Using Science To Improve Adaptation in Africa

The document highlights that Africa's vulnerability to climate change is driven by poverty, lack of infrastructure, and dependence on the natural environment. It finds a significant gap between climate science producers and agricultural decision-makers, noting that few practitioners successfully use projection data to improve productivity. The brief recommends strengthening communication between scientists and users, building local institutional capacity, and shifting donor funding from short-term pilot projects to long-term process support.

• Vulnerability to climate change in Africa is driven by a combination of high poverty levels, insufficient infrastructure, and a direct reliance on the natural environment for livelihoods. This vulnerability is especially acute in Eastern and Southern Africa, where many households depend on a marginalised natural resource base.
• There is a critical disconnect between the production of climate science and its application in African agriculture. Decision-makers, including policy makers, crop breeders, and donor agencies, rarely use climate projection data to inform strategic program formulation or improve human well-being and agricultural productivity.
• The utility of available climate data is hindered by issues regarding its reporting, perceived reliability, and relevance to agriculture. Furthermore, current data usage is often based on familiarity and accessibility rather than suitability for the specific research question or problem.
• African institutions often lack the necessary capacity and support networks to be effective in climate adaptation. Much of the climate data used in the region is generated by international organisations, as internal African modelling capacity remains limited.
• Effective adaptation requires a shift in funding from one-off pilot projects to long-term resource investment that builds institutional capacity and technical skills, allowing local institutions to manage unpredictable climate contingencies.

APA

Downing, T. (2008). Using Science To Improve Adaptation in Africa. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei_policybrief.pdf

Chicago

Downing, Tom. Using Science To Improve Adaptation in Africa. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2008. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei_policybrief.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Downing |first1=Tom |title=Using Science To Improve Adaptation in Africa |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2008 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei_policybrief.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{downing2008using, author = {Downing, Tom}, title = {{Using Science To Improve Adaptation in Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei_policybrief.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }