New paper featured in Land provides a cross-border study on local climate change observations and adaptation strategies used by smallholder farmers in the same mountain region, but under different agricultural policies.
This is the second paper arising from research conducted as part of an MRI Synthesis Workshop “Transformative Adaptation to Climate Change in African Mountains.”
“We were surprised that not just poor but also rich farmers in Rwanda reported issues of food security and food quality, which should make us reflect on the ways we are promoting farmers’ adaptation to climate change,” said co-author and workshop organizer Aida Cuni Sanchez.
Abstract
Mountain regions and their communities are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. However, little is known on the impacts observed and adaptation responses used in Burundi’s mountain region and if these are different to those reported in the contiguous mountain region of Rwanda. This paper aims to fill in these knowledge gaps. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 300 smallholder farmers, 150 in northern Burundi and 150 in southern Rwanda. Farmers in both countries reported negative impacts on crops, animals, and human health, with small differences between countries driven by the main cultivated crops. More adaptation strategies were used in Burundi than in Rwanda, and more farmers in Burundi were using multiple strategies. In both countries, farmers’ wealth affected farmers’ adaptation responses and their food security. Notably, for all wealth groups (poor, average, rich), food security was lower in Rwanda than in Burundi. We relate our findings to current agricultural intensification policies in both countries and argue for the greater involvement of local farmers in adaptation planning using, for example, science-with-society approaches.
Pictured above: Interview with elders in Rwegura, Burundi, taken by Aline Nkurunziza.
Paper Highlights
- Farmers in both Burundi and Rwanda report similar climatic changes and impacts on crops, animals, and human health.
- More adaptation strategies are used in Burundi, and more farmers in Burundi are using multiple strategies. This is likely to be driven by different agricultural intensification policies in both countries
- Wealth had a significant effect on the adaptation strategies used in both countries as well as on food security. Unexpectedly, for all wealth groups (poor, average, rich), food security and ‘good’ food quality was found to be lower in Rwanda than in Burundi.
- Authors argue that greater farmer agency in mountain regions with complex terrains and climates might be preferred for improved adaptation
Pictured above: Tea plantation in l'O.T.B. Rwegura, Burundi, taken by Aline Nkurunziza.
Citation
Nkurunziza, A.; Intwarinkase Mutaganzwa, D.; Ndayitwayeko, W.M.; Nkengurutse, J.; Kaplin, B.A.; Teixidor Toneu, I.; Zafra-Calvo, N.; Cuni-Sanchez, A. Local Observations of Climate Change and Adaptation Responses: A Case Study in the Mountain Region of Burundi-Rwanda. Land 2023, 12, 329. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020329
Cover image: Irrigation practice in Nyambo, Burundi taken by Aline Nkurunziza.
