"Climate adaptation finance to Africa must increase tenfold, research shows"

Caroline Kimeu in Nairobi

Thu 7 Sep 2023 

theguardian.com

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A Kenyan farmer, Phoebe Mwangangi, told attendees that changes in rainfall patterns in her south-eastern Makueni home town nearly 10 years ago meant that back then she had to walk for hours every day to find water for her livestock, disrupting her and her children’s lives. Yields were low and her cattle had grown weak, leaving her struggling to make ends meet.

“Farming and livestock is our livelihood, so we cannot do without it,” said Mwangangi.

Agricultural organisations are also searching for alternative methods. AICCRA and the International Livestock Research Institute, which promote techniques such as the use of drought-tolerant crop varieties and water harvesting, have been training Mwangangi and a group of two dozen other female farmers in the practices, which she says have boosted their agricultural productivity and helped them navigate harsh weather impacts.

“This kind of information can change the lives of farmers,” Mwangangi said.