Recent possible agriculture techniques for supporting climate resilient crops in Africa

Abstract

Traditional farming methods are at the forefront of enhancing the climate resilience of African crops through sustainable means. Although traditional African crop cultivation practices can adapt to a changing climate and are the most important way of improving climate resilience and, they are still not well known. This review explores ways to improve climate-resilient crop production in Africa, focusing on environmentally friendly agricultural practices that mitigate the impact of climate change on food security and smallholder agro-systems. The most prominent methods considered were: agroforestry; conservation agriculture (minimum tillage, crop rotation, cover cropping); precision agriculture (remote sensing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and geographic information systems (GIS)); drought and pest resistance breeding (traditional and molecular); and optimal water management (drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting). Climate-resilient practices improve soil health and water efficiency, enhancing crop yields in conditions of climatic stress. Agroforestry and conservation agriculture enhance biodiversity and carbon sequestration, while precision farming allows for data-driven decision-making. However, the uptake of these solutions is hindered by high costs, limited infrastructure, and insufficient policy support. Scaling these solutions requires farmer education, participatory research, and public-private partnerships. This review offers a global, long-term approach to food security in a changing climate.