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(MONITOR UGANDA) 2010 could be more challenging for farmers

2010 could be more challenging for farmers
By EDWIN NUWAGABA (email the author)
Posted Wednesday, December 30 2009 at 00:00

In Summary

2009 was a terrible year for farmers due to inaccurate weather forecasts. A farmer needs accurate forecasts so he can know whether he needs to spray or not. If he sprays and it rains soon after, the chemicals will be washed away.

World over, climate change has been a burning issue. Scientists and environmentalists have scratched their heads, and as a result, we saw the Copenhagen summit take place, which unfortunately did not yield much as negotiators didn’t reach a deal.

Amidst this climate change panic, environmentalists say that if the world does not act, we might witness worse conditions. Uganda has not been an exception. We suffered droughts, floods and famine. Climate change is a reality which should be taken seriously by everyone, right from the top decision makers to the common man.

Paul Isabirye is the Programme Officer at the department of Meteorology/Climate Change Unit. He warns that the repercussions of climate change might get worse next year. “Climate change is worsening because we are going through the extremes. We are now experiencing El Nino which is associated with a lot of rainfall because of the abnormal warming in the Pacific Ocean,” he says.

He however says that this time, El Nino which started in April is not going to be as bad as that of 1977-1978. But to be on a safe side, Isabirye advises that in such periods, people need to make sure that their drainage systems are cleared. He is glad that the government this time was quick to react to the warnings climate change experts gave, and that is why we weren’t badly hit.

“For instance, the Ministry of Health stepped up their malaria campaign because of the earlier warnings we sent out,” he says. El Nino will last until February next year, and it is not known how bad it might get. Experts have warned people living in the mountains of potential landslides, meaning they may have to relocate. But because people living in these areas have nowhere else to go, they have not heeded these warnings. while there are serious concerns about climate change, Isabirye says that the Meteorology Department is not well-equipped. For instance, there are not enough rain gauges, and as a result, the metrological department cannot give proper weather forecasts.

“This means that the data we get as an input into the forecasts will be limited for us to give specific and accurate information to the different parts of the country,” he says. The good news however, is that more rain gauges have been installed under the Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture.

Impact of climate change

2009 was a terrible year for farmers due to inaccurate weather forecasts. A farmer needs accurate forecasts so he can know whether he needs to spray or not. If he sprays and it rains soon after, the chemicals will be washed away. Another environment expert and communication specialist on the environment and natural resources, Gaster Kiyingi, warns that if there are no mitigations measures put in place, we might even face a tougher 2010. “We got very dry seasons, and floods hit us bad, and if the current trends continue, it might get worse next year,” he says. One can realise the reality of climate change by taking a trip to Nakasongola, Kayunga and Kiboga districts where open and bare grounds have been increasingly seen. “Lake Kwania in Teso is gradually reducing in size while in Lake Kyoga, the levels of siltation are so high,” Kiyingi reveals.

Among the other effects of climate change this year, is the reduction of water levels in Lake Victoria, which led to the reduction of hydro power. “This affected investment because large scale industrial producers had to scale down and some small scale industries had to close down,” he says.

And while the water levels went down, the changes of land use around Lake Victoria were extremely dangerous. “Wetlands which are supposed to act as reservoirs and maintain the balance of water have been encroached on – and the government cannot sit back and say that there is nothing they can do,” he says. While town dwellers may not realise this, amongst the most hit sectors by climate change was agriculture.

The agriculture patterns this year have changed greatly which affected crop yield. “That is why currently, we are not able to supply maize to countries like Sudan and Kenya which in the past were dependant on Ugandan produce,” Kiyingi says. He adds that there have been many changes in pastoral lives, due to the scarcity of grass and water, all of which are blamed on climate change.

He says there was a reduction in bio diversity and a number of species could have died because of the unfavourable conditions. But there have been a few interventions to be thankful for. Some people have planted trees on hilltops, which might have been for economical purposes but in the end, the environment benefited as well. The conservation efforts by Uganda Wildlife Authority are also something to be happy about as this directly protects the environment.

It should be remembered that the government this year stepped out to ban reconditioned refrigerators but the problem with Uganda, Kiyingi says, is that rules and laws are put in place but never implemented.

He blames this on political intervention from time to time, and blames the failure to evict wetland encroachers on politicians who don’t want to hurt the feelings of their constituents. Reconditioned refrigerators are dangerous in that they produce carbon chrolofluorides which contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer that protects us from the sun’s rays. One second-hand refrigerator may not be harmful but if they are several, the effects cannot be measured.

To further show the extent to which climate change has affected us, Gaster says; “The number of malaria cases has slightly increased. In Kigezi, people never used to catch malaria but more people are now succumbing to the disease, which is alarming.”

Labels: AGRICULTURE, CLIMATE CHANGE, DENMARK

posted by MrK @ 9:47 AM