Agricultural research and development is crucial for improving Africa's farm produce by adopting "climate-smart" practices, using a variety of crops and planting techniques to cope with climate changes, while ensuring that research addresses what farmers actually need and is cost-effective, Professor Sunday Ojo Adigbo, a distinguished member of the Department of Plant Physiology and Crop Production at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun States, Nigeria, tells Sputnik Africa.
"Research in crop production can actually influence the resilience of African agriculture to climate variability via crop intensification and diversification. By diversification, I mean, having to use different crop species and different crop variety; combination of it against climate variability […]. Intensification simply means having more crops on a specific land," Adigbo remarks.
Additionally, Dr. Edamisan Stephen Ikuemonisan, a distinguished lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, in Ondo State, Nigeria, talks about the impact of climate variability on Africa's food security, the challenges faced by smallholder farmers, and the importance of integrating climate information into agricultural practices and policies to enhance productivity and achieve sustainable food systems.
To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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