Conservation strategies to adapt to projected climate change impacts in Malawi

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY IN MALAWI There is potential for climate change to have negative effects on agricultural production via extreme events (Pruski and Nearing 2002; Zhang et al. 2012; Walthall et al. 2012), and there is a need to implement conservation practices for climate change adaptation (Delgado et al. 2011, 2013). Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change project that rainfall intensities will increase in many parts of the world, increasing the potential for soil erosion (IPCC 2007). However, for other areas, such as the southwestern United States and southern Africa (which includes Malawi), lower precipitation and higher temperatures are projected (IPCC 2007; Walthall et al. 2012). These projected changes in climate (i.e., drier climate, droughts, and extreme events) could contribute to lower yields in this region (Auffhammer 2011; Lobell et al. 2011) and generate conditions that will decrease the potential for future food security in the region. Delgado et al. (2011) reported that due to a combination of challenges related to climate change, population growth, extreme weather events, depletion of water resources in key agricultural regions, and other global challenges, conservation practices will be key for climate change adaptation. For Malawi, achieving food security at…