• Contact Us
    • Send Feedback
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    Whole Repository
    CollectionsIssue DateRegionCountryHubAffiliationAuthorsTitlesSubject
    This Sub-collection
    Issue DateRegionCountryHubAffiliationAuthorsTitlesSubject

    My Account

    Login

    Welcome to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Research Repository

    What would you like to view today?

    Suitability of root, tuber, and banana crops in Central Africa can be favoured under future climates

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Journal Article (5.893Mb)
    Date
    2021-08
    Author
    Manners, R.
    Vandamme, E.
    Adewopo, J.
    Thornton, P.
    Friedmann, M.
    Carpentier, S.C.
    Ezui, K.S.
    Thiele, G.
    Type
    Journal Article
    Review Status
    Peer Review
    Target Audience
    Scientists
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract/Description
    Context Climate change is projected to negatively impact food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The magnitude of these impacts is expected to be amplified by the extensive reliance on rainfed agriculture and the prevalence of subsistence farming. In the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa, smallholder farming households are largely dependent on root, tuber and banana crops. However, the potential impacts of various climate change scenarios on these crops are not well reported. Yet, data-rich insights about the future impacts of climate change on these crops and the adaptive capacity of food systems in the Great Lakes Region is critical to inform research and development investments towards regional climate change adaptation. Objectives We aimed to gain insights of potential impacts of climate change on root, tuber, and banana crops in the Great Lakes Region, specifically investigating changes to localised crop suitability, planting dates, and identifying potential ‘climate-proof’ variety types of each crop for specific geographies. Methods We developed a modified version of the EcoCrop model to analyse the suitability of future climates for four key root, tuber, and banana crops (banana, cassava, potato, and sweetpotato) and a suite of varieties for each (typical, heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant, and early maturing). The model considers only the direct impacts of climate change on crop suitability. It does not consider how climate change impacts crop suitability by affecting the occurrence of extreme weather events or indirect effects on incidence and severity of pest and disease outbreaks. Results and conclusions Our results demonstrate that climate change will be somewhat favourable to root, tuber, and banana-based systems, with only widespread negative impacts seen for potato. These changes should be qualified by the observation that in most cases the environmental suitability for banana, cassava, and sweetpotato will remain constant or improve if farmers shift planting schedules. Location- and crop-dependent shifts to different variety types were found to be effective in improving suitability under future climates. Significance Data driven insights generated from this work can be used as a first step in developing spatially explicit recommendations for both farmers and decision-makers on how to adapt to climate change and plan investment in the research needed to adapt root, tuber, and banana-based livelihoods and systems to those long-term changes.
    Acknowledgements
    We would like to thank everyone who provided valuable advice during the preparation of this work, specifically, Robert Mwanga, David Ramirez, Johan Ninanya, Pepijn van Oort, Anette Pronk, and Ghislain Tepa-Yotto. We would also like to thank Christopher Butler for editing the manuscript. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers. This research was undertaken as part of, and funded jointly by, the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) and the CGIAR Research Program ...
    https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103246
    Multi standard citation
    Permanent link to this item
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/7774
    IITA Authors ORCID
    Philip Thorntonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1854-0182
    Julius Adewopohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4831-2823
    sebastien carpentierhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7389-6405
    KODJOVI SENAM EZUIhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6898-6481
    Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
    https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103246
    Research Themes
    Natural Resource Management
    IITA Subjects
    Agronomy; Banana; Cassava; Climate Change; Food Systems; Plant Breeding; Plant Production; Smallholder Farmers
    Agrovoc Terms
    Bananas; Cassava; Potatoes; Sweet Potatoes; Crop Production; Climate Change; Adaptation; Food Systems; Smallholders; Farmers; Drought Tolerance; Pests; Diseases; Households
    Regions
    Africa; Central Africa; East Africa
    Countries
    Burundi; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kenya; Malawi; Rwanda; Tanzania; Uganda
    Hubs
    Central Africa Hub
    Journals
    Agricultural Systems
    Collections
    • Journal and Journal Articles4835
    copyright © 2019  IITASpace. All rights reserved.
    IITA | Open Access Repository