The need for farmers to adapt to a changing climate to improve their food security has been emphasized in much of the developing world, including in East Africa, where agriculture and food security are inextricably linked. On the one hand, food security is heavily dependent on agricultural productivity which has, on the other hand, been influenced by climate change.
This poster for the 2014 Tropentag conference illustrates the differences in food security between farmers in East Africa using a gender lens. The poster seeks to answer several questions in relation to household food security and implications for climate change adaptation:
- What is the room to adapt?
- Can we learn from the food secure households?
- Are there factors that have more control over food security?
- What are the agricultural options and management strategies that are likely to benefit smallholders?
The poster, which is based on a study that was carried out in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, documents that food-secure farmers diversify the most in terms of variety of crops cultivated and are also engaged in a range of income generating activities. Further, women are less likely to grow high-value crops than men and with a less diversified crop portfolio.
This week, ILRI staff are participating in the Tropentag 2014 International Conference in Prague (17-19 September 2014). There is also a dedicated ‘ILRI@40’ side event on ‘Livestock-based options for sustainable food and nutritional security and healthy lives.’ See all the posters.
Sustainable livestock systems 