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Women battle when trying to take climate change cases to court – South Africa and Nigeria study shows why

Women battle when trying to take climate change cases to court – South Africa and Nigeria study shows why

ACROSS domestic courts in Africa, climate cases have been decided in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, with some cases pending in Uganda. However, climate litigation is still fairly new. Climate lawsuits are an important way to access justice. This is particularly true for African women because, as research has shown, climate change affects women more than men in key areas including farming, health, water, access to electricity, migration and conflict. PEDI OBANI, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Bradford I research how the law can be applied to cases of climate change, inclusive development, water governance and sustainability. In…
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Climate change and farming: economists warn more needs to be done to adapt in sub-Saharan Africa

Climate change and farming: economists warn more needs to be done to adapt in sub-Saharan Africa

SUB-SAHARAN African countries strongly rely on the agricultural and forestry sectors. Agriculture contributes up to 60% of some countries’ gross domestic product. But the sector is highly vulnerable to climate change because it relies heavily on climatic factors. This vulnerability is particularly marked in the region because of its slow rate of technological advancement. ABEEB BABATUNDE OMOTOSO, Postdoctoral research associate, North-West University ABIODUN OLUSOLA OMOTAYO, Senior lecturer/researcher, North-West University As agricultural economists we carried out a review of the literature on the climate change challenge for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. We explored the distribution of various climatic factors (like rainfall,…
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Farming in South Africa is being hobbled by power cuts and poor roads. Rural towns are being hit hardest

Farming in South Africa is being hobbled by power cuts and poor roads. Rural towns are being hit hardest

SOUTH Africa’s agriculture has had great consecutive seasons since 2019/20. The sector’s gross value added grew by 14.9% in 2020, 8.8% in 2021 and modestly by 0.3% in 2022. This was primarily supported by favourable weather conditions. Author WANDILE SIHLOBO, Senior Fellow, Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University The current season is also likely to deliver solid growth for the sector, with variation across sub-sectors. We already see prospects of large crops across the country. Export performance is likely to be robust, especially with a weaker rand exchange rate, which makes South African products more competitively priced in the global…
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Small towns are collapsing across South Africa. How it’s starting to affect farming

Small towns are collapsing across South Africa. How it’s starting to affect farming

FARMING and agribusiness play a crucial role in sustaining the economies of small towns and rural areas. There is a lot of evidence of this in the economic literature and in the popular media. This dependency has its inherent risks. WANDILE SIHLOBO, Visiting Research Fellow, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand International literature tends to focus on the devastation of small towns in times of drought or when farming lobby groups argue for particular policies. In South Africa, a different pattern has emerged. This is when municipalities fail to provide basic services to their communities and businesses. These…
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