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Embracing conservation farming (organic) as a tool to
improve food security and combat climate change effects
in East Africa
Prepared by:
Mr. Moses Aisu Okurut
Ms. Envt Sciences, B.A Envt Mgt, Cert. Sustainable Agric.
Programs Director
The African Organic Network (AfrONet)
Dar-es-Salaam , Tanzania
+256 -772 837 861, +255-685 490 452
Introduction Climate change refers to average weather change of a
place for specified period of time. It further explains it as a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time (i.e., decades to millions of years) Wikipedia.
Causes
Natural
Climate change is caused by factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions.
Man made
Certain human activities have been identified as primary causes of ongoing climate change, often referred to as global warming.
Evidence of Climate change
Climate change has great effect on rainfall distribution and insulation (sunshine distribution) that affects the normal seasons of crop production worldwide.
For the case of East African countries, these effects have been experienced for the last 10-15 years and its effects have affected both small scale and large scale agricultural producers in one way or the other and other sectors.
The month of July 2017 was said to be the hottest month ever since when meteorological information have been recorded. The global average temperatures during July 2017 was 0.83 degrees Celsius (1.49 degrees Fahrenheit), above the monthly average according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (NASA uses a 1951 to 1980 baseline for its temperature reports.) According to NASA, the month of July 2016 showed a similarly high temperature [0.82 degrees Celsius above average], all previous months of July were more than a tenth of a degree cooler“.
Effects of Climate changes
High temperatures warm up the earth and these affects movement of winds and currents which lead to drought in some places and heavy rains, typhoons, hurricanes etc. These end up affecting the water cycle (fluctuation of water recharge system into the aquifers and increased extraction.
Climate change affects rainfall patterns, vegetation, loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, increased water levels in oceans, melting of glaciers, increased pests and diseases, presence of floods that affect livelihoods.
Agriculture has been affected greatly which has led to low yields, wilting of crops and soil erosion among others.
How to maintain crop production admit
climate change and its effects.
Since climate change affects rainfall totals and
prolonged drought, there needs mechanisms that
will help to sustain humanity and the ecosystem.
There are many ways to combat climate change
which include; adaptation, mitigation and resilience
building against climate extremes which are more
sustainable methods.
a) Uptake conservation farming
b) Building systems
Interventions Conservation farming (organic) is a farming systems which is
practiced effectively has it improves on water availability, regulates
soil erosion. It calls for management of energy flows in gardens,
maintenance of the ecological systems that are vital for plant
survival and non use of chemical compounds that affect soil micro
organisms.
Soil and water conservation.
This involves water harvesting and management systems for
surface run off and rainfall, so that it can be well utilized in the
garden, even during long and short droughts. This involves
management of the land so that it can stop run off, spread it in the
garden and finally it sinks into the soils for plants to access for
longer periods. This is applicable even in arid lands.
Soil is often lost through water and wind erosion when the land is
bear.
Under permaculture, energy flow is analysed, swales are
dug to hold water in the gardens for sometime, then its
spread and later sinks in the soil.
Digging of trenchers (L-Bridges, dig down/up and off-
shoots in the garden) help to control little rains that fall
and supports plant growth.
Large scale farmers (plantation) Large scale farmers need to invest more money to sustain crop
production if climate change effects are to be managed. These include use of irrigation systems to maintain moisture for crops.
Use of polythene covers on land surface prior to planting, that will maintain moisture for plants during production. This also doubles as a mulch.
Planting of cover crops like Mucuna, beans etc is necessary to reduce weeds, increase moisture needed by plants.
Use of resilience design for the large farms will allow to trap water flow that get saturated in the soils for sometime.
Intercropping of main crops with leguminous plants, nitrogen fixers that improve soil micro nutrients, reduces pests and diseases and maintains moisture.
Adapting to agro-forestry that plays same roles as above, but adds a function of wind breaker, thus wind erosion control.
Construction of water reservoirs and irrigation systems to support availability of water for plants, so that water is stored and be used in dry season and during sudden weather change when rains stop, irrigation provides required water to sustain growth of plants. These may include water dams, ponds, valley tanks, and dams.
Building systems
To combat climate change for agriculture sustainability, needs building systems from grassroots to government level, which are vital for mind change, policy analysis and modification to influence change of systems that are affected.
Systems building will involve capacity building, conduct dialogues, sensitizations, developing adaptable interventions and technologies.
Stakeholder involvement is key to have combined efforts in adoption and adaptation to improve on alternative farming systems that will ensure food security even under climate stressed societies.
Government involvement helps in planning for such best interventions than to stick to farming methods that will continue to face challenges when the climate changes.
Why organic farming is useful to combat
climate change
Organic farming is established on the following principles which
carter for the ecological system, thus the best way to intervene
climate change effects and avoiding occurrence of some of the
causes of climate change.
The Principle of Health - Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal and human as one and indivisible.
The Principle of Ecology - Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them.
The Principle of Fairness - Organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities.
The Principle of Care - Organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment.
Subsistence farming at household level increases crop production even
under climate stressed environments. These is adopted by many farmers,
schools increased food security in any given society
Back yard gardens recommended to increase crop
production with use of rain roof harvested water
Use of polythene sheets increases
moisture in soils, suppresses weeds
and labour friendly yield high quality
health crops
Mulching gardens using local materials, helps to reduce
soil erosion, increased moisture, reduces pest infestation
Growing of horticultural crops in arid Karamoja in Uganda
faced with climate change in 2016 and 2017. This is
extract from Resilience building against climate extremes
program extract i implemented.
Sack gardens as farming systems under
conservation farming in organic that
increases production during extreme
climatic conditions
Green houses are solutions to extreme climatic
conditions, that increases food production. With no use
of chemicals, but rather organic pesticides, health crops
are produced and chemical free soils
Key hall gardens, small scale
irrigation and mulching of
crops are key solutions for
climate extremes
Growing of food security crops like sweet
potatoes, compound vegetable gardens
and making double dug gardens in remote
areas are ways to overcome extreme
climates.
Activities taken in Karamoja in Uganda
End
