{"id":38382,"date":"2026-09-03T19:33:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selfhelpafrica.org\/ie\/?p=38382"},"modified":"2026-09-03T19:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:33:26","slug":"supersized-el-nino-risks-african-farming-families-livelihoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selfhelpafrica.org\/ie\/supersized-el-nino-risks-african-farming-families-livelihoods\/","title":{"rendered":"Supersized\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o risks African farming families\u2019 livelihoods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
News that a \u2018supersized\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o could become one of the strongest in more than 70 years, and last until at least February 2027, is raising fears for rural farming communities across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Self Help Africa is working with smallholder families to ensure they are better prepared to deal with what\u2019s coming \u2013 promoting and providing training in climate-smart crops and farming practices, as well as access to more resilient and appropriate seeds and tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest update from the World Meteorological Organization<\/a>, published in September 2026, forecasts that El Ni\u00f1o will strengthen in the months ahead. The climate phenomenon can significantly disrupt rainfall and temperature patterns around the world, increasing the risk of floods, drought and extreme heat. This is terrible news for millions of small-scale farmers in Africa, who are already facing the growing impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said: “El Nino is being supersized before our eyes. The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Sea surface temperatures are rising, temperatures keep climbing, and the world is in the danger zone of extreme weather. The race now is between rising risks and our commitment to take climate action and protect people. We must win that race.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Africa is considered the continent most vulnerable to the effects of a changing climate, with eight of the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries located there. Around 65 per cent of Africa’s population depends on small-scale farming for their livelihoods, while the vast majority of the continent’s 33 million farms rely almost entirely on rainfall for water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When rains fail, arrive late or fall destructively hard, farmers can lose crops, livestock and vital income, risking their livelihoods and their communities\u2019 food and nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many farming families already living with the impacts of a changing climate, the prospect of more extreme weather highlights the urgent need for climate-resilient agriculture, better access to climate information and support to adapt food and livelihood systems to increasingly unpredictable weather.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" News that a \u2018supersized\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o could become one of the strongest in more than 70 years, and last until at least February 2027, is raising fears for rural farming communities across Africa. Self Help Africa is working with smallholder families to ensure they are better prepared to deal with … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":38383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[687,637],"tags":[68,183,1295,70,224,65,230],"class_list":["post-38382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-change","category-news","tag-agriculture","tag-climate-change","tag-el-nino-2","tag-farming","tag-food","tag-self-help-africa","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\n