~ESDAY,J~E22,20l1
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Climate change may drain water for irrigation ARM ING activities in Nigeria are likely 10 be negatively affected by impacts of climate change in the fulu re, WlIter for irriglltion , especillily in Northern Nigerill, the food basket of the country, mlly become $ClIrce or unavailable. thus spelling food crises for the country at large. This Is part of the implications of the report of a rtlsearch carried out by the Food lind Agricultural Organisation , as released earlier in the month . According to the report I1Iled Climate Change, Woter alld Food Service, climate change will hllve mlljor impl!lct on the lIvllillibilily of wllter for growing food crops and on ag ricullu ral produchvity in the decades 10 come. The resellr& is described as a comprehensive su rvey .of eKisting scientific knowledge on the lInticipaled consequences or climllte change ror water use in agriculture M These include reductions in rive r runoff and aquifer recharges in the Mediterranean and the semi路arid areas of the Americas, Australia and southern Africa - regIons that are already waterstressed. In Asia, large a reas of irrigated land thllt rely on snowmelt and mountain glaciers for water will also be aHected. while heavily populated river deltas lire al risk fr om a combination of reduced water nows, increau:d 5lIlinity. and rising sea levels. 8 the report says. II holds thai lin lIccelerlltic;r of the wo rld's hydrological cycle is lInUcipaled as rising tempera tures Increase the rale 01 evaporation from land and sea . Rai nfall will Increase In the tropics and higher latitudes. but decrease in lIlrelldy dry semi-arid to mid-ll ri d latitudes and in the interior of la rge continents. A greater frequency in dro ugh ts a nd noods will 'need to be planned for but a lready, wllterscprce areas 01 the world a re eKpected to become drier and hotter. The report lIdds, ~Even though
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A report from the Food and Agricultural Organisation indicates that climate change will ha ve major impacts on water for famling , with North e rn Nigeria , the country's heart of food production , being one of the possible victims, AKEEM LASIS I writes
estimates of groundwater rechllrge unde r c1imllte change cannol be mllde with any certllinty, the increasing frequency of drought clln be eKpected to encourllge lurther development of available groundwater to buffer the production risk for farmen . And the lou 01 gillcieu which support a round 40 per cent of the world's irrigation - will eventually impact the amoun t 01 surface water lIvllilable lor agri cultu re In key prodUcing bllJlns. ~ Besides, increased temperature Is eKpecled to lengthen the growing sellson ;n northern tempe rate zones but wlll
-Water accoun ting in most developing countries is very limited. lind anoclltion procedures are non eKistent. ad hoc. or poorly developed,8 the report SlIys. - He lping developing countries lIcquire good wllter lIccounting practices lind developing robust and fleKible w"ter lIllocat!ons 5Y!1tems will be a first priority _ At the farm level, growers a re lIdvtsed to change their cropping ' patterns to allow earlier o r late r planting. reducing their Il/lIler use and optimising irrigatIon. Yields lind product ivity UlII be improved by shifting to soil moisture conservlliion
reduce the length 1I1most everywhere else. Coupled with increased rates of evllpotranspiration, this wilt cause the yield
practices, including zero- lind minimum tillllge. Pllln ting deep-rooled crops would 1I110w IlIrmers to better explOit lIvaJlable
~oo~een:lii~le~nd water productivity of crops soi~7K~~tu~;;ofOreSlry systems also MBoth the hvelihoods of rural communities as well as the food security of city populations are a t rbk,8 FAO Assistant Director General lor NlItural Resources. AleKander Mueller, Is quo ted to ha ve said. MBut the rurlll poor, who a re the most vulne rllble. a re likely to be disproporllo nlltely a ffected 8 The FAO's report, however. also looks at actions tha i can be laken by na tional policymakers, regIonal and 10clIl wllleuhed authorities. and individual farmers to respond to these new challenges. One key lIrea requiring lIllention is improving the ability 0 1 countries 10 implemen t effective systems for 'waler 'accoun ting' measuremen t of wlller supplies, transfers. and In order to inform decisions about now wllter resources clln be mllnaged and used under Increasing vllrillbillty.
- Grellter precision and focus is needed to understand Ihe nlltu re. scope and location of c1imllte change impacts on developIng country water resources for agricu llure .~ the report says. adding: MMapplng vulnerability is a key task III naUonlll and regional levets. ~ Ag r1cultu ral sustainabllity in northern Nigerill requiresnexibilityinbothecologlclli management as well liS ec#omic activity. Wikipedia sums Up lIgricultural practice in the region thus: Rainfall occurs only sellsonlllly - and there is a pronounced dry season -although rainfall is often Intensive when il does come, making it necessary for farmers to employ soil moisture conservation techniques. The mllin crops grown In Ihe regIon
hold
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promise. These systems both sequester carbon and lIlso offer additionlll benefits such as shade that reduces ground temperatur~ and evaporation . lidded wind protection, and improved soil conservation and wa ter retention. However. the FAO's report also stresses Ihllt small-scale producers in developing countries will fa ce an uphill struggle in adopting such stRltegies. -Farm size and access to capital set the limits for the scope and edent pf adapllltion lind change at 'arm level. ~'It warns. noting tna t lIlrelldy 10dllY many developing world IlIrms produce yields IlIl below their agro-c1imatic potentill!. FAO a lso wa rns that fll r too li ttle is known about how cllmllte change Impllcts on water for ag ricu ltu re will play Oul lit the regionlll and sub-regional levels. lind where far mers will be most at risk.
minor crops. Wild foods also serve as an importllnt supplement 10 the diet, especially during limes of food shortage. The bulk of crops lire grown during the rainy season which begins in June or July, when temperatures lire warmer. Historicllll y, development plans for the north have focused on the use of imporled technology lind irriglllion schemes, while negleclmg trllditional IlIrming practices. These Iradltionllt prllclices generally locus on the close integration between the raising of livestock and farming, and have been studied in de tllil In the Kano Close Settled Zone of Northern Nigeria. Due to the social and environmental conditions in northern Nige ria. neKlbilily 01 both ecological management as well liS economic aclivity Is vital component of any strategy for agricultu ral lind rura l IIvel1hood In the region.