Climate Change Concerns: Impact on Kenya’s Fresh Produce Industry
Each day, Climate Change conversations keep getting louder. The demand for organizations, communities, businesses and countries to adopt measure to mitigate climate change can no longer be ignored. In Kenya, where agriculture is the core economic activity for most of the population, the effects of climate change on agriculture are real. And so are the demand to approach agricultural especially for fresh produce, practices in a whole new different way. In this blog, we look into how climate change has affected Kenya’s fresh produce and possible ways for mitigation.
- Unpredictable Seasons
Most agricultural enterprises depend solely on rain for cultivation. Climate change however has brought with it unpredictable changes that have made agriculture hard to practice. Apart from erratic rainfall patterns that are not only hard to predict but also almost impossible to rely on in the farms, today, Kenya experiences prolonged droughts and extreme weather conditions that have disrupted the cultivation calendar.
- Quality of Yield Concerns
Because of the unpredictable nature of the weather presently, the quality of produce put out for the markets has been compromised. The shelf life of harvest has been put the test thanks to climate induced stress cause by factors such as extreme temperature and humidity levels which in turn has led to spoilage and loss for sector players.
- Reduced Crop Yield
The different effects of unpredictable weather greatly affects the produce farmers can send out to the markets. Factors such as drought and excessive rain cause stunting in crops due to lack of enough moisture, soil erosion and flooding that not only make farming impracticable but also greatly compromise on the quantity and quality of the crops that survive.
- Market Destabilization
Because of erratic weather conditions that have affected crop yields, market intelligence and prediction has become increasingly difficult. Millions of shillings are lost each season across the supply chain either because there is either an influx of produce to the market or lack of it to meet demands.
Way Forward
To address these challenges and ensure the fresh produce sector survives the climate change realities, plays may want to adapt these strategies:
- Water Management through irrigation. So as to not disrupt production occasioned by drought and scarcity of rain, farmers should be encourage and enabled to incorporate irrigation techniques and water conservation in mitigation.
- Embracing technology. Innovations and technological advancement should be key in mitigation climate change in fresh produce production. Advancements such as forecasting, green house farming and precision agriculture will further help keep production at par with market demands.
- Diversity in Farming. Farmers need to be encouraged to migrate and/or incorporate crops that are more resilient to survive climate change.
- Industry friendly Policies. Stakeholders should rally the government for policies and initiatives that will ensure sustainable farming practices and support in climate smart agriculture coupled with financial products that can help industry actors survive the challenging realities occasioned by climate change.
Conclusion
The fresh produce industry stands to be adversely hit by effects of climate change if not addressed decisively. Hundreds of homes and individual’s livelihood stand threatened as we endeavor to manage unemployment and food insecurity as a nation. It is imperative that the government and other stakeholders that include the private and non-governmental organizations, farmers and agricultural institutions come together to come up and implement strategies that will ensure sustainable practices that can withstand climate change and ensure the survival of the industry.
