ALM UNDP

Adapting to Water Shortages in Arid Namibia

By Servaas van den Bosch

“Normally it rains this time of year, but not a drop has fallen,” complains farmer Paulus Amutenya. “My crops are burning on the field.” It’s mid‐November in Outapi, a small farming town in Northern Namibia, not far from the Angolan border. Outapi is always hot, but this year the rains that cool the soil and allow crops to germinate are exceptionally late. For weeks now farmers have been praying for clouds to appear in the clear blue sky.

‘Tate’ Paulus wipes the sweat of his face and overlooks his few hectares of wilting crops. Groups of women dot the field, weeding between the tomatoes or watermelons. Unlike most subsistence farmers in the area Amutenya employs around a hundred casual workers who depend on him, and he is worried if he will be able to continue to employ them. “Without rain, plants are more susceptible to pests and eventually they succumb to heat stress.” He points to a watermelon with scorched yellow patches. “These melons are naturally covered by their leaves so they ripen nice and evenly, but now the leaves are burnt and the melons are ripe on the top, but not at the bottom.”

He blames the changes in climate.

“Temperatures are rising and rains are becoming more and more unpredictable over the years, but what can I do,” he shrugs.

Farming in Namibia, where the Namib and Kalahari deserts meet, has never been easy. The driest country in sub‐Saharan Africa receives a pitiful 270 millimetres of downpour per year on average. Of this 83 percent evaporates as soon as it hits the ground. Climatologists predict temperatures in the country will rise with 1 to 6 degree in the next several decades, while rainfall could drop another 200 millimetres. Already, in the past few years, rains have been erratic leading to alternating heavy floods and dry spells.

The consequences are devastating for a country where 70 percent of the people to some extent depend on agriculture.

To help farmers adapt to climate change, the Country Pilot Partnership (CPP), an alliance of seven Ministries in Namibia supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), has started a three year adaptation pilot project in the area.

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The following case study is featured in the Meister Consultants Group study: *Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World*.

The rain forest in Brazil is a unique ecosystem that is particularly threatened by the impacts of climate change. In the worst case scenario, huge parts of the Amazon River basin could transform into a savannah. This would have dramatic consequences both for the worldwide climate, as well as the local population whose livelihood depends on the rain forest. Like many other Latin American countries, Brazil has not fully confronted what is entailed in adapting to climate change. However, this is gradually changing. For instance, the Brazilian climate change plan published in December 2008 covers adaptation. Based on more accurate regional climate models that are expected to be published in 2009, the government intends to prepare detailed adaptation measures.

_Source: Dr. Hans-Peter Meister, I. K., Martina Richwein, Wilson Rickerson, Chad Laurent. Additional contributors: Jeff Snell, Elisa Burchert, Florian Lux. (2009). *Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World.* Boston: Meister Consultants Group. p. 21._

For more detailed information and references refer to: [Floating Houses - Full Report](http://files.mc-group.com/clst/Study%20Climate%20Change%20Adaption.pdf).

[Meister Consultants Group](http://www.mc-group.com/)

Today, northeastern Brazil is confronted with many problems stemming from water scarcity and widespread poverty. Long-term climate projections show a further temperature rise for this region as well as longer periods of drought. Therefore, fast and comprehensive adaptation measures must be implemented in order to protect the livelihood of local farmers.

Between 2006 and 2008, a pilot project in the municipality of Pintadas tested how local adaptation measures could be designed. For example, effective sprinkler systems could help farmers to irrigate their fields during periods of drought. This example illustrates the aim of the pilot project to link climate change adaptation to anti-poverty measures.

In the second phase, a project launched in cooperation with Germany in 2008 will evaluate the approaches for four years. At the same time, specific proposals will be developed on how to transfer the experience gained in the Pintadas to other communities, as well as on how to effectively communicate adaptation strategies from other regions through networks.

_Source: Adaptation To Climate Change In Brazil: The Pintadas Pilot Project And Multiplication Of Best Practice Examples
Through Dissemination And Communication Networks
http://www.rio9.com/programme/Book_of_Proceedings/31_ECB_Obermaier.pdf_