Tuesday, April 26, 2011
:rHISDAY,Vol.-16:No.5846,
Page 51.
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Local Farmers Discuss Climate Ch~ge Impact The impart of climate change on agriculture and mitigation irutiatives were discUssed by participants at a sensitisation workshop organised by the Locru Initiatives for Environmental Sustainability (LIFES), a non-political, not-for-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO). LIFES, according to its executive director, Mr. Tunde Atere is a platform for advocating collaborative actions and commitments in support of the world's natural resources tluough grassroots empoweJment. The workshop, which had tlle support of tlle United Nations Devel~ment Programme (UNO!') Small Grants Progr=e (SGP) focussed on the 'Impact of Oimate Change on Agriculture The Role of Locru farmers' in partnership with the Ebonyi Farmers Association of Igbe cornmunity, Ikorodu, Lagos State. . 'TI,e objective of the workshop, Atere said was to establish a communi~ based social network on climate change tluough existing farmers / fis1lermen associa tions, strengthen ·indigenous coping techrugues and options to climate change and build local capacity for .use of viable local adaptation techniques in the rural economy of tlle community It is part of tlle activities aimed at building the Adaptive Capacity 01 local farmers and fishermen in response to climate change in tlle Ikorodu, Lallos State project. For the local farmers, . agricultural production is , botll·a source of food and a souxce of. income. Oimate change inlpacts the foux key dimensions of food securityavailability, stability, access, . and utiliiation. Availability of agricultural products IS affected by climate change directly ~ugh 'its impasts on aup YIelds, ouF.' pests and diseases, and soil fertility and water-holding properties. It is also affected by climate change indirectly through its impacts on economic growth, income distribution, and agricultural demand, Said the executive director, represented by tl,e national director, Mr. Lawal. He said in addition, stability of oup yields and food supplies is negatively affected by variable weather conditions. Physical, economic, and social access try food would be affected negatively by climate change as agricultural production declines, food prices rise, and puxchasing power decreases. According t6 him, tl,e threats of cliffiate change are more severe in developing countries, especially Nigeria due to lack of adequate
awareness, finance, and .• _!~ology. "Many low. income countries are located in tropical and subtropical regions,- which are particulaily vulnerable to rising temperatures, and in semidesert zones, which are threatened by decreasing water availability. The over-
By Bennett Og11ifo all inlpact of this may range from altering farm management practioes to adoption of new varieties, oups, and anima! breeds more appropriate to future climate conditions." Agriculture in developing countries, he said must therefore, in sustainable ways, undergo significant transformation in order to meet the related challenges of achieving food security and responding to climate · change. "Most estinlates also indicate tl,at climate change is likely to reduce agricultural . productivity, production . stability and incomes in some areas that already have hi"" levels of food insecuri-.' . ty.'" . H e said for the various' . communities of Nigeria, especially in the Ikorodu areas of Lagos slate, agricultural production is both a source of food and a' source of income. "Glirnate change impacts the foux key dimensions of food security which are; availability, stability, acoess, and ·u tiliiation." The workshop,. he. said was designed ··to outline '. a range of practioes, approaches and tools aimed at.mcreasing the resilience and pioductivity of agricultui;llproduction systems, while also reducing and removihg emissions. Discussing 'The role of community faqning in addressing climate chilnge", chief executive officer of Bread of We Foundation, Mr. Babatope Babalobi contended that Nigeria was one of tlle countries expected to be most affected by the inlpacts of climate change and variability tllrough drought, sea level rise along her coastline, intensified desertification, erosion and flooding disasters and generalland degradation. Agriculture, he said was highly exposed to climate change, as farming activities directly depend on climatic conditions. "Fanning will be affected by climate change through decreasing average annual and seasonal rafufall and more sudden heat waves, droughts, storms and floods. But, agriculture too contributes to the release of greenhouse gases to · the atmosphere that results in climate chan&"." Babalobl said fanning influences climate change mainly by producing two powerful greenhouse gases: methane from livestock digestion processes and stored animal manure and, nitrous oxide from organic and mineral nitrogen fertilisers. '. Fanners apply excessive amounts of rutrogen fertilizer that is released as nitrous oxide and mines the earth of the nutrient needed to sustain production through rainforest clearing and slaSh and bum techniques that reduce carbon storage and release huge amounts . of carbon dioxide from burriing vegetation, he said. . According tq ~, monthly rainfall data show that tl1e ary period is characterised
Liye£fywke (R) exchallgillg MOU witT, Mr. E. Willai ..., Mallager, TOile-Tech Illtenrational Ud, a
rainy the ing of the rainy season. On climate cl,ange and food secuxity, " he . said "increasing frequency and severity ordroughts are likely to cause: oup failure; high and rising food prioes; distress sale of aninlaJs; de-capitalization, inlpoverishment, hunger, ' and eventually famine." Otl,er effects of climate change are streams/rivers drying up reduction in storage quality of oups loss of pastureland/veg~tation,
changes in the:pogulation of fish solutions. ;Howev'er, agriculture can also help"to provide solutions to the overall climate change problem.
