Climate Change
Perspectives for climate-change stricken Africa
by Gisbert Dreyer, President of the Dreyer Foundation, Berlin
W
ater, the source of life, reaches Africa’s soil in the form of rain during the monsoon season. For thousands of years, the yearly cycle of rainy and dry seasons has shaped life and agriculture in Africa. The few weeks of the monsoon will determine a farming family’s fate. Formerly, the beginning and constancy of the monsoon could be counted on and it allowed for sowing, growth and harvest to be timed accordingly. However, because of climate change, this certainty is dwindling.
photo: dreyer stiftung
Accompanying cooperatives long-term can develop growth potential in African states
are simple, proven hydraulic engineering structures. Such structures commonly consist of a sequence of small earth dams and canals with which the intense rainfalls can be tamed and regulated to become permanent, gentle irrigation for the fields. This prevents erosion and ensures moisture penetrates the deeper layers of the earth. Small water retention basins are integrated into this system so that intermediate dry spells can be bridged. However, it is not feasible to implement such measures with the current economic and social structures in place.
Obstacles to agricultural development
In many parts of Africa, the use of land by farmers is assigned according to traditional rules, that is, the land is left to individual peasants for the sole use of the tribe, the village community Climate change is becoming tangible or other traditional authorities. A private property right is not As of late, sometimes rain comes too late or there are intermeconnected with this. Above these traditional rights of use, the diate dry periods which cause seeds to wither. Other times, state has a universal property claim. In a conflict between the torrential rains erode the farming grounds, wash away the state and the village, the farmer generally loses all rights and seed and ruin the seedlings. All of those events are disastrous is dispossessed. The ownership issue is one of the biggest for farmers as they not only lose the harvest, but also their obstacles to agricultural development in Africa, as there is no investments in seed and fertiliser. This leaves them starving, legal certainty for private investment and therefore it does not destitute and often in debt. take place. Africa’s contribution to global Another huge difficulty is that the overwhelming climate change is marginal, majority of farmers only possesses very small despite its 1.3 billion inhabitGisbert Dreyer farmlands, which on their own do not allow for ants. The main contributors are has a career in real estate development and intensification of farming, irrigation systems or the developed, industrialised has carried out many projects in Europe, market access. This is, in short, the main cause countries of the East and West. Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Since of poverty which cannot be conquered individThe 800 million small farmers 2000, he devotes his free time and financial ually. So, is there a solution for overcoming the of sub-Saharan Africa suffer the resources to the fight against hunger and causes of hunger, poverty and unemployment worst consequences. In West Afripoverty in Africa. The Dreyer Foundation in the rural areas of Africa? Yes, a tried and testca, changes in climate have been focuses its efforts on educational and aged model in Europe and especially in Germany: becoming increasingly tangible in ricultural projects in West Africa. Since an agricultural cooperative. the last ten years. 2010, Mr Dreyer serves as Honorary Consul A single farming family is powerof Burkina Faso. In 2015, he received the less against these recent whims German “Bundesverdienstkreuz am Band” The model of a farmers’ cooperative of nature. The only feasible way (Cross of Merit) for his work in Africa. With this model – in different forms – millions of for farmers to protect themselves poor farmers in Europe reached relative prosagainst these climatic dangers perity in the 19th and 20th centuries. This mod-
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