NAIROBI: Frostbite, heavy rains, and dry spell are some of the hostile weather conditions that farmers in Kenya have experienced in recent months.
The adverse weather effects that are alternating in quick succession have become a thorn in the flesh of farmers, hurting the production of crops meant for both the local and export markets.
Multiple interviews with farmers paint a picture of a lot gripped in a dilemma, some on the brink of giving up as the weather changes caused by climate change persist.
Years ago, the weather was easy to predict and so were planting, disease control, and harvesting.
One was thus assured that they would plant and harvest their crops without interference from the weather.
But that period is gone – for good – if the adverse weather changes in the East African nation are anything to go by.
“I am about to start harvesting my maize but the weather may not allow me to do the job with peace because it is raining at a time when it should be dry,” Geoffrey Ambuche, said a farmer in Kitale, Kenya’s breadbasket.
Over the years, Kenya has been having two rain patterns, between March and May and October to December, according to the meteorological department. This allowed farmers to plant, wait for their crops to grow, harvest, and dry.
“It is raining currently when the crop is ready for harvest, which means the produce risks rotting or aflatoxin attack. These weather changes are presenting very hard challenges,” said Ambuche.
Kenya produces an average of 40 million 90 kg bags of maize annually, according to the Ministry of Agriculture but with the adverse weather changes, the harvest is not assured. Other farmers badly affected by the erratic weather are those growing tomatoes, onions, capsicum, and potatoes.
“For the last three years, I have been battling to save my tomatoes from blight but this year has been the worst because the cold spell has been long,” said George Karithi, a farmer in Kitengela on the south of Nairobi.
Karithi noted that instead of producing five tons from his half-acre, the erratic weather pushes it to two or three.
Kenya’s export crops like tea, coffee, and French beans have equally been hit harder, with the adverse weather effects slowing down production. For the Kenyan tea, production declined in July by 9.82 million kilos, according to the Tea Directorate, after cold weather engulfed growing areas in Central and the Rift Valley regions. This has been the trend for the past years.–Agencies
