The Sunday Mail
Farmers should turn to irrigation and small grain production this summer cropping season as rainfall has become unpredictable, a Cabinet minister has said.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made told The Sunday Mail that climate change was altering rainfall patterns and farmers should adapt.
He said: “Farmers who have already planted should adopt irrigation methods so that their crops will not die. This season is the most difficult as the rains are unpredictable. The delay in rainfall is, naturally, caused by change of climate.
“We advise farmers not to plant all their seed simultaneously. They should also plant a variety of crops, including small grains, which are drought-resistant.”
Minister Made, however, allayed fears of a drought.
“We should not panic yet. Delayed rains can affect germination and growth, but there were times — years back — when we planted in December and still got normal harvests.
“If the rains delay, but come and fall continuously, then there will be no reason to panic as crops will germinate. We will still assess crops and pastures (to check) if there is enough water for the crops and livestock.”
Responding to inquiries from The Sunday Mail, the Meteorological Services Department advised farmers not to solely rely on traditional cropping methods.
“It is important that farmers liaise with Agritex officials to get the best on-farm operations in their areas. It is also important to realise that climate change is now a reality and therefore farmers should not completely rely on the traditional knowledge of the beginning of the main rain.
“The past seasons recorded delayed rains in most parts of the country, but the seasons did not necessarily end up being drought seasons.”
Commercial Farmers’ Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa weighed in, saying: “Farmers should avoid planting in moist land as the seed will die before germination. Dry land is favourable. Alternatively, farmers could wait for the rains.
“There is also need to buy short season variety seeds, which germinate and grow quickly. This strategy ensures their seed matures by the end of the season as this cropping season is likely to be short.”
In October, experts revealed that Zimbabwe would from this season onwards receive rains later than usual due to climate change.
The rainfall amount is, nevertheless, unlikely to decrease in the short to medium term.
In normal seasons, most parts of the country received rainfall between October and March.
Climate change is a variation in weather pattern distribution over a sustained period.
Research way back in the 1950s showed that the earth temperature — due to massive industrialisation and pollution — had caused excessive deposition of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Back then, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million, but is now 340 ppm.
In 2013, the United Nations’ Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that scientists were “95 percent sure” human activity was causing climate change.
While the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 obliges all signatory states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, bickering over apportioning global mitigatory measures is stalling progress.
Developing countries blame industrialised economies for large-scale pollution and want them to fund anti-pollution programmes.
On the other hand, developed countries are ducking and diving.
In Southern Africa, a series of bizarre weather conditions linked to climate change have decimated Malawi’s agriculture with farming hubs struggling to match traditional output.
Namibia’s food production was also halved after that country last year suffered one of its worst droughts.
Further, Mozambique has faced constant threats of flooding and high temperatures.
