Micheal J Ssali
4 November 2009
As African leaders gathered in Kampala mid last month to attend the African Union Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displace Persons, perhaps not so many of us were actually aware that elsewhere, in the UK, another conference was taking place to warn that the international law is inadequate to deal with millions of people forecast to become climate exiles in the face of escalating climate change.
Estimates by experts vary, but it is feared that between 200 million and one billion people could become displaced by climate change by 2050. The Foundation for International Law and Development (FIELD) at its 29th anniversary event on October 15, highlighted that there is currently no legal framework or guidelines to provide assistance or protection for people crossing borders due to climate change.
Developing countries will be hit hardest - higher temperatures, rising sea levels submerging some island states, food insecurity, and more frequent weather related disasters. Climate change effects will pose risks for agriculture, food and water supplies and are set to cause chaos for millions of people. FIELD director, Joy Hyvarinen said, "International law focuses on those who are persecuted for political, racial, or religious reasons. It was not designed for those who are left homeless by environment pressures."
We can only wish that African leaders will not be convening yet again in the future to discuss the fate of climate change refugees and displaced persons!
Climate change therefore is not merely a topical issue for the media to capitalise upon in order to increase profits but rather a real problem for everyone, particularly, those of us in the third world. It is an issue that must be at the back of our minds as we carry out all farming activities and as we wait for higher-yield, disease and drought resistant crop varieties already being researched upon by agricultural scientists.
An NGO in Rakai District, Uganda Rural Community Support Foundation Model Farm (URCSF) located at Kirumba in Kirumba Sub-county, has undertaken to teach climate change friendly farming methods to the local farmers at its model farm.
Among tips offered to farmers in this part of the world, rain water harvesting, mulching, organic manure preparation, tree planting and terracing dominate the demonstrations at the 30-acre-plus model farm which provides its lessons free of charge. It is a seed multiplication centre for both food and fodder crops.
URCSF Country Director, Mr Francis Peter Luswata said, "As we teach the small land holder farmers, the importance of growing vegetables and other crops for food and cash, we never forget to emphasise to them the need for soil and water conservation and how to carry on with crop production and animal husbandry under the changing weather conditions."
Every vegetable garden therefore at URCSF model farm is under mulch. Mr Fred Mpanga, the Farm Manager, explained that the mulch encourages water infiltration into the soil as it interrupts any surface flow of water. He also said that the mulch breaks up the force of raindrops and reduces their action on the soil structure thus preventing soil erosion. Since the soil is covered all the time, water is in the soil much longer.
The young farmers are further taught to harvest fairly large amounts of rainwater using simple and inexpensive equipment, like tarpaulins spread and fixed into large holes into which thousands of litres of runoff rain water may be stored. Water from house tops can also be harvested and stored this way. At the model farm is a 400-litre demonstration tank made quite cheaply with the use of polythene and some poles.
URCSF also teaches animal husbandry skills and emphasises that no animal urine should be lost. "We trap all the urine and all the water that runs off the playing and sleeping areas of the animals," Mr Mpanga said. "Apart from enriching the soil, liquid manure also serves as a form of irrigation."
Even under the rack over which the household cooking utensils and cutlery are placed to dry after washing a small vegetable garden may be created as was demonstrated at the URCSF model garden. The vegetables are watered by the drops from the drying utensils and cutlery.
The farmers are further taught how to make terraces on farms on steep areas. Mostly seen at the URCSF model farm were the graded banks terraces which control the surface flow of water to enable most of it to sink into the ground. They are also useful in the reduction of soil erosion.
Due to the large presence of animals and birds on the URCSF model farm, only organic manure is used there. The student farmers are given a pregnant goat each at a certain stage of their training which provides them with the droppings for composite manure preparation. Organic manure not only improves the soil structure but also allows greater infiltration of water into the soil and its maintenance there.
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