Very true indeed fermers need to understand about climate change and have the knowledge which I believe will help them no what to plant at certain season …
Q1. In my own understanding climate change is the change of weather pattern in a certain area for a short or a long period of time due to a number of contributing factors such as burning, emitting of gas from factories, mines among other things that emit bad gasses.
Q2. Climate change has greatly affected is in carrying out our day to day activities while include late planting of crops, drying up of rivers, swamps and dams adding that those who depend on marine life have been affected greatly.
Q3. Farmers needs to be equipped with relevant information such as knowing the new farming methods such as conservative agriculture, knowing the right seeds, when to plant and where to plant them and also weather experts should be involved in providing information as regards to weather to avoid floods and droughts.
Q4. I get information from the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZDM), agriculture department, radios, TVs and from Farm radio international resources such Barza wire
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Great responses on understanding climate change. You are all noted: @AlfredJamesMungwa @Dominic01 @Denis @Dee @AnjelinaMkabili @Liche @Donjosh @Unique @Mavis @George1 @thayobanda9 @Buzo @Mailaprid @Emmanuelbwalili1 @trendlineagro01 @MAYBIN @Banda
We also have our resource person Dr Lansah who gave us an understanding on what climate change is all about, he showed us the difference between climate change and weather. Please make sure you read your fellow participants’ contributions and comment.
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Dear colleagues, I have followed the discussion since last week and I am happy with the discussion and articulation of issues. I wanted to pick some of the issues we raised last week and this week for further elaboration and also raise need for additional brainstorming.
we have explained what climate change is but perhaps we need to emphasize that we are talking about the anthropogenic induced change that has happened mostly because of industrialization process in the north from about 1750 due to emission of excessive amounts of Green House Gases (GHGs).
GHGs include Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and Ozone. Water vapour is also a green house gas but we do not worry about it because its residence time in the lower atmosphere is short about 9 days while the others linger much longer up to thousands of years.
We also need to understand that GHGs are naturally found in the atmosphere and help to maintain the global average temperature to around 15 C without them it would be around -18 C. Hence the GHGs are important for life as we know it. However excessive production of these gases has exponentially created higher concentrations in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the heat trapping effect resulting in what is is called global warming.
The key sources of these GHGs are combustions of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. However last week we talked much about deforestation and charcoal. Indeed these are key sources of GHGs resulting from forest fires and use of wood and charcoal for energy.
We also need to emphasize the role forests play in mitigation of climate change. This is due to the ability of plants to absorb carbon dioxide in what is known as carbon sequestration and stole this carbon in its leaves, branches, trunk and roots. It is for this reason that trees and forests are considered carbon sinks above ground and below ground. deforestation therefore releases carbon from the past or recently captured back into the atmosphere.
Up until 2019 forests in South East Asia and the Amazon were net carbon sinks, storing more carbon than being released into the atmosphere. The opposite is true now hence the cause of concern of deforestation and reliance on charcoal for energy.
Our discussion also underscored the need for afforestation through tree planting and regeneration so that our forests return to their role as important carbons sinks.
we perhaps did not discuss contested areas of agriculture and certain practices that contribute to deforestation to increase fertility through burning or due to land use change from tree to livestock grazing. As a matter of fact livestock and rice paddies are also contributors of Methane. How do we balance these challenges?
One way of course is through agroforestry by integrating trees and crops in a farming system. One such tree that is found in many African countries is Faidhebia albida called Msangu in Malawi. Lets share the local names for this plant in our languages where we come from. This tree is nitrogen fixing, sheds its leaves before onset of rains and have been recommended for conservation agriculture. I saw some trees in Senegal as we drove to take the boat to Gambia. I have seen many in Zambia as well.
while trees sequester carbon we should know that not all trees are equally good at this and hence programmes promoting tree planting need to assess their potential in sequestering carbon but also some trees affect water table negatively.
