Exploring Urban-Rural Social and Environmental Interdependence and Impacts of Climate Change and Climate Variability and Responding through Enhanced Agricultural and Food Security Innovation Systems (Liwenga, Emma / Swai, Elirehema / Nsemwa, Lebai / Katun

Alongside this rapid urbanization climate change is posing a serious global threat, to which Africa - faced with multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity, is particularly vulnerable. The linkages and interdependencies between rural and urban areas provided by the flows of people, goods, services, information and money is increasingly being recognised as important to both social and ecological concerns. Whilst these urban-rural linkages have been partially explored in Tanzania and Malawi, the impact of a changing climate on them has not been analysed. The Situation and Scenario Analysis (SSA) confirmed that urban areas are vulnerable to climate change and climate variability through rural urban linkages such as agricultural and food flows. Stakeholders estimated that over 70 percent of the maize (the main staple) used by urban dwellers originated from the surrounding rural areas. Low crop yields resulting from climate change and climate variability effects directly affect both supply and market prices in urban areas. This in turn affects urban household food security. Although government efforts in both Malawi and Tanzania currently focus mainly on vulnerability interventions in rural areas, it is also important to focus and plan for interventions in urban areas.

Copyright: NRI et al.

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https://www.nri.org/images/documents/development-programmes/climate_change/publications/CC_Urban_RuralFinalTechnicalReport_21Nov2012.pdf

Created Date: 01-11-2015
Last Updated Date: 30-11-2015
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