Agriculture in developing countries must change significantly to meet the related challenges of food security and climate change. In Africa, there are numerous proven, low-cost, climate-smart agricultural innovations that smallholders can adopt. But the potential for these to play a significant role in increasing the climate resilience of food production systems has largely not yet been realised.

This CDKN special issue of 'Joto Afrika' features a range of climate-smart best practices Kenyan farmers and communities are adopting, and identifies some of the prerequisites for developing and diffusing these practices to improve food security.

'Joto Afrika' is produced by the Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN), a Kenya-based NGO that facilitates information and knowledge exchange on small-scale sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, natural resources management and other livelihood issues.

From water harvesting and alternative energy sources, to drought-tolerant food crops and alternative fodder for livestock, these intitiatives demonstrate that responding to a changing climate is possible through localised and commmunity-managed intitiatives.