East Africa will face both crop gains and losses as a result of climate change, but food security is an achievable goal if new farming technologies are embraced, says a study.

The research, published in Agricultural Systems this month (3 November), predicts that yields of staples like maize and beans will double in the region's highland areas as a result of rising temperatures, as warmer climates make crops mature faster.

But the reverse is likely to occur in both drier and more humid areas, with crop harvests decreasing significantly in these places. Four areas projected to have "statistically significant" yield reductions of 20 per cent or more by 2050 are coastal Kenya, northeast and northwest Tanzania and central Uganda.

Only by adapting its agricultural systems will the region be able to absorb the impacts of climate change, says Carlos Seré, director-general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya.

Click here to download pdf of article from Science and Development Network