Local solutions to global problems: the potential of agroforestry for climate change adaptation and mitigation in southern Africa

Climate change is a global phenomenon that imposes economic, soci al, and ecological challenges to the global community and, to smallholder farmers particularly in low- income countries. Sustainable land use pr actices offer opportunities for smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change and related risks, but the challenge is that the adoption of such practices by farmers is low due to policy and institutiona l constraints, among other key reasons. Drawing from the lessons learnt from research and development activities for about two decades in Malawi a nd Zambia, this paper uses the case study of agroforestry-based land use prac tices (fertilizer tree/shrubs) to highlight opportunities for assisting smallholder farmers respond to the e ffects of climate change. It then discusses institutional and policy challe nges that constrain the full exploitation of the potential opportunities in southern Afri ca region. Strategies to address these constraints and facilitate adoption of sustainable land us e practices that enhance climate change adaptation and mitigation are identified. These include targeted and conditional reward mechanisms for promoting sustainable agricult ural practices that contribute to climate change adaptation among farming communitie s, appraisal of national and regional policies to evaluate the extent to which they are consistent with climate change adaptation, equipping new graduates and re-too ling extension officials with knowledge to respond to climate change phenomenon, and initi ating science-policy li nkages to bridge information gap on climate change between scientists and policy makers. It is recommended that climate change and f ood security are linked and should not be addressed in isolation. In th e low-income, food-deficit regi ons, responses to climate change should be viewed from the persp ective of livelihood, espe cially food security considerations.

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