The Mountains ADAPT: Solutions from East Africa booklet showcases adaptation solutions proven to be successful in response to specific issues caused or accelerated by climate change that negatively affect mountain communities’ livelihoods and ecosystems. The publication includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda.
The event brought together 31 participants including representatives from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, the members of the Climate Change Technical Working Group (CCTWG) from the partner states and other key stakeholders from East Africa, and suggested establishing an East Africa Mountains Stakeholder Platform under the EAC.
Implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the 'Support for Sustainable Food Production and Enhancement of Food Security and Climate Resilience in Burundi's Highlands' project adopts an integrated natural resource management (INRM) approach to enhance food security in the north-western highlands of Burundi.
The main objective of this solution, launched in 2018, is to ensure farmers' continued access to clean water for irrigation through the development of irrigation systems in selected locations in the Atari Basin in Uganda. This is with the purpose of addressing the negative effects of climate change and improving the production and productivity of farming communities.
The Strengthening Climate Resilience of Rural Communities project, commonly known as the Green Gicumbi Project, was launched in 2019 in northern Rwanda as a six-year project to promote climate change resilience in the area. Following an integrated landscape management model, it will help restore and enhance degraded watershed ecosystems and promote sustainable management of forest resources.
In Same district, located in the Makanya Basin in Tanzania, farmers have been using a traditional irrigation technique known as Ndiva, a local word meaning micro-dam. This water harvesting technology has been in use since the 18th century, but agrarian communities in the district continue to improve it to capture water to irrigate their farms during dry spells and to adapt to current challenges.