Appropriate Trees are also important in minimizing extreme weather through underground water recharge to support irrigation as an adaptation, prevent flooding and also act as windbreaks for various crops. Trees also contribute not only to the carbon cycle as raised earlier but also hydrological cycle affecting rainfall patterns.
Perhaps one other issue that I picked was to do with ozone layer depleting substances and climate change. We need to clarify that ozone depletion is not the cause of climate change. The Montreal protocol which banned the production, distribution and use of ozone depleting substances was aimed at reducing the thinning of ozone layer because that layer protects Humans, animals and plants from harmful effects of Ultra Violet B rays from the sun.
The Montreal protocol has been successful as an international effort to reverse negative changes of release of harmful substances. Media has a great role to help achieve the same for climate change.
Other contested issues that I picked from our discussion are use of agro-chemicals. If climate change will increase pest outbreaks, diminish production through floods and droughts and soils are degrading from poor land use how do we balance the use and non use of agrochemicals to produce enough food for a rising population? These are real issues for the media to grapple with and shared understanding on this platform is a great idea.
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Q1.
Climate change is the change in rain pattern and the whether conditions. Like Mufumbwe, it has always been receiving rains from late October, but that has not been the case now.
Q2.
Mufumbwe has in the past been producing bamper harvest in North Western province, now from the time trees begun depleting most of the farmers have complained over poor production because the pattern rains used rain has changed.
Mufumbwe received alot of timber traders who targeted mostly farms of people and others have received land near banks of the river to make buildings for business, and you know trees that are at the bank of the river protect the river and also helps in inverpolation, now the case is not the some,
This situation has affected most farmers because they have been preparing fields as early as October following the old pattern.
Q3.
Today farmers need information of diversification as the first priority, because most farmers in the district have been cultivating two kinds of crops which is Maize and groundnuts. Now that there is this change it is important farmer to cultivate crops that suits the pattern and can grow well in the pattern.
The other thing is, farmers needs to be sensitized not to make gardens near kabompo river because such Rivers helps to have sufficient rains.
Farmers again need to know what kind of chemicals they should use in the name of fertilizer, today there are people selling organic fertilizer which is a liquid, now farmers do not have sufficient information on such a fertilizer so will need our farmers to use something that should not affect the soil nor water.
Q4.
Information is mostly gotten through the department of agriculture while we also interact with farmers to just get there experience and get challenges affecting them.! I have used a photo which I captured when I was in southern province.
IMG_20201016_170920_6|666x500
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Dear colleagues,
Happy new month.
I have been following the discussion about climate change. I totally agree with all the deliberations which shows that it is a well known fact that climate change is real, " and if we can’t change it, climate change will change us".
Climate Change has negatively impacted all sectors of the economy such as Agriculture, tourism, mining, fisheries and livestock, energy, health etc.
To summerise it all, climate change effects that the globe is experiencing now are indeed visible as farmers, communities are able to testify and see the following: poor and unpredictable rainfall pattern, high and low temperatures, storms, volcanos and all these result into: food insecurity, low income, drought, floods, pest and disease burden, loss of biodiversity, high mortality rates etc.
All these effects drives us to “what shall we do?” How do we mitigate climate change?? What information do farmers need about climate change?
I want to highlight on some of the possible key mitigation and adaptation measures of climate change:
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Promote Agroforestry- Farmers/ communities need to be encouraged to fully participate in tree planting such as Gliricidia Sepium, one of the fastest growing agroforestry specie which has many agronomic benefits such as improving soil fertility, helps attain high crop yields result into food security and increase income, Gliricidia also store carbon as it helps combating climate change. Yesterday’s post, Sostern also mentioned something vital about encouraging our farmers to plant faidhebia albida locally known as musangu tree in countries like Zambia, Malawi etc.
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Promote Conservation Agriculture: Farmers need to be encouraged to strictly follow conservation agriculture practices such as minimum tillage, residue retention (no burning of residues), crop rotation, mulching, compost manure- in this era of climate change.
