Climate change threatens agricultural production across sub-Saharan Africa, where most farmers rely on rainfall. A study by researchers at the University of Göttingen and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre shows that Ghanaian cocoa farmers who cultivate cocoa under shade trees – a practice known as agroforestry – are better able to withstand periods of reduced rainfall. However, the study also finds that these benefits are confined to Ghana’s wetter regions, which have a climate that better suits growing cocoa. In drier regions, where water is already scarce, the researchers find no significant advantages of agroforestry in maintaining yields during times of less rainfall. The results were published in the journal Agricultural Systems.

A research team from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS) has produced the first continent-wide map of tree-ring oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁸O_TR) in Asia. Published in National Science Review, the study provides a comprehensive new perspective of how atmospheric circulation, rainfall isotopes, and topography shape the isotopic fingerprints of trees—offering new opportunities for understanding past climate changes and tracing wood origins.

The world’s farms could become one of the most powerful tools in the fight against climate change according to a new international study led by QUT.