Climate Change and Agricultural Output: The Need for Policy

Climate change has been identified as a major challenge to African countries given the prevalence of poverty, low infrastructural development, and the dependence of African countries on agriculture. The yearly rainfall pattern in Africa had been stable for most parts of the year. However, given the increasing variability in the duration and the intensity of the rains, dry season, the erratic and changing nature of weather systems like floods and extended periods of no rainfall affect farmers who rely on rainfall for their agricultural activity. Large-scale destruction of farmlands and villages by floods in Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso as well as many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa can be blamed for the dwindling food supply in the region. In an attempt to meet up with the food challenge, more virgin forests are being exploited leading to increased Green House Gases (GHGs) emissions. As a result, agriculture will certainly be affected as well as being a significant cause or major contributor to the incidence of climate change. Efforts had been put on rural development by African governments to reverse the effect of challenges posed by climate change. However, this had been limited by a sustained effect of worsening socioeconomic challenges, like the incidence of HIV-AIDS, COVID-19, other health challenges, food crises, hunger, and malnutrition. This scenario can be reduced with an effective adaptation strategy to climate change followed by a sound agricultural policy that will lead to the expansion of different channels of food access and an increase in food production. There is evidence that most of the small-holder African farmers are slow in adapting to variations in weather patterns resulting from climate change which affects the agricultural output. This calls for a comprehensive policy option that will turn the fortunes of the farmers towards improved agricultural productivity leading to increased access to food.