Climate

In the Guéra region of Chad, important arable land and other natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change. This sometimes leads to serious conflicts between nomadic herders and local peasants. This situation is to be improved through the multi-layered Triple Nexus approach.

Páramos are unique ecosystems in the Andean highlands, rich in biodiversity. However, as a result of climate change, intensive farming and livestock-raising activities, these areas are deteriorating, exposing the indigenous peasant families who depend on them to great vulnerability.

In Tanzania, SWISSAID uses agroecological methods to improve the living conditions of smallholder farming families. Thanks to local materials and biopesticides, farmers have been able to improve their harvests and thus increase their income. Women benefit from greater recognition and economic advantages.

As an expert in the fields of agroecology and gender equality, SWISSAID works in nine countries. On the ground and in close cooperation with local partners, we promote initiatives by people who are independently seeking a way out of poverty.

The hurricane that swept across East Africa at the beginning of May caused severe flooding. Around 5,000 people are affected in our project areas in Tanzania. SWISSAID is active on the ground and is providing people with emergency aid. We are distributing food, seeds and tools for the reconstruction of fish ponds, fields and houses.

Niger is particularly affected by climate change: heavy rainfall alternates with droughts. This fuels hunger. But not everywhere: one region has improved its living conditions with the help of SWISSAID. And in the long term.

26.9.23 | Hunger, climate change and agroecology are our core issues. In October, we are taking a closer look at these in the form of events, forums, meetings and publications, and are campaigning for sustainable and social agriculture throughout Switzerland. Many events will take place as part of the “Days of Agroecology”. An overview.

Heat, floods, desertification: The consequences of the climate crisis are being felt particularly strongly on the African continent. This is driving millions of people into poverty and flight. How SWISSAID’s work is creating hope together with the local population.

SWISSAID supports the Climate Protection Act. Poor countries in the South are particularly exposed to the consequences of global warming: The increasingly frequent droughts and heavy rainfall there are making people’s already precarious living conditions more difficult. With a YES vote on June 18, Switzerland commits to achieving the net zero emissions target by 2050 and thus takes a step towards greater climate justice.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for immediate action. It underlines that climate risks and their impacts are occurring sooner and are greater than previously assumed. The 1.5 degree target can hardly be achieved if no effective measures and decisions are taken.

Swissaid is committed to ensuring that Switzerland continues to reduce its high per capita CO2 emissions and that it proactively tackles the net-zero emissions target. As a rich and innovative country, Switzerland could set a shining example in this area and thus send a clear signal for climate justice.

Industrialized countries are primarily responsible for climate change, but it is mainly the populations of the South who suffer. Niger is particularly hard hit. In an interview, Sonja Tschirren, SWISSAID’s Climate Officer, explains the reasons for this situation, how bleak the outlook is, and what responsibility Switzerland must shoulder.

The Baiga tribe is a community living in central India. The loss of forest areas – their main resource for centuries – as well as the climate crisis, has made them very vulnerable. In recent years, learning agroecology has allowed them to develop new means of survival in harmony with nature and adapted to climate change.

In recent years, poverty and inequality have been on the rise again in Nicaragua. In rural Terrabona, one of the poorest regions of the country, the food security is threatened. The challenges of adapting agriculture to climatic changes are great and the opportunities of the population are few. Agroecology shows smallholder families a way out of the impasse. 

28.2.22 | The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is releasing the second part of its climate report today. It takes stock of the situation and the prospects for climate change. SWISSAID is particularly attentive to this report since the health of the planet has a direct influence on the health of rural populations in the South.

12.11.2021 | Today, COP26 in Glasgow comes to an end. While we wait for the outcome of the negotiations, Ibrahim Hamadou, a staff member of SWISSAID Niger, gives his perspective. He reports from an African country that has been suffering the consequences of climate change for many years.

Climate extremes, the loss of natural resources and pandemics are shaking up our food systems. What do practical solutions look like so that we can continue to nourish ourselves in the future? In the webinar on 9 March, SWISSAID discussed the urgently needed paradigm shift in our food systems.

The year 2020 was marked by uncertainty and concern – for Mariana Hortas as well. But despite the difficult circumstances, the Ecuadorian is optimistic about the future. Thanks to agroecology, she has reason for hope for herself and her family.

The 17 SDGs, also known as Agenda 2030, commit the international community to making its contribution to a fairer and less poor world. SWISSAID is working actively and energetically to achieve some of these goals.

The right materials to hand, the necessary knowledge in their heads: with a little support, smallholder families in the Ecuadorian Andes can find their own way out of destitution. Once organised in water committees, they can protect their valuable water reserves for the long term – and thus also arm themselves against climate change.