The impact of climate extremes on the landscapes of the Nigerian savannah vary from season to season and from decade to decade.  Global climate models predict that the savannah will become drier with more fragile shrub and grassland areas.  Because poor management of the fragile landscapes can exacerbate the impacts of climate change, it is crucial to identify and adopt appropriate land management techniques to provide sufficient food security and sustainable livelihoods to a growing human population.

This in-depth report, Community-Based Management of Ecosystems and Natural Resources for the Improvement of Rural Livelihoods and Food Security in the Nigerian Savannah, examines the socio-ecological attributes required to improve natural resources management and strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of rural communities in the wooded savanna of Nigeria. The project will provide opportunities for community participation in ecosystems management by small-scale farmers who rely on rain-fed agriculture.  The farmers will receive training and will participate in the design and implementation of adaptation techniques for sustainable land and water use in the densely settled rural savannah in western Nigeria.  Groups of community residents and opinion leaders will gain skills for implementation of adaptation techniques for the management of their fragile lands during times of climate change.

Further reading:

This project and publication has been produced as part of the START call for research on the theme of ‘Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security’ in Africa, with an emphasis on the sustainability of ecosystem services in Africa. Objectives of this call are to commission high quality, independent, policy-relevant and credible research to support policy making for sustainable development in the region, to build the capacities of regional research partners to conduct high level research and to create a platform for knowledge sharing at the regional level. The funding has been provided by US National Science Foundation, Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and CDKN.

START homepage: START
Research call information: Regional Research Call – Africa

START projects:

• Safety Nets Simplified: Simulated Decision-Making in Volatile Developing Economies
• Management of Ecosystem Services of the Forests of Southwest Nigeria in Support of Rural livelihoods and Food Security
• Reducing tropical deforestation and the Protection of Ecosystem Services to support food security in Southwest Cameroon
• Sustainable Farmland management in the context of climate change in inland valleys of Southern Benin
• Changes in Tree Reproductive Phenology: Causes and Implications in and around Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda
• Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources, Agriculture and Food Security in the Ethiopian Rift Valley: Risk Assessment and Adaptation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystem Services
• Improving Seasonal Forecast Information for Managing On-farm Decisions
• Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Scientific Methods for Flood Risk Analyses, Responses and Adaptation in Rural Coastal Communities in Nigeria
• Engaging farmers and climatologists in Adaptation to climate variability and change in the Okavango Delta of Botswana
• The role of Urban and peri-urban agriculture in enhancing food security and climate change resilience in East and West African Cities
• Assessing Adaptation Responses by Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana to Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
• The Impact of Climate Change on Food Security Among Coastal Communities of Keiskamma, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
• Sensitivity of Coastal Lagoon Ecosystems to Climate and Related Global Changes: Developing a North African Lagoons Network

Image credit: Neil Palmer/CIAT