By Bajin D. Pobia
Lawra, (UWR), Oct. 07, GNA – Mr Dangana Mahama, a Manager at the Babile Research Station, has indicated that the geographical location of the Lawra Municipality and farming practices makes it most vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation.
He said it impacted on average temperature and precipitation and had a baseline impact on the productive capacity of agriculture, low yield expectations and risk regimes faced by farmers in the area.
He said additionally, the municipality faced recurrent climate-related natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and recurrent bushfires, which were natural and human-inflicted disasters that damaged agriculture and its production in ways that severely affected the farming activities and national economy.
Mr Mahama was speaking at a forum organised by the Kobine Festival Planning Committee to educate farmers on the challenges and effects of Climate change on food crop production at Lawra.
The forum was on the theme: “Sustaining our agricultural productivity in post-COVID-19 challenges and opportunities” and with a sub-theme: “Crop cultivation in the era of climate change”.
Mr Mahama said the integration of the sound technological solution with local practices was increasingly identified as a more necessary pathway, choices of management practices, enterprise types, and genetic varieties of crops.
He said the adaptations of any of the management practices were linked to soil properties, location, and climatic conditions, farmers’ response to climate change effects, as well as the use of adaption strategies, which were influenced by socio-economic characteristics, with knowledge of the farmers being the most influential.
Mr Mahama said a major contributor to mitigating climate change must be that farmers must have a fair knowledge of changing the timing of planting and the using of drought-resistant varieties, as well as practising soil and water conservation techniques such as water harvesting, soil erosion control measures, and bounding.
He called on agricultural extension officers to equip farmers with the necessary knowledge on fertilizer use, irrigation, and diversification to non-farm activities adaptation strategies, which could be practised at the farm level in response to climate change
He said the predictions of weather patterns in collaboration with meteorological agencies and the checking of recurrent and climate-related natural disasters such as floods, drought, and recurrent bushfires must be strictly adhered to.
Mr Jacob Dery, the Lawra Municipal Chief Executive appealed to the youth in the area to generate interest and actively participate in farming to produce more to sustain food security.
He said the government had not relented in its efforts to provide small-scale dams to aid farmers to undertake all-year-round food crops production and urged farmers to embrace it to enhance their livelihoods.
He urged agricultural extension officers to educate farmers on issues of climate change, especially changes in the weather and rainfall patterns, as well as discourage farmers from bush burning.
GNA