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Nigeria: Climate change and food challenge

30 April 2010, Daily Trust
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201004290231.html

Lagos: Climate change has gradually dominated discussion in almost every country of the world because of the challenge it poses to the survival of individuals and whole nations. In recent times, whole countries have been threatened by changes in climatic conditions ranging from draught, delayed rainfall, continuous melting of the polar region causing severe flood in some countries and speculation about the acid rain.

Early this year, the food Agricultural organization (FAO) reported that Mongolia experienced a severe change in climatic conditions that caused a great loss to farmers who are predominantly pastoralists because many of their livestock died after temperatures in the country dropped to -50 degrees centigrade killing 1.7 million heads of livestock and putting 21, 000 herder families at risk of hunger.

The body also said food security and sustenance is under threat from climate change in Mongolia as the country is threatened by Dzud, a weather condition of intense cold followed by a rapid fall in temperatures of -50 to -40 degrees centigrade.

This goes to show how much impact climate change is influencing food production and food security in the world as evident in the Copenhagen climate change conference where leading world nations who are the largest emitters of the damaging Green House Gases (GHGs), could not reach a definite commitment how best to manage such emissions in order to contain climate change and the ozone layer depletion.

In Nigeria, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) released a statement on the weather changes that reveals that the weather is gradually changing for the worst because of the impacts of climate change caused by Green House Gases.

These changes in the weather have continued to affect crop production and the cost of food production in general and the resultant rise in the prices of agricultural farmers.

It is important for government and all stakeholders in agriculture especially policy makers to take into consideration the impacts of climate change on agricultural activities and to include methods of mitigating climate challenges in order to boost food production and sustenance.

Dr. Ken Ife of the African Business roundtable observed that despite the fact that climate change has been forecasted long ago, many nations especially in Africa are not taking the challenge seriously, he noted that the way forward for Nigeria to overcome the challenge of climate change is for the nation's leader is to take the bull by the horn and promote climate friendly policies.

"Climate change would reduce global food production by about 30 percent and it is inevitable except that the impact may differ from region to region and its impact on food security would definitely be felt by the different world economies.

If the depletion of the ozone layer is the singular cause, then it may be felt in a uniformed patter especially in countries that are situated close to the coastal regions and the arctic regions because it would cause a rise in the sea levels due to more melting of the ice in that region" he said.

According to him, "people in the coastal region would be severely affected if the impact is not well managed and in the case of local climatic effects, acid rain is one prominent phenomenon that would be visible and this would affect both the land (soil) and crops."

He advised that as a way forward out of the climate challenge especially to food in Nigeria, government must diversify is source of energy instead of solely depending on fossil fuel because it also contributes to climate change through carbon gas emission instead, Nigeria can begin to look into tree planting, biofuel and bioethanol as well as embarking on massive organic fertilizer sourcing to boost agriculture with the required infrastructures in place.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said the impact of climate change would affect rain fed crops and reduce crop yield by 50 percent in 2020.

IFAD warned that the ever increasing population of the earth means that the demand for food in also on the increase in developing countries and this has created the need to double production by 2050 to meet the demand and poor rural people can play very central role in climate change mitigation since they are the custodians of the base of natural resources.

The report noted that impacts of climate change is already being felt through economic loses among the rural poor which is evident in the increasing cases of crop failures and livestock deaths.

Desertification and bush burning among others are contributors to climate change because of the emission of dangerous that deplete the ozone layer.

The ozone layer is a region in earth atmosphere which protects the earth from dangerous gases and rays like the Ultra violet rays, Gama rays among others that are very harmful to the earth's atmosphere if allowed free access into the earth. The battle has definitely been drawn for the challenge of food and it is left in the hands of the leadership of the Nigerian people to ensure that Nigeria stays above water even as African is fighting a stiff battle with mother nature and is at a vulnerable position.

Desertification and other unhealthy environmental practices must definitely be curtailed if Nigeria must meet the 2015 target of the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) of fighting hunger and poverty.

*  By Tina A. Hassan