A digitized version of the georeferenced boundaries of the Kenyan ACZs documented in 1982 and obtained through the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre Portal.Georeferenced average monthly temperature and precipitation across Kenya with a 5-kilometer resolution during 1976-1980, 20 from the TerraClimate dataset.The researchers reviewed data from a variety of sources, including: The research team created climate reference maps and assessed temperature zones and precipitation patterns within each zone. Those decreases included a 13% decrease in ranching a 21% decrease in dairying a 24% decrease in mixed crops and a 28% decrease in mixed crops and dairying. Those changes are leading farmers to look for new farming and animal husbandry techniques.Ĭlimate-suitable areas over the study period decreased. The research found that climate change is a major threat to Kenyan farming systems with seasonal changes in precipitation and temperature. Dairy farming makes up a large portion of livestock production. Primary crops grown in the region include maize, wheat, rice, tea, coffee, sugarcane, sisal and cotton.
The team focused on Kenya because rain-fed agriculture is central to the country’s economy and it is a key food-producing country for the East African region. The research team looked at how trends changed over time and how the geographic distribution and arrangement of climate zones in Kenya shifted due to those trends. Lawrence, a former Taylor Geospatial Institute post-doctoral fellow. “This research highlights these urgent problems in Kenya and in other agricultural regions across the world.” This study quantified climate change-induced cropland shrinkage, which is particularly alarming with the human population growing exponentially,” said Enbal Shacham, Ph.D., professor of behavioral science and health education at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice and acting director of strategic initiatives for the Taylor Geospatial Institute. “The climate crisis compromises food and water security, while threatening farmers’ livelihoods. In East Africa, climate change impacts agricultural suitability because rain-fed agriculture accounts for upwards of 95% of crop production. Increased dryness and higher temperatures are reducing productivity in agriculture and the increase in human population is limiting space for livestock productivity. Over that time, the population of Kenya more than tripled while climate-suitable areas for primary crops decreased.
The research team analyzed Kenya’s farming systems and climate zones between 1980-2020. The study, “Spatial changes to climate suitability and availability of agropastoral farming systems across Kenya (1980-2020),” was published online on May 29. LOUIS - Research published in Outlook on Agriculture has shown that the population relative to available climate-suitable areas in Kenya has increased, posing a threat to the country’s economy and food security.
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