Overview of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Scientific, Political and Financial Landscape in West Africa - Fisheries Sub-Sector B.O. Omitoyin, R. Zougmoré, A. Jalloh

Current status of the Fisheries Sub-Sector Fish production status Livelihoods Fish consumed by >half of 290 million people Total number of jobs over 5,600,000 while direct jobs over 1, 800,000 million Aquaculture is still at developing stage in West Africa Fish production in West Africa. Adapted from FAO Fishstat 2010

Climate change is projected to impact broadly across ecosystems, societies and economies Total landings of 14 West African countries to fall by about 8% percent and 26 % from EEZs of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Togo, Nigeria and Sierra Leone will experience >50 percent reductions in landings Changes in the composition, production, and seasonality of plankton and fish populations Reduction in floodplain zones as a result of lowered precipitation The total landed value was estimated to drop from US$732m to US$577m between 2000 and 2050 for the high emission scenario Niger River flow fell by 30% (1971 and 1989); those of the Senegal and Gambia Rivers fell by almost 60% Impact on aquaculture – flooding & drought Climate Projections-Socio Economic & Environment Impacts by 2050

Poor policy and institutional frameworks Capacity building and trainings Communication gaps among stakeholders Research and development Cultural practices Poor infrastructure development Conflicts – Resource control Cost of adaptation Bottlenecks

Aquaculture promotion to increase fish production lower carbon footprint in human diet BMP- Conduct for Responsible Fisheries build resilience to the effects of climate change Fisherfolks and fish farmers should be provided reliable climate information to guide management of scarce resources to safeguard their investment Integrate fisheries with agriculture Messages and Recommendations for Fisheries Sector

Research for CSA should be based on IAR4D for sustainability Put in place human and institutional capacity necessary to deal with a range of outcomes Policies in capacity building on sustainable fisheries techniques as regards CC vulnerability and mitigation must include Gender Mainstreaming Strengthening of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), private sectors, NGO’s in decision making for CSA in West Africa is advocated Climate risk insurance system for fisheries and aquaculture sector should be put in place Messages and Recommendations for Fisheries Sector Cont.’