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Switch on to alternative sources of energy: Farmers/ communities should be sensitized to use alternative sources of energy such as use of efficient rocket cookstoves and briquettes for cooking rather than cutting down trees for fuelwood or charcoal.
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Promote alternative sources of livelihood activities: Farmers/ communities should be sensitized on embarking more into alternative better livelihood activities such as beekeeping, gardening, poultry production as oppose to making and selling charcoal, timber, firewood for their livelihood which contribute to deforestation.
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Farmers/ communities should be discouraged of opening up of new farms/ land for agriculture instead they should stick to the degraded land and improve it through tree planting and adopt CA practices.
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Farmers need to plant drought resistance crops, disease tolerant varieties, early maturing varieties in response to climate change.
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Famers need to be encouraged to fully adopt organic farming. This will less the use of chemicals such as pesticides, chemicals fertilizers which damages the environment.
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Provide readily available market for the farmers produce such as maize, Soybeans, Groundnuts, rice, cassava, vegetables, fruits etc. This will help to mitigate deforestation. As assessment was conducted as communities indicated that they are producing charcoal, timber, firewood because they want to pay for school fees, buy food, meet their health needs. So providing market to them can mitigate deforestation.
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Farmers need to be continuously sensitized about crop diversification in this era of climate change.
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Farmers/ communities should continuously be sensitized on the dangers of cultivating in hills, near the river banks or streams as these have negative effects on climate change.
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Farmers/ communities need to seriously embark on the adoption of water harvesting technologies in order to adapt to climate change.
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Media houses( Radio stations, Television stations) Play a very important role in information dessimination about the causes, effects, mitigation and adaptation of climate change- Therefore, they MUST be well funded for them to reach out to masses and share the information about climate change.
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To fight climate change there is need for strong collaboration amongst all players of the economy such as Government, traditional leaders, NGO’s, companies, farmers, communities etc.
Together we can!!!
I submit.
Isaac Soko
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Q1. My understanding of climate change is that climate change is basically a change in the normal wheather conditions. Meaning these could be either temperature, rainfall, wind speed or a change in all of them at a given time.
Q2. In Zambia climate change has adverse effects on farmers in that most farmers depend on the wheather conditions for their agriculture. For example, most farmers depend on the natural rainfall for the farming and any shift in the times of the rains greatly affects their yields.
Q3. The information farmers need is what best crop varieties to plant in times of draughts, the best farming methods so as to avoid the adverse effects of climate change like encouraging agroforestry and many other methods that mitigate the effects of climate change.
Q4. This information can be gotten from the Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia Metrology Dapart and the Forestry Department amongst other organizations that deal with the adverse effects of climate change.
Busi,
Thank you for the discussions and the weekend was not bad. Hope you also had a good one.
- What is your understanding of climate change?
My simple understanding of Climate Change is a change in weather condition over a period of time.
- How is climate change affecting you and farmers in your area?
Weather patterns have change. Temperatures have gone up a bit and when we were expecting the rains (May, June and July) the rains did not come. There was heavy rains in August, September, October and even in November. This distorted our radio programing because what we needed to treat in June/July, we ended up doing it in October/November.
Farmers could not follow their normal farming plane which they had done over the year. They did not know when to prepare their lands and when to cultivate.
Some farmers in Northern Ghana had lost their farms to flooding because of heavy rains they did not anticipate at a time they were not expecting heavy rains.
- What information do farmers need about climate change?
Accurate Weather Report, consistent and reliable information is very key to the farmers. Climate smart Agriculture information to the farmers is also needed but above all, I think adaptation to the changes is key and farmers need orientation over time to accept that things have changed.
- How do you get this information?
Continuous collaborative effort by the radio team, Agric officers and the methelogical services to inform and educate the farmers will yield some effort over time.
Indeed some of these issues have been left out or being over looked but they are very important when it comes to us media personnel when we are told to tackle such programs or issues on radio such the green house gasses and the protection of the ozone layer we need to much understanding on the same
QUESTIONS
- In simple terms climate change is the change in the pattern of weather and related changes in the sea,land surface and ice sheet taking place over time , a period of a decade or more.
