The Executive Director of WASCAL, Dr. Moumini Savadogo has outlined the intensified measure WASCAL continues to put in place as part of its efforts to access the challenges climate change is posing for agriculture and in the process finding solution for adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Savadogo also said WASCAL was strengthening scientific capacities in west Africa by partnering with key universities in West Africa to provide students and future scientists the necessary academic and professional knowhow to equip them knowledgably enough to access the situation and come up with interrelated courses to train knowledgeable scientists to access the problems and provide solutions.
He was speaking at a side event at the European Union Pavilion under the topic Challenges and solutions for agricultural adaptation planning in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Savadogo also spelt out the contributions of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research( BMBF), in the training of West African students at the doctoral levels in Ten(10) different climate change thematic areas and two(2) at the Master’s level, all inter-related to help Key speakers from principal organizers, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Southern African Science Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) that gave insights on their field works and interventions in tackling the issues.
Identifying the challenges climate change poses to agriculture and finding solutions demands planning, which involved proper assessment, and identifying the key elements to cope with complex challenges that come with the phenomenon.” Dr. Savadogo stated.
In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), smallholder farmers produce the majority of food but their food security is highly vulnerable to climate change. More than 650 million people work in the agricultural sector and will likely be affected by unfavorable cropping conditions.