A Man-made Drought
No commentsPoor communities suffer the most due to floods and water shortages that affect food production. In Sierra Leone, the crops affected include rice, corn, millet and cocoa.
In a report made available to the Climate Change Media Partnership, the Washington-based Global Environment Facility confirms the climatic hazards faced by Sierra Leone.
Climate-induced adverse changes in Sierra Leone include protracted dry seasons, heat waves, strong winds, thunderstorms, landslides, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and floods. According to the Union of Environmental Journalists, each of Sierra Leone’s 12 districts has experienced extreme doses of some form or other of these hazards over the past decade.
The Climate Change Office in Sierra Leone told CCMP that its National Adaptation Programme of Actions (NAPA) recognises that poor communities are suffering the most due to floods and water shortages, which affect food production. In Sierra Leone, the crops affected include rice, corn, millet and cocoa.
Sierra Leone’s NAPA for climate change advises that adequate irrigation systems should be installed in the uplands, and viable drainage and water control must be implemented in the lowlands. Farmer Based Organisations should also be trained in sustainable water management, according to Sierra Leone’s climate experts.
In a reaction to the GEF report, the Union of Environmental Journalists stated that food security will depend on the observation of climatic conditions between now and the expected implementation of NAPA irrigation programmes in 2011.
