March to May is a special period in Kenya. It is also special in many other African countries, where agriculture is the primary economic mainstay. It is the period we refer to as the “long rains”. This is the season when trees (including fruit trees) as well as most food crops are grown. But it is not just the farmers who look forward to, and celebrate the long rains. The entire ecosystem does. The forests teem with fresh flora and fauna, the rivers are renewed and the trees dance with pride. Atop the trees, birds sing sweet melodies and on the ground below, mammals of all types display their joyful gait.
In 2021, however, the long rains started with intense anger then it slowed down somewhat before making a disappearing act that lasted several weeks. Crops grown in water-logged soils and those planted near the rivers were badly damaged at the onset of the rains. Those that survived were left panting for water, hungering for nutrients and yearning for the opportunity to realise their full potential when the rain gave way to drought. What followed later that season was a widespread crop failure, dry river beds and stunted pasture. As a result, large swathes of the countryside are facing the prospect of famine at a time when the government is struggling to keep its programmes running, thanks to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Erratic rain is not unique to 2021. This has been going on for years across Africa, often oscillating between extreme weather events to barely enough. It is just one of the evidences of the creeping climate change, a phenomenon that refers to the gradual transformation of the climate of the planet characterised by a general warming of the earth. Whereas climate change does occur naturally over thousands of years, what we are concerned about today is the rapid nature of the transformation instigated by human activities such as industrialisation, burning of fossil fuels, large-scale deforestation and travel by road, air and water, among others.
Although climate change affects virtually every region on earth, Africa is more susceptible to its devastating effects because the majority of its people eke out living in peasantry and/or live in poor and degrading conditions in urban areas. In the last few years, for instance, we have witnessed widespread famines resulting from crop failure, displacement of people occasioned by extreme weather events, the festering of diseases such as malaria and the invasion by locusts, which left many farmers at the mercy of the marauding insects. These tragic events are likely to get worse in the years to come and a business-as-usual approach will rob some communities of their livelihoods and leave them scarred for generations.
What is needed to help slow down climate change is political goodwill by governments. The Paris Climate Accord, the legally binding international treaty on climate change, provides a platform through which countries can work together to achieve the stated goal which is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
The wealthy industrialised nations need to contribute more to climate finance since Africa has contributed the least to climate change yet it is experiencing a disproportionate share of the effects.
Africa also needs accurate data on climate change dynamics. This could help the private sector and bureaucrats in government to develop economically sound, locally relevant adaptation and mitigation measures which can be implemented and replicated across regions. Also critical is collaboration between regional states and between states and the private sector. Such collaborations can birth innovation and enterprise and put business at the centre of policymaking.
In terms of food security, emphasis should be placed on early maturing and/or adaptive crops so that farmers move away from the traditional staples which have experienced massive rates of failure over the last few decades. New varieties of maize and beans, for instance, are being developed but farmers also need to consider alternatives such as sorghum and cassava. Food security is an important aspect of Africa since Africa suffers chronic food shortages, which makes it difficult to focus on other aspects of development.
It is going to be a long road to the realisation of full mitigation and adaptation. Lots of investment will be needed in key sectors such as energy, agriculture and in building climate-smart cities. With enhanced public awareness, collaborations and strong policy support, Africa’s economy can weather the challenges and emerge strong and prosperous.
