This White Paper is the fruit of a symposium that was held with the objective of laying the scientific and technical foundations of the initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change (AAA). It aims to offer a synthesis of data and solutions highlighted during the symposium, ahead of COP22
negotiations and beyond.
The effects of climate change on African soils, two thirds of which are located in arid or semiarid zones, have exacerbated an already worrying situation. Human activities and inappropriate practices (over-exploitation, shifting cultivation, introduction of invasive species, etc.) have considerably degraded lands, driving them
sometimes to desertification. The decrease of crop yields could reach 20% in 2050, even even if we
manage to contain the average temperature rise under 2°C.
In parallel, demographic pressure is constantly increasing in Africa. Projections indicate that agriculture will have to feed 1.5 billion people in 2030 and 2 billion in 2050.
That is to say soil management constitutes a major challenge, especially since African soils offer an important potential of carbon sequestration, that could contribute to significantly mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions behind climate change.
Remember that Africa is home to 60% of the planet’s unexploited arable lands.