2.We are affected by climate change by the high temperatures ,too much or no rain , because of climate change when the is a drought or floods farmers lose out on thier yields.
3.Farmers need information on the sustainable intensification practices which are envoronmental friendly ,which discourgaes burning of fields and the forest .
farmers need infomation on drought resistant seed varieties which can withstand the drought.
4.This information can be obtained from the ministry of Agriculture ,research stations and other stake holders the media .engaged in climate change mitigation.[quote=“Busi_Ngcebetsha, post:1, topic:1383, full:true”]
Hello everyone,
I hope you had a nice weekend. We are in the second week of our e-discussion. We welcome those who have just joined us. If you have not introduced yourself yet and shared what you would like to learn about climate change, please do so in Week 1.
Our focus this week is on understanding climate change and its effects.
These are the questions you need to respond to this week:
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What is your understanding of climate change?
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How is climate change affecting you and farmers in your area?
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What information do farmers need about climate change?
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How do you get this information?
For any other topic not related to the one at hand, please use the cafe. You can also share some resources on climate change in this forum.
Please click on the reply button to contribute.
[/quote]
1.I understand that Climate change is a long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns in a place. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates heat and raising temperatures.
2.Climate change is affecting me and my farmers in my area by create water and heat stress, the outbreak of pests and diseases, the loss of productive lands through the deterioration of ecosystems, and additional burdens to supply chains such as increased post- harvest losses during storage and distribution.
In addition rising temperatures are making hard outdoor jobs even harder. It is the kind of heat that will ground airplanes and melt rail lines, and health experts say agricultural workers are especially vulnerable, as they are already one of the most economically disadvantaged groups.
They’re low-wage workers who are living in rural communities where there’s much less resources for assistance and they may talk about how it’s 112 degrees today but I have to get the work done.
Climate change is altering weather all over, in some cases with surprising results. In the summer of 2017, for example, the South and Midwest were cooler than average. But the western third of the United States was hotter than usual, and California and Nevada saw record high temperatures. That matters if you like to eat fruits and vegetables grown in California, which has the largest farm economy in dollar terms. But it may matter most to the farmworkers who harvest and pick them.
3.The ability of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change depends on their ability to access and use timely, relevant and accurate climate information.
This research explored how climate information can be used to build the capacity of smallholder farmers to address the adverse impacts of climate change.
Results indicate that more than a third of respondents (40%; n = 555) are not receiving climate information. Information that was received was predominantly by radio.
Barriers to smallholder farmers receiving climate information are created by insufficient collaboration among government agencies to facilitate the timely dissemination and uptake of relevant, accurate and useable climate information to these stakeholders, who must receive information tailored to their needs.
For example, smallholder farmers need statements on agricultural impacts of weather events and agricultural extension advice on cropping choices and land management practices.
4.Farmers get this information through the physical and biological changes that confirm climate warming include the rate of the retreat and glaciers around the world, the intensification of rainfall events, changes in the timing of the living at of plants and the arrival of spring by Grant birds and the shifting of the range of some species
1.I understand that Climate change is a long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns in a place. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates heat and raising temperatures.
2.Climate change is affecting me and my farmers in my area by create water and heat stress, the outbreak of pests and diseases, the loss of productive lands through the deterioration of ecosystems, and additional burdens to supply chains such as increased post- harvest losses during storage and distribution.
In addition rising temperatures are making hard outdoor jobs even harder. It is the kind of heat that will ground airplanes and melt rail lines, and health experts say agricultural workers are especially vulnerable, as they are already one of the most economically disadvantaged groups.
They’re low-wage workers who are living in rural communities where there’s much less resources for assistance and they may talk about how it’s 112 degrees today but I have to get the work done.
Climate change is altering weather all over, in some cases with surprising results. In the summer of 2017, for example, the South and Midwest were cooler than average. But the western third of the United States was hotter than usual, and California and Nevada saw record high temperatures. That matters if you like to eat fruits and vegetables grown in California, which has the largest farm economy in dollar terms. But it may matter most to the farmworkers who harvest and pick them.
