africa

Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
improve resource use rights (including land and grazing rights), protect and bolster
resources that are threatened by degradation (through, for example, conservation
agriculture), and promote improved resource management strategies for existing
resources (such as rainwater harvesting or commercial destocking). Other successful
initiatives to protect natural resources have included early warning systems,
long-term education, community-based conservation, and management programs
(Bett, 2011; World Bank, 2009).
Building social networks. Disintegrating social networks have resulted in an erosion
of traditional coping mechanisms, rising ethnic strife, and a breakdown in the
structure of acknowledged means of resolving conflicts. People are better able to
adapt to challenges when they have strong social networks and make decisions in
a way that involves others. When faced with uncertainty and mounting stress on
the structure of societal relationships, individuals become increasingly fatalistic and
lack a broader, realistic vision of the future.
Discriminatory attitudes toward women also result in a systemic undervaluation of
women’s role in agriculture and other income generating activities, so that women
lack access to needed resources and to positions of importance in political structures.
While there are many constraints on social resilience in Africa, traditional
coping mechanisms must be recognized and strengthened. The need to impart
new mindsets, skills, and facilitation mechanisms is also important in achieving
food security (Fan and others, 2014).
Maintaining diversity in genetic resources. Diversity has been fundamental to
farmers’ ability to cope with different forms and degrees of risk and uncertainty. A
diversity of crops is more stable: though one may fail, others may not. A diversity
of farming techniques allows farmers to cope with differences in local environments
and the seasonality that is a part of life. A diversity of productive assets has
been crucial to farmers; variety in breeds of crops and animals, each adapted to
different conditions, helps ensure their survival. In addition, encouraging diversity
means recognizing that agriculture serves many functions: providing food for the
family, contributing to community nutrition and health, and providing a variety of
livelihoods. Moreover, diversity plays a crucial role in defining people’s identity and
culture (World Bank, 2013).
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