How Climate Change affects Agriculture in Cameroonby Enjeck Mbeh Cleopatra | 20-03-2019 03:29 |
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As the climate changes, no part of the world is left untouched. Global warming sees no borders and a country¡¯s emissions could end up affecting the entire world. Even though Cameroon is one of the countries will little emission, it has not been spared from global warming as well as climate change. About 70% of the country¡¯s population relies on agriculture as a means of sustenance. The effects of climate change have been devastating for the agricultural sector in Cameroon. The climate is changing and the effects have become so brazen, no one can ignore. Cameroonian farmers have especially noticed this. Once upon a time, there existed two seasons with a clear timeline/timespan. The rainy season was expected to begin in May and end in September. The dry season used to begin in October and run up to April. When this pattern was respected, farmers were able to plan their activities, such as planting and harvesting. With climate change, the weather patterns are irregular. Sometimes, sunshine drags longer than usual. Other times, rainfall is as unexpected as a thief at midnight. Farmers who find it difficult to cope are experiencing losses from their farm lands. With Cameroon so close to the Sahara desert, the northern part of the country have already been desertified and the drought conditions are slowly creeping southwards. This is a cause for concern. One thing that has contributed to the climate change problem is the massive exploitation of the country¡¯s forest. Millions of acres of forest exist and are continually been rummaged for timber. While timbre companies mostly do this, sometimes, the government decides to free some land space for building projects. Recently, In Yaounde, 34 hectares of trees had to be fallen to create space for a football stadium. Another 30 hectares were cut in Limbe for a stadium and sports training institution. It should also be noted that more trees had to die while creating roads towards these facilities. As trees fall, the threat of added desertification looms. In a bid to counteract the effects of climate change, the government and environmental institutions are encouraging farmers to practice Agroforestry. This is an attempt to counteract the loses incurred from the forestry industry. With more trees being kept or planted on farmlands, there's hope that the climatic conditions will normalize. |