3.The ability of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change depends on their ability to access and use timely, relevant and accurate climate information.
This research explored how climate information can be used to build the capacity of smallholder farmers to address the adverse impacts of climate change.
Results indicate that more than a third of respondents (40%; n = 555) are not receiving climate information. Information that was received was predominantly by radio.
Barriers to smallholder farmers receiving climate information are created by insufficient collaboration among government agencies to facilitate the timely dissemination and uptake of relevant, accurate and useable climate information to these stakeholders, who must receive information tailored to their needs.
For example, smallholder farmers need statements on agricultural impacts of weather events and agricultural extension advice on cropping choices and land management practices.
4.Farmers get this information through the physical and biological changes that confirm climate warming include the rate of the retreat and glaciers around the world, the intensification of rainfall events, changes in the timing of the living at of plants and the arrival of spring by Grant birds and the shifting of the range of some species
1.I understand that Climate change is a long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns in a place. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates heat and raising temperatures.
2.Climate change is affecting me and my farmers in my area by create water and heat stress, the outbreak of pests and diseases, the loss of productive lands through the deterioration of ecosystems, and additional burdens to supply chains such as increased post- harvest losses during storage and distribution.
In addition rising temperatures are making hard outdoor jobs even harder. It is the kind of heat that will ground airplanes and melt rail lines, and health experts say agricultural workers are especially vulnerable, as they are already one of the most economically disadvantaged groups.
They’re low-wage workers who are living in rural communities where there’s much less resources for assistance and they may talk about how it’s 112 degrees today but I have to get the work done.
Climate change is altering weather all over, in some cases with surprising results. In the summer of 2017, for example, the South and Midwest were cooler than average. But the western third of the United States was hotter than usual, and California and Nevada saw record high temperatures. That matters if you like to eat fruits and vegetables grown in California, which has the largest farm economy in dollar terms. But it may matter most to the farmworkers who harvest and pick them.
3.The ability of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change depends on their ability to access and use timely, relevant and accurate climate information.
This research explored how climate information can be used to build the capacity of smallholder farmers to address the adverse impacts of climate change.
Results indicate that more than a third of respondents (40%; n = 555) are not receiving climate information. Information that was received was predominantly by radio.
Barriers to smallholder farmers receiving climate information are created by insufficient collaboration among government agencies to facilitate the timely dissemination and uptake of relevant, accurate and useable climate information to these stakeholders, who must receive information tailored to their needs.
For example, smallholder farmers need statements on agricultural impacts of weather events and agricultural extension advice on cropping choices and land management practices.
4.Farmers get this information through the physical and biological changes that confirm climate warming include the rate of the retreat and glaciers around the world, the intensification of rainfall events, changes in the timing of the living at of plants and the arrival of spring by Grant birds and the shifting of the range of some species
1.I understand that Climate change is a long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns in a place. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates heat and raising temperatures.
2.Climate change is affecting me and my farmers in my area by create water and heat stress, the outbreak of pests and diseases, the loss of productive lands through the deterioration of ecosystems, and additional burdens to supply chains such as increased post- harvest losses during storage and distribution.
In addition rising temperatures are making hard outdoor jobs even harder. It is the kind of heat that will ground airplanes and melt rail lines, and health experts say agricultural workers are especially vulnerable, as they are already one of the most economically disadvantaged groups.
They’re low-wage workers who are living in rural communities where there’s much less resources for assistance and they may talk about how it’s 112 degrees today but I have to get the work done.
Climate change is altering weather all over, in some cases with surprising results. In the summer of 2017, for example, the South and Midwest were cooler than average. But the western third of the United States was hotter than usual, and California and Nevada saw record high temperatures. That matters if you like to eat fruits and vegetables grown in California, which has the largest farm economy in dollar terms. But it may matter most to the farmworkers who harvest and pick them.
