Climate change adaptation techniques – Extreme climate change events such as flooding, heatwaves and droughts threaten the productivity of farmers, which in turn affects the level of food security in the economy and the livelihood of farmers. These events may discourage farmers in rural areas and cause them to change their primary source of livelihood (about 80% of the world’s population who live in rural areas are into farming).
With the effects of climate change on the community and the environment growing daily, farmers are constantly trying to adapt to the adverse effects it has on farms, crops and livestock. Climate change is reducing crop yields, soil nutrients, the nutritional quality of major cereals, and lowering livestock productivity.
Here are climate change adaptation techniques farmers can implement:
- Practice crop rotation.
- Plant trees.
- Use mulching for your plant cultivation.
- Soil fertilisation.
- Construct infiltration pits.
Practice Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is the system of growing different crops across various planting seasons on the same piece of land. This practice helps to improve soil nutrients which would have affected the productivity of crops, due to climate change. By adding cover crops to their crop rotation system, farmers can reduce soil erosion caused by wind and water due to the extra protection that cover crops provide.
Plant Trees
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb.
The benefits of planting trees are numerous, not just for your farm but for the world as a whole. Trees provide the perfect cover for farmlands against adverse climate change conditions such as extreme winds which can cause soil erosion, where they serve as windbreakers. They also provide cover for crops, cool the soil and the environment during heatwaves.
Planting trees prevent desertification, reduces the effect of floods, takes off carbon dioxide from the air, stores carbon in the trees and soil, and releases oxygen into the atmosphere, thereby slowing down the effects of climate change.
Use mulching for your plant cultivation.
Mulching is the act of applying a layer of material to the topmost (surface) of the soil around plants on the farm. Organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, bark chips and more can be used.
By using mulch, as a farmer, you can protect the roots of their plants from heat (particularly heatwaves caused by climate change), cold, or drought. Organic mulches also enrich the soil and improve plant growth as soon as they decay.
Soil Fertilisation
Climate change affects the soil by modifying the conditions of the soil moisture, increasing the soil temperature and carbon dioxide levels (CO2). These effects reduce the level of soil fertility and ultimately affect the productivity of crops.
The effects of climate change on the soil can be reduced through applying organic fertilisers such as animal waste, manure, compost, food processing waste, etc. and the appropriate use of organic fertilisers.
Construct infiltration pits.
Infiltration pits help to prevent soil erosion caused by flooding (an adverse effect of climate change) through the collection of runoff water. The water collected and stored can then be allowed to infiltrate and flow through the soil layers to the crops on the farm, which would have washed away the topmost layer of the soil and its nutrients.