is need to engage the fanning community in a debate an4'action on adaptation." .He~'~aid since water is . .essentiiU for broad based , " 'agncultural .pn:9uction and , ~;;rip:al'" develdpinent for iffiprove food seCurity, efforts should be made to reduce UIlSustainable water management and inlprove the efficiency ' of agricultural water use, such·as water productivify climate pressuxes. On mitigation and adaptation measUIes, he said generally, innovative and strategic investment, research and development together with local, national and international cooperation should be promotecf to unprove agnCultural water manasement by means of partiapatQry irrigation ' management, wafur haivesfing, water-sav-ing / drotignf-resistantcrop varieties, water :storage; and dissemination of agricultural
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best practioes. He said with the increasing rate of erratic rainfall patterns, drought and desertification, fanriers should access drought resistant and short duration high yielding oups already developed through research efforts. Use aup varieties better suited to new weather conditions (e.g. more resilient to heat ana drought); develop and test new oup and water management practices that will outperform existing fanning practioes and tlmt can accommodate future climate variability and climate change; the use of heat tolerant and drought resistance oups is also effective adaptation practioes. Also that there was need to adjust sowing dates according to temperatUIe and rainfall patterns; one of the appropnate adaptation strategies by farmers shading and shelter, which can only be provided through agro-
fOn$l:ry and aforestation. Regular agro-forestry: and aforestation may therefore have become particularly needed because of the prevaiJing predominance of dry periods, accompanied w.i th heat waves, erratic rainfall, thunderstorms 'and floods/erosion, as earlier observed; planting ' of hedgerows or small wooded areas on arable land that reduce water run-off and 'a d as wind-breaks; agro. forestry: Establishment .of shelter belts and riparian buller strips witll woody species; providing riparian bullers can enhance wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and increase carbon storage; successful adaptation techniques to reduced rainfall and water available for oups, livestock and hUlIjans, such as diversifying ours to reduce risk of oup failure; as well as using housel1old grey-water to irrigate vegetaDies in home gardens. ",
Infrastructure:'.N SE, NIPC to Collaborate
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NigeriariS08eIY· of gineers (NSEf and the Nigerian . :' Inve~tment Promotion COitU!USSlOn (NlPC) have planned',,'major collaboration that would lead to greater participlifiori 'of Nigerian EngineerS in ' the development of ' investment opportunities in the engineering infrastructUIe sector of the nation's economy. Speaking recently in Abuja, the president, NSE, Engr. Olumuyiwa Ajibola stated that Engmeers shOuld be given the opportunity to drive the engineering ,sector of the economy witliIn the framework of the mandate of Investment Promotion Commission. . <,:;iving, assuxance 'of the competency of · Nigerian eJ1gineers, he said of the proposed collaboration, Nigerian . SocietY· -- " of Engineers has developed a data-base bf all inembci:S and engineering companies in the country and has developed a
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sOft'·ware to-·aid interaction :among them Joi-i:he purpose of'menforing<'and sharing of ideas: " " , "!~ , . He proinised' tei make availabfe all the data wheJ1ever needed by the commission. He called for closer working relationship between the two bodies adding that the'society waS already planning~ · an engineerirtg~ ' , .. --rounatable fOCUSing on 'PoWer ' and Transportation; ' whieh"w ill bring ' major p layers'" and stakeholdeis ·to network and 'proffer 'solutions affecting'the Sectors: ' .. '. . ' ': ., !:"Ii' He said the roundtable Will not' only. feature piesenta.q on 6( ' ap&s but wiUbe.buSiliess r'6:n~ted. 'witH' actiVitles ··like . 'exhibitiCitir"f.!· 'i , ,.;r ,.'.u j . "I'A sSUrini heSliid the sOciety would erlsute·th~t foreign . companies' 'looking ,for lOCal .partners are able to get comJ
panies with integrity that the society can vouch for. The two bodies agreed to set up a joint committee to work out the partnership. In a remark, Engr. Mustapha Bello said that the comnussion would like to work with the Society in creating a conducive environment for local credible engineering firms to partner with foreign engineering companies who Seek advice frOm the commission on their desire to form partnerships with engineering firms for the purpose of mvesting in the country. Underscoring the need for collaboration he said: 'The Commission in the CoUIse of its activities run into Construction Companies abroad seeking partnersrup with Nigerian counterparts .and was of the view that the Society stand to benefit from such if the Commission had a direct ·data from the NSE on credible engineering companies as well as its mernber-
ship data to allow tile Commission share information directly." , 1 H e said NIPC would .liI<e to work together with tpe society in organising an, Engineering Specific confe,eJ1ce where bIg engineering consultants would.:, . be brought in to showcase' their models. He said such an activity would expose Nigerian engineers and other professioi1a!s to the fad that projects were no~ only funded by government but could be through a prag.;natic Private-Public sector ,part- . nership. He added .. that many countries in the world, Tuxkey, . .has especially worked with the Private Sector in, ~ syste..T..atiC ihapner to achieve all the benchmarks set for it to join the European Union in .Just ·(i.ye years __ He said Nigeria.CG;lld apply SUcll a model probably for a longer time to get ,to _where it desires to be under its vision 202020.