3.The ability of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change depends on their ability to access and use timely, relevant and accurate climate information.
This research explored how climate information can be used to build the capacity of smallholder farmers to address the adverse impacts of climate change.
Results indicate that more than a third of respondents (40%; n = 555) are not receiving climate information. Information that was received was predominantly by radio.
Barriers to smallholder farmers receiving climate information are created by insufficient collaboration among government agencies to facilitate the timely dissemination and uptake of relevant, accurate and useable climate information to these stakeholders, who must receive information tailored to their needs.
For example, smallholder farmers need statements on agricultural impacts of weather events and agricultural extension advice on cropping choices and land management practices.
4.Farmers get this information through the physical and biological changes that confirm climate warming include the rate of the retreat and glaciers around the world, the intensification of rainfall events, changes in the timing of the living at of plants and the arrival of spring by Grant birds and the shifting of the range of some species
What is your understanding of climate change?
My understanding about climate change is the change in weather patterns for a minimum of 32years. For instance in Sierra Leone, in the past we had rains for 6months starting May to November which is now not the case. Now we only have about 2months heavy rains causing floods and disasters.
How is climate change affecting you and farmers in your area?
In Sierra Leone climate change us causing a lot of challenge for farmers. Farmers has low capacity to adapt to climate change. Farmers depend on rain-fed Agriculture and natural resources based livelihoods. Because of heavy rains, farmers face flooding and recently about 2000 people were left homeless in a mudslide where in we had farmers. Also thunders storms kill many farmers. Farmers are unable to secure food because of the low production causes by drought
What information do farmers need about climate change? Farmers need to be informed about weather forecast so that they can prepare ahead of time.
How do you get this information?
This information can be provided by the meteorological agency to farmers and this can be facilitated by the media. For instance Radio Stations can do jingles and weather forecast.
Hello everyone
We are almost through with Week 2 on understanding climate change and how it affects us. It is amazing to discover how similar the effects of climate change from place to place. It is really important to provide accurate information especially information that will help farmers.
I would like to encourage those that only joined us this week to make sure they participate in Week 1 so that they do not miss out on getting a certificate of participation by missing out on one week.
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Climate Change has to do with the change in temperature and humidity due to human activities such as burning and cutting down of trees. Thus the major drivers of climate change are on human behaviour and attitude against the environment, once we are able to change the perception of man, we will be closer to winning the global effects of climate change.
2. The adverse effects of climate here in the Sissala area is so daring and pervasive such that, not only farmers are confused about the times to plant their crops but also the unwelcoming nature of the weather is affecting the human living.
3. I think farmers need to be educated on the effects and ways to be agents and change-makers of climate change.
4. Through the internet and discussion on the radio by personnel Environmental protection agency and Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Hello everyone.
Before the week closes, I would like to participate in the discussion by answering the Week’s questions as follows:
What is your understanding of climate change?
Climate change is the shift of weather patterns from what they used to be in the past to new ones that have never been. As many activities rely on known weather patterns, individuals and countries have faced a challenging time planning and carrying out their activities properly. It has been challenging because of the changing weather patterns that have become unpredictable. The worst affected have been farmers because almost a 100% of their activities are weather-reliant
How is climate change affecting you and the farmers in your area?
Malawians and farmers face several challenges that increase our vulnerability to a changing climate, including high population growth, dependence on rainfed agriculture, high malnutrition and HIV/AIDS rates, and inadequate power supply. Extreme climate and weather events such as the increased frequency and intensity of drought and floods, along with higher temperatures, negatively impact agriculture production, fisheries, wildlife and forests, which provide food, income, fuel, and other environmental services to vulnerable populations.
What information do farmers need about climate change?
