Community-based adaptation to climate change in Africa: a typology of information and institutional requirements for promoting uptake of existing adaptation technologies

The global phenomenon of climate change constitutes major threats to Africa (IPCC, 2007). Although the impact of climate change is global, for various reasons including the state of preparedness of the continent, it has been estimated that Africa will be most vulnerable to climate change (Arnell, 2004 and IPCC, 2007). The impacts of climate change in the continent are manifested in various forms including extreme weather patterns, prolonged droughts, flash floods, decline in crop productivity and loss of livestock due to droughts, resurgence of malaria in highland areas, water and pasture scarcities leading to conflicts. The challenges in capacity and the availability of resources and the existence of a high dependence on natural resources increase the risks and uncertainties to livelihoods of the rural poor, as the natural resource base becomes more vulnerable to the vagaries of climatic changes (Denton et al., 2000)