Climate change and its impacts in Southern Africa

Approximately 30% of the whole SADC region is exposed to a variety of climate hazards and their combinations. High growing season temperatures are the most prevalent (10% of area). The occurrence of multiple hazards simultaneously in ~9% of the hazards affected area underscores the complexity of climate risks that agricultural producers are projected to experience as a result of climate change. In absolute terms, the greatest exposure to climate hazards is found in the maize mixed farming system (114 million ha), followed by agro-pastoral areas (61 million ha). In these two systems alone, approximately 44 million rural people, and 18 billion USD in production value per year are exposed to climate hazards. Growing season reductions, high temperatures, and drought account for most of the value and people exposed to hazards in these systems.