This paper aims to review the status of gender inclusivity in agriculture and natural resources management in sub-Saharan Africa under the changing climate. Gender inclusivity is a critical dimension in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of the changing climate since climate change is not gender-neutral. It has been widely documented that gender-differentiated roles, knowledge and preferences among various gender groups differ. Therefore, harnessing the differences in response to the changing climate is pivotal in mitigating and adapting to the adverse impacts. However, gender inclusivity in agriculture and natural resources management in the region has not been reviewed. The paper, consequently, reviews and provides useful insights on the status among smallholder farmers and informs future efforts aimed at harnessing gender inclusivity in the face of climate change. It serves as an informative and reliable reference for developing effectual mitigation and adaptation strategies in agriculture and natural resource management.

Over the years, the practice of agriculture has transformed from the era of traditional to that of intensive agriculture in the bid to boost the production index that will satisfy the food needs of the globally growing population. However, the continuous and exaggerated use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has resulted in major adverse impacts on food and environmental safety, whereas most traditional techniques for reclamation of natural soil nutrients, including shifting cultivation and polyculture, are no longer attractive measures of land rejuvenation. There is, therefore, the need for urgent evaluation and adoption of innovative methods of replenishing the agricultural soils that conform to the current agricultural systems without exerting undesirable effects on the ecosystem. In this review, we elucidated the use of key bioresources, such as organic fertilizers, biofertilizers, and biopesticides, as alternatives to chemical-based products in attaining a safe and sustainable agricultural system. Bioresources are naturally available, safe, and easily accessible products. The potential of these biological products in fostering soil microbial growth, plants’ productivity, and induced host immunity to diseases, alongside the promotion of healthy soil–microbe–plant relationships and preservation of the ecosystem processes without disruption, are aspects that were also explored. Therefore, the productive use of bioresources is considered strategic as it pertains to attaining safe and sustainable food production.

In the wake of climate change, climate-smart agriculture has been proposed as an option for mitigation and adaptation to the attendant harsh impacts among smallholder farmers in Africa. The approach has been promoted for nearly two decades in Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi, but with low adoption among farmers. This study therefore sought to determine the pathways for sustainable scaling of climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices in the three countries. Secondary and primary data were obtained from desk review, field survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate probit regression. The multivariate probit regression result showed eight negative correlated coefficients between the climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices adopted, thus implying that the practices are substitutes for each other. It was observed that gender had no significant influence on the adoption of a set of practices (refuse retention, minimum tillage, green manure, and mulching) but influenced significantly the adoption of early maturing varieties. Implicitly, therefore, apart from gender, the adoption of climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices might often be due to other factors.

This paper reviews the progress in climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in sub-Saharan Africa farming systems. Farmers, organizations and Governments in the region have developed policies and innovations to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. It appears that the developed and implemented innovative adaptive farming systems and technologies have culminated into resultant overall productivity improvement in farming systems, necessitating scaling up in order to widely strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities to the impacts of climate change. Additionally, climate governance instruments that are aligned to the ratified international treaties have been developed and related programs have been rolled out in different countries. This offers hope for well-coordinated efforts and interventions for the mitigation and adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change on the environment and livelihoods. Observably, there is a pressing need to scale up climate smart innovations sustainably through creation of an enabling policy environment, capacity building, and conducting climate change related research and outreach, and effective dissemination of climate technologies and information, especially in remote areas in the region. Since climate change is a global issue, local initiatives and actions for mitigating and adapting to the adverse impacts ought to be well integrated into the broader international context.

The effects of climate change are threatening the stability of smallholder farmers in Malawi. As such, most farmers are receptive to adaptive strategies such as increased adoption of drought-tolerant crops like sorghum. Here smallholders provide insight into the long-term impacts of climate change, and related field research examines nutrient management within a new grain legume-sorghum cropping system offering food security and climate resilience.

Integrated soil fertility management was promoted on-farm during the 2018/2019 cropping season in Thyolo, Phalombe, Mulanje and Zomba districts of southern Malawi, in purposively selected extension planning areas (EPAs). Sixty farmers, fifteen from each district were involved. Trials were established in farmers’ fields with smallholder farms as replicates and extension EPAs as blocks. The following were the treatments; Maize + 92 kg N ha^-1 + 46 kg of P ha^-1; Maize + 3 tons of compost manure ha^-1; and Maize + 46 kg N ha^-1 + 23 kg P ha^-1 + 1.5 tons of compost manure. Grain yield data were collected at harvest. The data were analyzed in Genstat Discovery Edition 4 and were subjected to ANOVA at 95% level of confidence. Means were separated by the least significant difference (LSD_0.05). No significant differences (>0.05) in Maize grain yields were observed between the treatment with Maize + 46 kg N ha^-1 + 23 kg P ha^-1 + 1.5 tons of compost manure and the treatment with Maize + 92 kg N ha^-1 + 46 kg of P ha^-1 in all the districts. Maize grain yields were significantly lower in plots treated with the full rate of manure (3 tons of compost manure ha^-1) in Thyolo, Mulanje and Zomba district. Higher maize grain yields were registered in Phalombe (3,867-4,838 kg ha^-1), followed by Thyolo (1,764-2,374 kg ha^-1) and Zomba (740-1,120 kg ha^-1). The trials confirmed that applying a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizer to maize, increase grain yields.