Working Paper: “Impact of Climate Change on African Agriculture: Focus on Pests and Diseases”
The FARMD Annual Conference 2014 planted the seeds for collaborative work between Fera Science Limited (formerly the Food and Environment Research Agency of the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). The two organizations both contributed to Crops, crop pests and climate change – why Africa needs to be better prepared.
In the report, Julian Smith explains that “ongoing investments in agriculture will not deliver for Africa until the destabilizing nature of crop pest events, especially shock outbreak events, are addressed. Crop pests already account for 1/6th of farm productivity losses. As a result of climate change, the prevalence of crop pests will change and the frequency of shock pest events will increase, putting agricultural systems at risk. The Working Paper details six possible strategies to combat pests and diseases.