adminJeffrey Gogo Climate Story
AGRICULTURE extension officers in Zimbabwe are poorly grounded in climate change, creating coping nightmares for poor rural farmers who depend on their expert farming advice for planning. To improve food production and adaptive capacity, it is crucial for smallholder farmers, constituting nearly 70 percent of all farmers countrywide, to understand characteristics of the growing season in their specific area. Extension workers are the major providers of that information. However, investigations show “that climate information is not readily available to extension staff and as such is rarely discussed with farmers”, according to Ms Rutendo Nhongonhema, a senior officer in the Agriculture Ministry.
Yet, informed extension services are key to providing climate smart extension advice to farmers, which helps minimise climate impacts by enhancing adaptativity.
For effective production that lowers climate risk, Ms Nhongonhema said farmers now needed efficient and specific information on planting seasons, when they start and end. They want to know the probability of extreme events such as dry or wet spells, when these events were likely to occur; total seasonal rainfall and simplified forecasting that goes beyond normal and above normal; future weather patterns and their implications, etc.
In Gokwe, a dry and hot district, the probability of receiving planting rains by November 16 is 20 percent and 80 percent by December 5, a generally slower start than the national average of November 10. In 22 out of 46 years, Gokwe farmers had to replant, either due to poor planning or lack of necessary information. Successful planting opportunity occurred when there was no dry spell of 10 or more days in 30 days after planting.
Typically, farmers suffered losses and food security was compromised. In such a scenario, Ms Nhongonhena said, possible extension advice could be that “farmers procure the following season’s inputs as soon as they sell their current season crop or at the end of the current season.
“If farmers cannot procure the inputs then they should have done so by November 15 and rains most likely received before November 15 are a false start to the season.”
The probability that the growing season in Gokwe will be 116 days long is 80 percent and 20 percent for 152-day-long season. The season length “may be used for each crop as a function of number of days to maturity to come up with choice of crop and variety”.
Moreover, seasonal forecasts are not only an early warning tool but also a tool for adaptation, according to Mr Terrence Mushore, a climate expert and lecturer at the Bindura University. He says farmers should be aware of climate risks and opportunities ahead of any rainfall season because “adverse climate limits economic growth, therefore, accuracy of climate information should be continuously monitored”.
Mainstreaming extension services
Ms Nhongonhema said it was important to mainstream climate change into extension services as well as creation of a comprehensive agro-climate of Zimbabwe for use by extension staff, farmers and various stakeholders.
“Extension staff should have knowledge relating to different natural regions and advise accordingly,” she said.
“This information can be combined with more precise weather forecasts concerning rainfall (seasonal, 10-day and three-day) to enable farmers to better assess the risks of some agriculture operations.”
Extension staff may use the information for advising farmers on recommended agronomic practices, best practices on recommended cropping programmes, appropriate crops and varieties for different farming regions, for example, drought-tolerant crop varieties.
Agritex, under which the extension officers fall, is the Government department tasked with providing technical and advisory services to farmers countrywide.
The unit also renders farmer training, food technology including post-harvesting and product development, as well as the provision of market-oriented extension for sustainable farming.
“Improving food production and food security, smallholder farmers rely on making agriculture more productive and more resilient to climate variations,” Ms Nhongonhema explained.
“This requires farmers to adapt their farming practices to take account of weather, climate risks and future climate change. In order to do this they need improved access to easily understand local level weather and climate change information to support agricultural decision making.”
God is faithful.
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