This book chapter from 'Climate change - realities, impacts over ice cap, sea level and risks' (ed. Singh, B. R.) argues that although many institutions across sub-Saharan Africa are engaged in initiatives targeted towards adapting rainfed agriculture to climate change, this also presents complex research and policy challenges. Given the generally low impact of agricultural research across the region on improving the welfare of rainfed farmers, a comprehensive strategy is required if the considerably more complex challenge of adapting agriculture to future climate change is to successful. The chapter provides a brief assessment of the complexities and challenges and describes the research approach to address these challenges. The authors conclude that to ensure that African researches have strong research capabilities, there needs to be investments in: ways to improve access to information; ways to enhance research capacity; and ways to enhance the impact of the research undertaken.