Principal Secretary for Natural Resources Yanira Mtupanyama has said climate change has affected crop and livestock production in countries along Zambezi River Basin.
Mtupanyama said this in Lilongwe yesterday at the opening of a workshop on the role of digital technology in adaptation agriculture in Zambezi River Basin.
According to Mtupanyama, advances in digital technology for early detection of adverse effects of climate change would help countries invest in strategies that minimize their impact.
She said agriculture and climate change were indispensable to the economic prosperity of Zambezi River Basin countries.
”Fresh to our minds are the cyclones, floods and the dry spells that just hit many sadc[Southern African Development Community] region countries this rainy season, from which we are still recovering or are indeed yet to recover.”
”Proper adaptation to climate change, therefore, calls for proper studies on adaptation pathways, knowledge management and learning,” she said.
International Water Management Institute economist Greenwell Matchaya said the main objective of the training was to make people understand the role of digital technology in climate adaptation.
He said, in the southern region, they are focusing on Zambezi basin as they look at how digital technology can be used to enhance adaptation to climate change.
According to Matchaya, the theory is that if people could see tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, they could predict weather patterns very well.
The training has been funded by the International Water Management Institute and the Global Centre on Adaptation and the African Development Bank.
Zambezi River Basin has such countries such as Malawi, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique.
Source: The Daily Times_April 22, 2022_By Emmanuel Simpokolwe