UGANDA, January 6th (AMSP/CGTN) – – East Africa is bracing for drier weather in the first quarter of the new year. Global and regional organizations are warning that the change will affect food security in the region. And with irregular patterns becoming ever more common, officials are pleading with governments to adapt.
In Madi-Okollo, North West of Uganda, a farmer by the name of Julius Drani Kizito practices irrigation farming to avoid climate shocks. This area is among the worst hit by climate-change, and experiences high temperatures and dry spells. Kizito depended on rainwater before, but the unpredictable weather affected his yields.
“The rain maybe for two or three days and you think it could go on for more than a week, then all of a sudden the rain just stops and it begins to shine and go on for one month. Then within one month without rain the crop begins to wither,” he told CGTN.
The FAO and IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) predict Uganda and the rest of the region will suffer crop failures due to abnormally high temperatures.
The unpredictable rains have forced Kizito to buy new farmland down this valley where he can pump water from the swamp to water his crops. He’s also switched to growing vegetables that take a shorter time to mature, providing food on the table and an income all year round.
Kizito is now reaping harvests even during the dry spells because his field is always watered. “In case of dry season I bring the pump to the valley and take the water, and if it’s not there like today the rain was there. So it made my work easy in that the quality of the crops I get from my field is ever constant,” he disclosed.
The forecast shows temperatures may go as high as 32 degrees Celsius and likely produce worse climate conditions like pests and diseases. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says farmers need to build resilient agriculture technologies similar to Kizito’s.
“The climate is changing, farmers need to prepare and adapt to the changing climate and this requires understanding the crop, understanding the climate, understanding the soil and the overall ecosystem,” said Antonio Querido, FAO Country Representative.
IGAD’S Climate Prediction and Applications Center of says more than 664 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa by the end of November.
Farmers like Kizito are safe for now, but the climatic changes could potentially spark off a food crisis in the region
affecting millions who depend on Agriculture for a living.
amsp/cgtn-abp
CGTN