EMPOWERING FARMERS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION

By HAPPY MULOLANI Climate change is a phenomenon which is likely to affect productive sectors in Zambia such as agriculture. If no proper mechanisms are enforced to properly tackle its effects, climate change may affect food security and incomes of small-scale farmers in the country. Such concerns have resulted in development partners coming up with initiatives aimed at mitigating climatic conditions likely to impact on farmers’ investments and the country’s food security levels. Recently, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) released US$12million to assist rural small-scale farmers in adapting to climate change and reduce green house gas emissions. IFAD President Gilbert Houngbo explained that the Swedish government, which is one of the cooperating partners of IFAD, made available the funds to effectively implement and contribute towards reducing climatic changes. This financing comes in the wake of the worst ever drought experienced in 35 years. This drought has hit over 11million people in nine countries needing food support, of which Zambia is no exception. What is eminent is that climate change is not a problem for the future but is happening now as it is already affecting households and incomes of rural farmers. The financing towards climate change is a milestone given that it impacts on poverty and hunger. “Investment is needed to enable rural people to take adaptation actions and also to realize their potential contribution to mitigating impacts of climate change,” says Mr Houngbo. Clearly, financing towards climate change is one of the catalysts which should enable farmers to adapt and become resilient to climatic shocks. But, financing alone without appropriate information may not help small-scale farmers achieve food security and incomes, hence the necessity for further initiatives to enable farmers’ access up-to-date weather information should be a priority in order for them to make informed decisions as they embark on their various agriculture enterprises. This is in tandem with the recently launched weather phone application (app) called CROPWIS developed by the University of Zambia in partnership with the College of Agriculture of Makerere University and University of California. The app has the ability to predict weather forecast and real-time satellite meteorology for farmers. University of Zambia Vice-Chancellor Professor Luke Mumba observes developing such an application is an exceptional innovation meant to assist farmers to make informed decisions in light of their agriculture production given the climate change phenomenon and weather variability. Prof Mumba highlights the importance of the app amidst the unpredictable rainfall. Suffice to state that the app positions farmers to make right decisions especially during the planting season. Therefore, it is an opportune time for researchers to increase their level of research if agricultural development is to be enhanced given that; the agriculture sector is one of the key drivers of the country. Makerere University Principal Investigator John Wasige says the beauty of the app is that it predicts weather conditions in particular areas unlike generalized results. Dr Wasige explains that the app provides precise results for a specific area. This is the more reason why one needs to localize the search through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS). The app is certainly a “game changer” in detecting the varying weather conditions which better places farmers to plan accordingly in their agriculture production. University of Zambia Principal Investigator Dr Langa Tembo reveals that the app has a 90 percent degree of accuracy. Interestingly, the app can be accessed through play store on Android phones and installed through the outlined instructions. It is worth noting that though, the app can be used for other purposes such as outdoor events, the focus for now is to assist farmers have foresight in their agriculture endeavours. Close collaboration of universities is key in ensuring the development of initiatives which contributes to the economic status of farmers and the country, a notion Dean of School of Agricultural Sciences Dr Benson Chishala reaffirms. The app project is sponsored by United States Agency International Development (USAID) and the National Academy of Science (NAS) of the United States Government and other cooperating partners. In the recent past, the effects of climate change, variations of weather patterns and poor access to information have been a source of worry which tends to affect farmers agriculture production. But, with a different approach of building partnerships in coming up with exceptional innovations such as this app, will equip farmers with relevant weather information. As the adage goes “information is power”, weather information through this app will greatly contribute towards farmers orchestrating a mechanism to enable them to make informed decisions in their agriculture production.