Excerpt and Photo from capitalradiomalawi.com
As world leaders and experts gather at COP29 to address climate resilience and adaptation, we shine a spotlight on Dr Fenet Belay, a Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) scholar, from Ethiopia. Rsif is the flagship program of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET), managed by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) as the Regional Coordination Unit.
Dr Belay focuses on the critical struggles faced by smallholder farmers in Southwest and Central Ethiopia. Her work reveals how the extreme Coefficient of Variability (CV) in rainfall in Central Ethiopia severely hinders these farmers’ ability to adapt to climate shifts.
Rainfall unpredictability in this region disrupts crop yields and food security, illustrating the urgency of climate solutions that support the world’s most vulnerable agricultural communities. Dr Belay’s findings underscore the pressing need for resilient strategies tailored to smallholder farmers, a theme at the forefront of this year’s COP agenda.