6 Exposure Datasets
In the context of climate risk, exposure refers to the presence of people, assets, ecosystems, or other systems that could be affected by climate hazards. Following IPCC definitions, exposure is about “what is in harm’s way” rather than the sensitivity or adaptive capacity of the system. It captures the spatial distribution and extent of assets or populations that may experience climate-related events, such as extreme rainfall, drought, or heatwaves, and is a key component in assessing potential climate impacts and risks.
6.1 Crop
This dataset provides subnational estimates of the Value of Production (VoP), crop production (kg/ha), and harvested area (ha) for major crops across Sub-Saharan Africa. It is based on a version of MapSpam adapted for the African Agricultural Adaptation Atlas using 2020 production numbers. VoP was calculated by combining national FAOSTAT production, price, and value data with SPAM gridded crop production rasters, disaggregated by farming system (subsistence, low, high, irrigated). National VoP is spatially allocated to raster surfaces to show where economic value is concentrated, producing outputs in nominal USD per pixel. These rasters highlight the distribution of crop production value across space and farming systems, supporting assessments of economic exposure to climate hazards and informing adaptation planning.
6.1.1 Units Table
| Variable | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| harv-area_ha | Harvested area | hectares (ha) |
| phys-area_ha | Physical production | tonnes (t) |
| yield | Yield per area | kg/ha |
| vop_nominal-usd-2021 | Value of Production | nominal USD 2021 |
| vop_nominal-usd-2020 | Value of Production | nominal USD 2020 |
| vop_nominal-usd-2015 | Value of Production | nominal USD 2015 |
| vop_intld15 | Value of Production | international dollars 2015 |
6.2 Livestock
This dataset provides subnational estimates of the Value of Production (VoP) and population of key livestock species (cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry) across Sub-Saharan Africa. VoP was calculated by combining gridded livestock population data (GLW4) with national-level FAOSTAT production, price, and value data, adjusted using World Bank exchange rates and purchasing power parity (PPP) statistics. The national VoP is spatially distributed to raster surfaces according to livestock densities and further split between highland and tropical zones. Outputs include VoP rasters in both constant USD and international dollars, livestock counts per species, and derived indicators such as sheep-to-goat proportions, all aligned to the Atlas standard raster for compatibility with other datasets.
6.2.1 Livestock Units Table
| Variable | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| number_n | Livestock count per pixel | head |
| vop_intld15-2015 | Value of Production | international dollars 2015 |
| vop_intld15-2020 | Value of Production | international dollars 2020 |
| vop_intld15-2021 | Value of Production | international dollars 2021 |
| vop_nominal-usd-2015 | Value of Production | nominal USD 2015 |
| vop_nominal-usd-2020 | Value of Production | nominal USD 2020 |
| vop_nominal-usd-2021 | Value of Production | nominal USD 2021 |
6.3 Human Population
This dataset provides subnational estimates of rural population across Africa. It is based on WorldPop 2020, with population divided into rural, urban, and total categories. Urban and rural areas are masked using the unconstrained global WorldPop mosaic, and African populations are further refined using Africapolis data.