FARMER'S DIARY: Effects of climate change on farming

Farming may be described as the process of caring for plants, insects, and animals that are valuable to us. It is a process that depends on many factors such as climate which has to do with the weather conditions of the location where we practice farming over a long period of time.

For crops, insects, and animals to do well, issues such as temperature, wind, topography, and rainfall among others have to be considered. This makes it imperative for us to pay more attention to the climate change debate that has become so topical these days.

Some of the crops we grow are adapted to certain temperatures and a prolonged change in temperature may render their production difficult or even impossible. Temperature is important for plant growth, flowering and fruit formation.

Some plants need low temperatures for normal growth while others require high temperatures. That’s why Arabica coffee does better in the cooler Mount Elgon areas than in the warmer central region which is more suited to Robusta coffee.

Scientists say that a plant loses water through a process called transpiration. Therefore abnormally high temperatures will cause excessive loss of water for the crops and lead to crop failure.

High temperatures, without rainfall, not only kill grass, they discourage animals from grazing freely in the fields which retards their growth, reduces their milk production and lowers their body weight. In this kind of situation the plants do not flower well and bee keepers make losses as the bees fail to make enough honey and even starve.

In the region along the equator where we live, we generally have two rain seasons from March to June and from around September to December which is a big blessing. We also have plenty of fresh water bodies in form of rivers, swamps and lakes.

High temperatures cause evaporation which in turn leads to cloud formation and then, rainfall. Rainfall is important for successful growth of our crops and it also supports other plant life such as the trees and the grass which are food for our animals, the birds, and insects.

Most of our favourite crops such as bananas, maize, Robusta coffee, and beans are well suited to this kind of climate. However even within the equator region, there are areas that often have high temperatures without getting any rain for long periods and may be described as useless for agriculture unless irrigation and natural or artificial fertilisers are applied.

As you purchase land
Anyone intending to purchase land for farming must therefore pay attention to a number of considerations apart from its mere financial cost. It could be located in the rain shadow and always miss out on relief rain which, as you remember from your geography lessons, tends to fall only on the windward side of the high hills. If your land is located on the leeward side of such hills then you might have to budget for irrigation equipment.

Its topological location is another factor to consider. If it is located on a steep hill or any other open space where a lot of wind passes all the time then get prepared for your fruits being blown off the trees and becoming damaged before they are ripe.

Scientists say that strong dry winds are harmful to both plants and animals because they cause plants to lose more water by evaporation and transpiration. The wind could also cause the ripe fruits to fall onto the ground and break before they are normally harvested. Strong winds often break and uproot crops, causing untold losses to farmers. They are also a strong agent of soil erosion.

If the land is located in the valley where rain water normally collects and stays for months it might not be suitable for such crops as maize, millet, or even bananas which cannot withstand flooding. On the other hand crops such as rice or cocoyam may flourish there. It is important to pay attention to such matters as a permanent source of water especially if you want to go in for animal husbandry or bee keeping.

With more education and development our farmers will hopefully engage in daily weather record-keeping so that after some years they will be in a better position to cope with the climate induced risks facing their occupation.

In their jointly edited book Experimental Agriculture PJM Cooper, R Coe, and RD Stern said, “Rainfall variability, both within and between seasons, creates an underlying risk and uncertainty for current farm-level production as well as for potential impact of innovations designed to improve crop, soil and livestock management practices. This uncertainty discourages the adoption of improved farming practices.”

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