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The economic implications of extreme climate changes are found to impact sub-Saharan Africa negatively. This study aimed to analyze projected changes in length of rainy season (LRS), and rainfall extreme indices at the Vea catchment, Ghana. The analysis was performed using high-resolution simulated rainfall data from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model under moderate greenhouse gas emission scenario for the period 2020–2049 relative to the 1981–2010 period. LRS was computed from the difference between rainfall onset and cessation dates, and its trends were assessed using Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. Annual rainfall intensity and frequency indices were computed. Results showed an increase in mean LRS from 168 to 177 days, which was at a rate of 1 day/year in the future (2020–2049). The LRS increase would be more significant at northern and south-western parts of the catchment. Rainfall intensity and frequency indices are projected to increase at spatial scale across the catchment. Projected changes in rainfall extremes could increase the frequency and intensity of drought and flood events. Thus, it is necessary to integrate suitable climate change adaptation measures such as rainwater harvesting, flood control measures, and development of early warning systems in the planning process by decision-makers at the catchment. HIGHLIGHTS The spatio-temporal changes in length of rainy season and rainfall extreme indices were analyzed under moderate greenhouse gas emission scenario for the vea catchment.; High resolution regional climate model was employed in this study.; Rainfall intensity and frequency indices are projected to increase at the spatial scale across the catchment.; Mann–Kendall test, onset and cessation of rainfall were used for the data analsysis.

Learning outcomes The Farmcrowdy case pursues the following aims: familiarizing students with the concept of business models for agricultural businesses and explaining the key decisions and activities within a business model; recognizing different opportunities for business model innovation by farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector; identifying concepts and tools from the business world that can be used in farming and other agribusiness-related ventures; highlighting opportunities for agribusiness firms to engage in business model innovation; and developing a business model canvas that highlights key components of a business model. Case overview/synopsis Agriculture stands as the leading driver of economies in most African countries. Most people depend on this sector directly or indirectly for their livelihoods on a daily basis. However, due to challenges like climate change and its variability, high initial startups capital, poor pricing, pest attacks, among other factors, people are gradually opting out of this sector. This has implications for employment, food and human security issues for farmers, their families and the society at large. Individual farmers that opt to remain in this sector are often met with challenges accessing technology in adapting to the challenges aforementioned. This decreases their resilience to the impact of climate change and its variability, pest and disease attack, securing loans to expand farming operations, among others. This raises the risks associated with investment in this sector as one cannot be assured of a fixed return on investment at the end of each crop cycle. Investors who opted to manage this risk associated with investment in the agriculture sector had challenges getting an official database of farmers to invest in as well as knowing whether individual farmers are experienced enough and committed to fixed agreements. It is against this backdrop that Onyeka Akumah founded Farmcrowdy in Nigeria with the aim of empowering farmers and connecting investors to right farmers with an assured return on investment at the end of every crop growing or animal-rearing season using online technological packages. The Farmcrowdy business model allowed Nigerians to venture into farming and other agricultural ventures at the touch of a button while empowering local farmers and boosting food production, creating employment for all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain. With ensuing challenges and competitors in the agro-technological industry, Farmcrowdy aims at extending their business model to other West African countries like Ghana. A few suggestions are made to help improve Farmcrowdy business model. First, they can add novel activities to the business model. Second, they can change one or more parties that perform business model activities. Finally, they can link business model activities in new ways like the development of model farms as a training ground for new farmers and the development of a go-back-to nature campaign to end-users of the products from farms. This case can be used by different audiences. The case can be used for teaching students at the graduate level, especially in the development of executive courses on innovation and entrepreneurship, strategy, agricultural technology and innovation. A wealth of supporting materials is available to the Professor, including videos and background information. Complexity academic level PhD, Doctor of Business Administration, Executive MBA Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship

The fisheries sector is a vital source of overseas exchange and income for the financial and social advancement needs in most part of the world. However, challenges like the low level of research and education on the prospects of this sector to front-runners, business-oriented financiers across the Sub-region has contributed to low investment and development of this sector. Giving the prospects this sector presents, Climate Change (CC) impacts may compromise the Coastal Zone's (CZ) ability to deliver benefits derived from fisheries resources. This study seeks to characterize the trend of artisanal and industrial fisheries catches in The Gambia from 1986-2016 with projected trends to the year 2025. The study will further estimate the effects of climate change on the productivity of fisheries resources in River Gambia and; estimate the effects of climate change on shrimp yield on the sheltered coast of The Gambia to the year 2100. The results of the study reveal industrial fishery catches is decreasing at 534 MT annually over the period 1968- 2014. This observed negative trend is predicted to decrease from 4,770 MT in 2014 to 66.7 MT by the year 2025. The artisanal fisheries sector, contrariwise, revealed a positive trend of 1,611 MT per annum from 1986-2016. It is predicted this trend will increase from 58,261.6 MT in 2016 to 70,651.8 MT by the year 2025; this relates to an increase of approximately 21%. By the year 2100, there will be a potential increase of sustainable shrimp yield in The Gambia by 46%, while the productivity of the River Gambia in support of fisheries resources will increase by 13%. This result reveals that by the end of this century, The Gambia maritime space, and its river framework, will continue to be productive in the support of shrimp and other artisanal fisheries resources under the anticipated impacts of CC on the CZ.

