“When you change
the climate you change everything”. This is categorical to the important role
climate plays in the environmental system of our planet, to the extent that
minor changes in climate have major and complex effects on the planet. Climate
is a dynamic phenomenon that changes continually, with long-term warming and
cooling cycles. However, recent rapid and extensive changes are too extreme to
be dismissed as ‘normal’ and have been shown to be closely correlated to
changes in atmospheric carbon as a result of human activity (IPCC 2002).
Climate change affects people and nature
in countless ways, and it often increases existing threats that have already
put pressure on the environment. It is not a problem which appeared overnight.
It has been over 30 years since scientists first alerted the world to the
dangers of climate change. How much longer this danger will continue remains an
unanswered question. This is because a change in nature has serious
implications for people and economic system. The potential economic damage
caused by global warming can not be over emphasized.
In Cameroon, Government has embarked on
an ambitious programme for economic emergence by 2035. At the macro-economic
level, this ambition highlights the need to speed growth by stepping up forest,
agro-pastoral and fishing activities and ensuring an industrial technological
advancement with emphasis on the processing of local commodities. It also
envisages changing the structure of the economy; from a primary sector economy
(agriculture and extraction) and informal tertiary activities to a more
powerful secondary sector, and a specialized tertiary sector which creates
decent jobs.
For this vision
to be achieved, agricultural revolution in the rural areas must be envisaged,
including environmental protection, taking into consideration climate change
challenges. Cameroon’s economy is primarily agrarian. 80% of the country’s poor
are not only involved in farming but live in rural communities. About 35% of
Cameroon’s GDP comes from agriculture. 70% of the national labor force is
employed in agriculture, which means that agriculture and the exploitation of
natural resources are the main drivers of Cameroon’s economy and economic
development. Therefore rural communities need awareness. They need to be well
informed on how changes in temperature and precipitation pose a serious threat
to their agricultural activities and nation’s economy.
Rural communities and the rural people
must understand that climate change affects natural habitats like water and
forest in diverse ways, stretching to agriculture and food security.
Water for instance is important for
agriculture and industry. Rivers and lakes supply drinking water to people and
animals, as well as oceans and seas provide food for billions of people.
Climate change affects water on water
quality, rises in sea level, coastal erosion possibly triggered by flooding,
storm tracks, rise in water temperature and ocean acidification. It also
affects sea waves, beaches and obviously those that use them for recreation.
Forests mean so much to humans and their
activities. Forest purify the air, improve water quality, keep soils intact,
provide food, wood products and medicines, and are home to most endangered
wildlife. In fact, an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide rely on forests
for their livelihoods, including 60 million indigenous people or rural
communities who depend on forests for their subsistence. Forests helps to
protect the planet from climate change by absorbing massive amounts of carbon
dioxide (CO2), a major source of pollution that causes climate change. It is
quite unfortunate that forests are being recklessly depleted or destroyed at an
alarming rate by logging and burning: to clear land for agriculture and
livestock. These activities release huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other
harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Some experts say about 20 percent of
global carbon emissions that come from deforestation are greater than the
combined emissions of every car, truck and plane on the planet. So instead of
forests helping us to solve the climate crisis, deforestation will worsen the
situation and rural communities should be dissuaded from such activities.
Climate change effect on agriculture
will obviously reflect on food security. In other words, ‘a hit on one is a hit
on the other’. It is common knowledge that the world rely on rain-fed
agriculture, which is highly subject to changes in climate variability, shifts
in season, and precipitation patterns. Any amount of warming will lead to
increased water stress. In developing countries like Cameroon, about 40 percent
of all exports are agricultural products (WRI 1996). One-third of incomes in
the country are generated by agriculture, so also crop production and livestock
husbandry account for about half of household income - rural communities or
those in rural areas being in the majority (FAO 1999). Experts often argued
that climate cannot be dissociated from agriculture since its various elements
(rainfall, sunshine, humidity and temperature) are essential for the survival
of crops and of man. Agriculture is arguably the most
important sector of the economy that is highly dependent on climate.
When change in climate intensifies, crop
production is at increased risk of failure and loss of livestock. This will
negatively reflect on local food security – food accessibility, food
utilization and food systems stability. Most times, expectations and
predictions on warmer and wetter weather conditions fluctuate, which is not
good for agricultural practices. Where agricultural practices are challenged,
it affects human health and livelihoods, as well as purchasing power, food
markets and security at the level of households.
In
addition to changes in temperature and precipitation, another key factor in
agricultural productivity is the effect of elevated levels of atmospheric CO2
on crop yields. Some estimates suggest that higher CO2 levels could increase
crop productivity substantially by 50% or more, although these effects are
likely to be constrained by other factors such as water and soil nutrients,
particularly in the developing countries.
Climate
challenge that plague agriculture in Cameroon should be factored into
production plans if agricultural output is to be maximized. With a total land
area of about 475,440 sq km and a coastline of 402 km, Cameroon’s climate
varies with the terrain. Agriculture in Cameroon is moderately productive,
extensively managed, and semi market-based. Farms and the associated input
(storage, transportation and processing subsectors) provide low cost,
high-quality food for domestic consumers and contribute substantially to export
earnings for the country as a whole.
Farmland in
rural communities has been increasing steadily over the last five decades and
the total annual value of Cameroon’s agricultural sector’s output is greater
than $4 billion. Crop production dominated by cereals, tubers and bananas, is
worth over $2.5 billion.
While
Cameroon’s agriculture is on a long march to productivity, rural communities
should understand that the system is still highly dependent on climate, because
temperature, light, and water are the main drivers of crop growth.
By : Godycreative
@Godycreative
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