African scientists school up to adapt agriculture to climate change – CIFOR Forests News

less than 4 percent of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it’s likely to experience disproportionately frequent and severe extreme weather events going forward. 

It’s also tipped to experience the most extensive land-based decreases in rainfall by the end of the century – which is particularly concerning in a place where hundreds of millions of people depend on rainfall to grow food. And, existing high levels of poverty and food insecurity make the continent particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. 

The Challenge of Malnutrition

One key area of concern is malnutrition, which currently causes stunting in over 30 percent of children under five. 

The Role of CRISPR

Innovations like CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), a tool that allows scientists to make precise and specific changes to DNA sequences in living organisms, including crops, offer potential to help address these challenges. 

They can assist agricultural scientists to rapidly develop varieties with key attributes to help farmers and consumers thrive under novel conditions – such as increased pest and disease resilience, greater yield, high nutritional content, improved shelf-life, and the ability to withstand extreme weather. 

Building Capacity in National Agricultural Research Systems

Building and mobilizing capacity in  National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) across the African continent on the latest technologies for crop improvement is essential to driving innovation on local crops.

The African Plant Breeding Academy (APBA)

In this critical context, the African Plant Breeding Academy (APBA) this year ran an intensive six-week course to train up ten doctoral-level scientists from six countries across Africa – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Malawi, and Nigeria – on using tools like CRISPR to quickly adapt local agriculture to climate change. 

Since its inception, the AfPBA has run a variety of courses and educational initiatives, and its alumni have landed almost USD 170 million in highly competitive grants and other external funding sources for crop improvement. This represents a 30:1 return on investment of sponsorship funding.

Success Stories

“It is good to give a man fish, but it is better to teach him how to fish,” said Kingdom Kwapata, molecular geneticist at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi and a participant in the course, during the graduation ceremony at the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The article discusses the challenge of growing enough nutritious food to feed the planet’s population, particularly in Africa where malnutrition is a concern.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article highlights the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and the vulnerability of Africa to climate impacts.
• SDG 15: Life on Land – The article mentions the use of CRISPR technology to develop crop varieties with key attributes to help farmers and consumers thrive under novel conditions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular, the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round.
• Target 2.2: By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age.
• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
• Target 15.6: Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 2.1.1: Prevalence of undernourishment – The article mentions the challenge of growing enough nutritious food to adequately feed the planet’s population.
• Indicator 2.2.1: Prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age – The article states that malnutrition currently causes stunting in over 30 percent of children under five in Africa.
• Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population – The article discusses the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events impacting agricultural productivity.
• Indicator 15.6.1: Number of countries that have adopted legislative, administrative, and policy frameworks to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources – The article mentions the use of CRISPR technology to develop crop varieties with key attributes.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: forestsnews.cifor.org

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