Coastal systems are predominantly delicate to three key drivers related to Climate Change (CC): Sea Level Rise (SLR); ocean temperature and; ocean acidity. This study focused on the impacts realized from SLR. These variables are anticipated to increase with significant threats to the populace and structures of social, cultural or economic importance along Coastal Zones (CZ). This study seeks to: characterize the trend of annual rainfall, minimum and maximum temperatures from 1986- 2016; estimate the land at-risk of being lost to inundation under a 1m SLR scenario and the estimation of the rate of annual land loss for each coastal cell in The Gambia. This study estimates the monetary value of land to be lost and the population at risk of CC impacts in the study area. The results of the study reveal mean annual rainfall increased at a rate of 0.237mm per annum over the CZ. The annual minimum temperature showed a decreasing trend of 0.026℃ while the maximum temperature showed an increasing trend of 0.028℃ annually. By the end of this century, under a 1m SLR scenario, the total land to be lost due to inundation is ~12.46 km2 (1,246 ha) with a corresponding economic loss of ~US $788 Million (GMD37 Billion) over the CZ. This land loss is predicted to occur at an approximate rate of 6m annually along the CZ of The Gambia. Over 15,560 people per km2 of land are estimated to be at risk of coastal flooding events in the study area.

This study examined the trends in annual rainfall and temperature extremes over the Vea catchment for the period 1985&ndash, 2016, using quality-controlled stations and a high resolution (5 km) Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data. The CHIRPS gridded precipitation data&rsquo, s ability in reproducing the climatology of the catchment was evaluated. The extreme rainfall and temperature indices were computed using a RClimdex package by considering seventeen (17) climate change indices from the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Monitoring Indices (ETCCDMI). Trend detection and quantification in the rainfall (frequency and intensity) and temperature extreme indices were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann&ndash, Kendall (MK) test and Sen&rsquo, s slope estimator. The results show a very high seasonal correlation coefficient (r = 0.99), Nash&ndash, Sutcliff efficiency (0.98) and percentage bias (4.4% and &minus, 8.1%) between the stations and the gridded data. An investigation of dry and wet years using Standardized Anomaly Index shows 45.5% frequency of drier than normal periods compared to 54.5% wetter than normal periods in the catchment with 1999 and 2003 been extremely wet years while the year 1990 and 2013 were extremely dry. The intensity and magnitude of extreme rainfall indices show a decreasing trend for more than 78% of the rainfall locations while positive trends were observed in the frequency of extreme rainfall indices (R10mm, R20mm, and CDD) with the exception of consecutive wet days (CWD) that shows a decreasing trend. A general warming trend over the catchment was observed through the increase in the annual number of warm days (TX90p), warm nights (TN90p) and warm spells (WSDI). The spatial distribution analysis shows a high frequency and intensity of extremes rainfall indices in the south of the catchment compared to the middle and northern of part of the catchment, while temperature extremes were uniformly distributed over the catchment.

Global Climate Change is one of the dire challenges facing the international community today. Coastal zones are vulnerable to its impacts. An effective approach with long-term prospects in addressing climate change impacts is it’s mainstreaming into development agenda of sectoral policies. A comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessment is a pre-requisite to ensure that the right adaptive response is taken for effective integration into developmental plans. The objective of this study is to evaluate and prioritize risks, vulnerability and adaptation issues of current and anticipated impacts of climate change on the coastal zone of The Gambia. The study will also give a methodological contribution for assessing risks, vulnerability and adaptation from the sub-national to local levels. The relevance of this study will be to create a link between the sub-national and local levels in order to facilitate the integration and mainstreaming of climate change into sectoral and local policies for more climate-resilient communities. This will aid in the promotion of strategic investment of constrained developmental resources to actualize successfully dynamic coping strategies, elude ‘maladaptation’ and less compelling responsive measures. A purposive expert sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for the study. The findings of the study reveal that by the end of the 21st century, the climatic variables likely to have the highest impact on the coastal zone of The Gambia are ‘increased flood severity’ and ‘increased temperature’. The coastal zone of The Gambia showed a high vulnerability to these climate change variables. The suggested adaptive response in addressing the impacts of increased flood intensity in the study area includes; improving regulations for restricting agriculture and livestock grazing activities to improve land cover; strengthening of early-warning systems, among others. The suggested adaptive response in addressing the increase in temperature includes: increase crop diversification and rotation to reduce total crop failure; switching to drought-tolerant crop and animal species, among others.