Water, Weather and Climate Services for Africa: the case of Ghana and Kenya

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10714 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Frank Ohene Annor ◽

Nick van de Giesen ◽

Marie-Claire ten Veldhuis

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Weather Forecast ◽

Laser Speckle ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Climate Projections ◽

Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽

Climate Services ◽

Meteorological Observatory ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Sub Saharan

<p>Close to 80% of Sub-Saharan African farmers rely on rainfed agriculture.&#160; This makes it important that the weather and climate in this region is well understood, since it accounts for more than 15% of the GDP for instance in Ghana and Kenya. However, uncertainties in weather forecast and climate projections are very high in particular for this region, which leads to poor weather and climate services for agriculture production. One of the underlying factors among many is the poor conditions of weather and climate infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa.&#160; The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) together with some National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in Africa and other partners through the TWIGA project (http://twiga-h2020.eu/) are building a network of weather and hydrological stations to address this need. This network builds on the over 500 TAHMO stations in countries of interest like Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Mozambique.</p><p>The observation network includes automatic weather stations, soil moisture sensors, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, distributed temperature sensing (DTS), lightning sensors, neutron counters, evaporometers, laser speckle scintillometers, accelerometers for tree weighing, intervalometer rain gauges, flood mapper using citizen science mobile applications (Apps) and crop doctor using drones and Apps. The project has accelerated the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of these innovations with some already set up for operational purposes delivering the first set of TWIGA services such as &#8220;How humid is my environment?; Crop detection and condition monitoring; Weather-based alerts for citizens/farmers; Area-specific near real-time weather forecast for farmers; Crop insurance based on soil index; Plastic accumulation monitor; Short-term prediction for solar energy; and Precipitable water vapour monitoring with TWIGA GNSS stations.&#160;These new innovations and the services developed using the value chain approach is a game changer for Sub-Saharan Africa.</p>

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Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa

Environmental Research Letters ◽

10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. 123003 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Elias Nkiaka ◽

Andrea Taylor ◽

Andrew J Dougill ◽

Philip Antwi-Agyei ◽

Nicolas Fournier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

User Needs ◽

Climate Services ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Climate Shocks

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REVIEW OF SEASONAL CLIMATE FORECASTING FOR AGRICULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479710000876 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 205-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 148

Author(s):

JAMES W. HANSEN ◽

SIMON J. MASON ◽

LIQIANG SUN ◽

ARAME TALL

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Seasonal Forecast ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Seasonal Forecasting ◽

Seasonal Forecasts ◽

Climate Services ◽

Seasonal Climate ◽

Climate Forecasting ◽

Probabilistic Forecasts ◽

Sub Saharan

SUMMARYWe review the use and value of seasonal climate forecasting for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a view to understanding and exploiting opportunities to realize more of its potential benefits. Interaction between the atmosphere and underlying oceans provides the basis for probabilistic forecasts of climate conditions at a seasonal lead-time, including during cropping seasons in parts of SSA. Regional climate outlook forums (RCOF) and national meteorological services (NMS) have been at the forefront of efforts to provide forecast information for agriculture. A survey showed that African NMS often go well beyond the RCOF process to improve seasonal forecast information and disseminate it to the agricultural sector. Evidence from a combination of understanding of how climatic uncertainty impacts agriculture, model-based ex-ante analyses, subjective expressions of demand or value, and the few well-documented evaluations of actual use and resulting benefit suggests that seasonal forecasts may have considerable potential to improve agricultural management and rural livelihoods. However, constraints related to legitimacy, salience, access, understanding, capacity to respond and data scarcity have so far limited the widespread use and benefit from seasonal prediction among smallholder farmers. Those constraints that reflect inadequate information products, policies or institutional process can potentially be overcome. Additional opportunities to benefit rural communities come from expanding the use of seasonal forecast information for coordinating input and credit supply, food crisis management, trade and agricultural insurance. The surge of activity surrounding seasonal forecasting in SSA following the 1997/98 El Niño has waned in recent years, but emerging initiatives, such as the Global Framework for Climate Services and ClimDev-Africa, are poised to reinvigorate support for seasonal forecast information services for agriculture. We conclude with a discussion of institutional and policy changes that we believe will greatly enhance the benefits of seasonal forecasting to agriculture in SSA.

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ASR FORUM: ENGAGING WITH AFRICAN INFORMAL ECONOMIES

African Studies Review ◽

10.1017/asr.2013.80 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 77-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michal Lyons ◽

Alison Brown ◽

Zhigang Li

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Informal Economy ◽

Low Cost ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Value Chains ◽

Socioeconomic Mobility ◽

Informal Economies ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Economic Development Strategies

Abstract:This article analyzes the value chain for Chinese manufactured goods such as garments and textiles sold in sub-Saharan Africa. It explores the opportunities for Africans with small, private businesses in the export trade from China, the potential for long-term business development, and how strategies of engagement have changed over time. It finds that the value chains for low-cost goods vary. There is great diversity of entry levels and opportunities for socioeconomic mobility, and traders evolve diverse strategies to obtain and defend their position in the chain. These findings are discussed in terms of understandings of international value chains, the informal economy, and African economic development strategies.

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Global Value Chain Participation and Trade Barriers in Sub-Saharan Africa

Value Chains in Sub-Saharan Africa - Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-06206-4_2 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 13-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Herman S. Geyer

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Global Value Chain ◽

Trade Barriers ◽

Sub Saharan

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Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Origin, Cultivation, and Potential Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa

10.20944/preprints201904.0149.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Amadou Tidiane Sall ◽

Tiberio Chiari ◽

Wasihun Legesse ◽

Kemal Seid-Ahmed ◽

Rodomiro Ortiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Durum Wheat ◽

Value Chain ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Raw Material ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Marginal Lands ◽

Wheat Varieties ◽

Variety Release ◽

Sub Saharan

Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the South Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still cultivate it on marginal lands to assure production for their self-consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but it has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over € 4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption in the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha-1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and daytime temperatures always above 32°C. This review describes the ability of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This potential area of expansion for durum wheat production in SSA is not linked to any breeding technology, but rather it remains dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia, and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.

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RESOURCE CURSE AND THE EITI MEMBERSHIP EFFECT ON THE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND CORRUPTION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: PART I - A THEORETICAL REVIEW

Oradea Journal of Business and Economics ◽

10.47535/1991ojbe085 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 18-28

Author(s):

Andries Francois Geldenhuys ◽

Oluseye Samuel Ajuwon ◽

Michael Graham

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Value Chain ◽

Resource Curse ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Resource Governance ◽

Growth Outcomes ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Rich Countries ◽

Resource Sector ◽

The Impact

This study reviews the theoretical literature concerning the resource curse as it pertains to the impact of natural resources upon economic growth and corruption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and how the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) membership can be of help. The EITI is an international standard promoting open and transparent resource governance through disclosure mechanisms in the resource value chain. Corruption has been associated with less-than-average economic growth in resource-rich countries. This research concludes that the theoretical review found that through the dissemination of disclosures in the natural resource sector, the EITI can potentially reduce the prevalence of corruption in implementing countries in SSA and it can address negative economic growth outcomes associated with resource abundance. However, there is not much evidence empirically needed to suggest this.

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