Adaptation is ... Managing climate risk in South Africa's Western Cape
Abstract
This is one of a series of brief project profiles which provide insights into the kinds of challenges Africans face in adapting to climate change, and the strategies they are testing with research supported by the CCAA program. The profiles are based on interviews with CCAA staff and research team members, local officials, and community members involved in or affected by the research.
Fruit production in the Western Cape is a critical source of jobs and revenue. The region is struggling with competing demands for water from farmers, industry, and a growing urban population. Climate change scenarios consistently predict even less rainfall in this already arid region. A diverse team of researchers, led by the University of the Free State, is working in the Western Cape to give planners and farmers access to improved climate information and a range of options to help them prepare for a water-scarce future. The research team will use an integrated modelling approach - one that combines climate change scenarios, a hydrological model, and an economic model to analyse and suggest the most practical and efficient ways of sharing water.
Citation
International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada, 4 pp.
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