The “East African climate paradox”: A common mechanism for inter‐annual and decadal variability in the East African long rains

The new research shows that variability in rainfall during the long rains is found to be connected to the strength of easterly winds over the Congo basin and Gulf of Guinea (correlation of 0.73), with the same mechanism controlling variability on both inter‐annual and decadal timescales.