Farmers need to know different information about climate change such as what happens next and how to prepare for it. In terms of what happens next, farmers need to know how the changing climate will be in the next agriculture season so that they can take appropriate action. For instance, if there will be floods, they should know which areas will flood so that they do not plant anything there lest it gets washed away by the floods. If there will be drought, or rain will come late or early, they need to know so that they can plan accordingly. For instance, if it is prolonged drought, they can either plant drought-resistant crops, resort to irrigation, or do a different activity that will not be affected by the drought. If it is delayed and a short period of rains, they can plant drought-resistant crops or early-maturing varieties. So it is very crucial to have climate change agencies that will provide this information.
How do you get this information?
In Malawi, this information is obtained from the Malawi Meteorological Services Department. The department releases periodical updates about weather and climate including how rain patterns will be in the season. They are a crucial department that needs to be accurate because any wrong information passed out has more adverse effects than the changing climate. For instance, if they tell farmers that there will be floods and instead there is drought, farmers will not have prepared adequately to deal with the situation. Between the MET Services department and the farmers and the rest of Malawians are communicators such as radios, televisions, and newspapers. In terms of radios, the most important and useful are the community radio stations. They are crucial because they are capable of disseminating localised information. Truth be told, when adverse weather conditions occur, they occur in selected areas, rarely do they affect the whole country equally. For that reason, community radios in a given community are more crucial to farmers because they would give weather information for that particular area. Unlike media with national coverage who might not have the time or resources to provide detailed information for each area.
So, community radio stations, take this responsibility seriously. If you are a part of organisations that provide this information, make sure you identify community radio stations to work with to disseminate information to specific communities.
Have a pleasant weekend.
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Hello everyone
We have come to the end of Week 2. This week we were focusing on understanding what climate change is and how it affects farmers. We were responding to these questions:
- What is your understanding of climate change?
- How is climate change affecting you and farmers in your area?
- What information do farmers need about climate change?
- How do you get this information?
Our resource person @Lansah clarified the difference between weather and climate.
He also gave a definition of what climate change is as well as its causes:
Another resource person @Sosten spoke more on deforestation:
We also had another resource person @Isaac who highlighted some possible key mitigation and adaptation measures of climate change:
It was also quite interesting to learn how climate change affects us as individuals and how it affects farmers and there were a lot of similarities. The same about the information needed by farmers which includes solutions with regards impact of climate change, information for the farmers to be ready for the season, guidance on the choice of seeds above all, accurate information on climate change that will help them go. For broadcasters to provide accurate information, a collaboration with different stakeholders is needed.
A big up to all those who participated both on this platform as well as on whatsapp. Climate change is a huge topic as it affects people globally. We trust that you have gained some knowledge and now understand climate change better.
Enjoy your weekend
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What is your understanding of climate change?
Climate change is the change in weather patterns which can either result in unpredictable rainfall patterns, droughts or floods. For example, despite being the rainy season here in Zambia, the temperature is rising high, there are no signs of rainfall and the meteorological department has predicted that there will be no rain for the next 10 days. I have attributed this dry spell to the effects of climate change which are now manifesting as a result of global warming. -
How is climate change affecting you and farmers in your area?
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In Zambia despite being the rain season there is a dry spell and the department in charge of weather has predicted a 10-day period of no rainfall. Some farmers who had planted their crops at the onset of the rain season have had their crops wither due to lack of rains. A huge number of farmers have not even started planting their crops for fear of the dry spell. Last week, I was in Southern Province and I observed that some farmers are struggling to find the sources of water for their cattle as most of the swamps where they take their animals to drink water have dried up. This has resulted in cattle headers walking long distances with cattle in search of water.
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What information do farmers need about climate change?
Well, farmers need to be told well in advance of the weather patterns so that they can properly plan their agricultural activities. Farmers need information on how to adapt to climate resilient crops to avoid hunger crisis. Farmers also need information on how they should harvest rain water for use during the dry spells. They need information on the effects of deforestation and bush burning which have an impact on climate change. Farmers also need information on ways in which they can mitigate the effects of climate change by adapting to climate smart agriculture which does not require cutting down of trees and the disturbance of soil
The information is obtained from the meteorological department and through the media as well as as through vising farmers.
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