adminMercy Ngwebvu
FARMERS are being urged to resort to alternative livelihood projects like agro-forestry and beekeeping as a way of combating climate change and its effects.Speaking during a tour held of Chimanimani to assess how farmers are coping with the phenomenon, climate change adaptation practitioner, Dr Leonard Unganai, said investment and support should be channelled to people in marginalised areas as they are worst affected and depend solely on natural resources’ output.
He also added that farmers should consider other drought resistant crops instead of maize if they want better yields.
Speaking about their plight, farmers in Mhandarume lamented the shifting weather patterns, saying it is now difficult to know when to plant their crops.
“This area has always been dry, but this year the situation is pathetic. We last had rains on January 3 and we hope the rains will come soon, lest we will starve.
“Dams and rivers are drying up and there is no water. It is now difficult for us to know when to plant because when the rain falls, it does that in torrents for two to three days.
“We are not used to these weather conditions and it is difficult to adapt. We will try other means and continue hoping they will bring favourable results,” said Mbuya Brano Tikiti, a farmer in Mhandarume.
Another farmer, one Mhukutu, said there was too much pressure on the resources because of the increasing population density. This according to him has led to siltation of almost all rivers in the area because people are practicing stream bank cultivation.
“People have no water. As a result most farmers are now growing their crops near rivers and dams. This, however, is resulting in the siltation of rivers and the filling up of canals in this area. If this continues, people will be in dire straits. Beekeeping is a noble idea, but you need to know that change is never easy. If the situation continues, we will be left with no choice, but to try it,” he said.
The farmers called for the sinking of a borehole in their area, saying in spite of it being a rainy season, they had no water in their area. One of the youths in the area said the only thing they were benefitting from was sand.
“When it rains, there is a lot of soil erosion taking place. The sand that is washed into the rivers is what we are surviving on these days. The money we get, however, is not enough because of the liquidity crunch. No one will buy river sand when they have nothing on their tables. Our situation is bad,” he said.
The impact of climate change has been threatening people’s ability to produce enough food for themselves as they are plagued by fluctuating temperature and erratic rainfall patterns that cause a significant decline in production of major staple crops.
Online Reporter