Climate Sense

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dAptAtion

And

itigAtion

trAtegieS

ages and the loss of recreational areas such as beaches

through siltation, erosion or submergence

• Reduction of the buffer effect provided by coral reefs and

mangrove systems, which has increased the potential for

erosion.

Adaptation strategies in Kenya

In Kenya, a number of adaptation measures relating to

climate information services are currently in place or

planned. Some of the planned activities are designated

‘flagship projects’ in the First Medium-term Plan, which

covers the period 2008 to 2012 under the Kenya Vision

2030 programme.

Kenya Vision 2030 has identified three pillars crucial to

transforming the country into a modern, globally competi-

tive, middle income nation by the year 2030. The pillars

are: economic, social and political. Six sectors – including

agriculture and livestock – have been targeted under the

economic pillar to raise the national gross domestic product

growth rate to 10 per cent by the year 2012. Sectors such

as environment, water and sanitation have been identified

to drive the social pillar. Priority programmes and projects

have been identified to drive the whole process –some have

already been initiated, while others are in the pipeline.

An example of a current project is the government’s

efforts in the area of livestock farming. This type of farming

is mainly carried out in the semi-arid lands of Kenya where

climate variability is high and climate extremes are quite

prevalent. The government has recently invested resources

to rehabilitate the Kenya Meat Commission and procure

livestock from farmers in cases of prolonged drought. This

is a strategy designed to minimize the economic losses that

farmers experience when livestock die due to lack of water

and pasture – a situation becoming increasing common in

the country.

Another example involves the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands

(ASALs) of the country, which are currently underutilized

for agricultural purposes. In order to utilize these areas and

enhance food productivity, the government has allocated

resources to irrigate 600,000 to 1,000,000 hectares in the

ASALs. This is based on estimates that intensified irriga-

tion can increase agricultural productivity fourfold and thus

resulting income.

The quality of land in the country is suffering a general

decline due to, among other factors, unsustainable farming

practices and human induced climate change. Forests play

a crucial role in protecting water catchment areas, conserva-

tion of biodiversity and provision of forest products in the

country. One current flagship project envisages full rehabili-

tation of the five water towers in Kenya. The forest policy

is designed to promote sustainable management of the

forests to serve as water catchments, biodiversity conserva-

tion reservoirs, wildlife habitats and carbon sinks to reduce

carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

Collaborative adaptation projects

The Western Kenya Community-Driven Development and

Flood Mitigation (WKCDD/FM) project is being imple-

mented through the Office of the President with funds

The glaciers on Mount Kenya have shown a drastic decline in the face

of climate change. This is a very worrying trend, as the highlands act as

the source for many of the major rivers in the country. In turn, these

rivers are involved in significant activities such as hydroelectric power

generation. Reduction of water levels in the dams on these rivers has seen

regular rationing of power for both domestic and industrial use.

Climate change also manifests itself through sea-level rise, which has

already led to the destruction of infrastructure along the coastal parts of

Kenya. This has occurred in various ways, including:

• Rise in saline groundwater levels, causing flooding of shallowwells and

boreholes, and contaminating them

• Inundation of coastal wetlands and lowlands has led to disruption of

coastal freshwater distribution systems. This has resulted inwater short-

Temperature trends for Dagoretti, Nairobi, Kenya

Trend in annual minimum temperature (top); annual maximum temperature

(middle); temperature range (bottom)

Source: Kenya Meteorological Department