Adapting to climate change: policy & research gaps

Iron and Steel giant ISKOR's Vanderbijl Park refineryLars Otto Naess, Climate Change convenor for Future Agricultures, presented preliminary findings from a review of research and policies for climate change adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa on 16 July.

He spoke at a side event “Consultative dialogue on climate smart agriculture for Africa”, part of FARA’s Africa Agriculture Science Week 2013.

The event included a discussion on how research can best inform policy in this important area. It included a critical view on how policy is formed and put into practice. Policy processes have traditionally been viewed as a linear journey towards implementation, but a more nuanced view sees policy as an incremental and ‘messy’ process with many entry points or ‘policy spaces’.

The presentation was based on 12 reviews on research and policy for adaptation across Sub-Saharan Africa in three ‘sectors’ – urban areas, agriculture and health – identifying gaps in research and policy in each of these sectors. A set of preliminary recommendations are listed for each, as well as some cross-cutting concerns – including the need to examine gender issues, the role of water, gaps in research capacity, and the need for stronger research-policy interaction.

The other speaker at the event was Dr Abdulai Jalloh of CORAF, and it was chaired by Sepo Hachigonta, Climate Change Coordinator, FANRPAN.

Presentation Slides

Links

Image: World Bank