Act on climate change now
Sep 21, 2011
THE global population, it is said, will increase in the next 30 years from seven billion to 12 billion and yet the food supply will reduce by 30%.
By Henry M. Kityo
THE global population, it is said, will increase in the next 30 years from seven billion to 12 billion and yet the food supply will reduce by 30%.
In Uganda, the population is growing at a rate of 3.6% yet agricultural production is only at 2.3%. The biggest challenge is the rising temperatures in the last two years when Mt. Everest started to be free of its ice during summer and in the next 10 years the North Pole will start to lose its ice which has been there millions of years ago.
The rising temperature will cause terrible floods. Snow will turn into water and cause floods because of high temperatures, and the soil life may die causing massive soil degradation and expansion of deserts. This will result into food insecurity causing big famine, starvation and eventual death in many parts of the world.
Since 1940 to-date, 3,500 sq.km of forests are lost annually due to population pressure, urbanisation and farmers trying to find new land to cultivate while little effort is made to plant new forests.
The former Russian Republic has lost 40% of its forest cover; Pakistan has lost 31% and Uganda has, since 1990, lost 1.8 million hectares and every year, we lose 90,000 hectares which is 30% since 1990.
According to Dr. Yasir Syed , the director of International Biofert in Canada, mismanagement of the environment has caused the many challenges. About 1.4 billion people in the world are in the state of mild to severe famine. The world’s irrigated land has shrunk by 40% due to decline of water supply in the last three decades.
The world’s water gap in the next two decades will be 17%. Of every 100 acres of land under plough only 5% will get reasonable irrigation by 2030. Mismanagement of environment is going to lead to increased toxic gases from green houses in Europe and America, rapid depletion of soils unable to support production requirements and inability of soils to respond to use of fertilizers resulting in diminishing returns.
The production levels in Eastern Uganda is only 30% of the potential.
Lack of effective extension service resulting in failure to advise farmers on use of chemicals, drugs and fertilisers causing unbalanced use of chemicals which in turn cause diseases and pests resistant to applications.
The soils are becoming less productive and lack of incentives in agriculture has caused massive youthful workforce exodus from rural to urban areas, looking for survival.
Immediate actions need to be taken to mitigate climate change.
There must be deliberate programmes to attract the youth to stay in rural areas like it is done in South Korea. The developed countries should massively invest in tree planting in the developing world. Carbon creaming should be operationalised to give adequate incentives for tree growing farmers particularly small farmers.
Developed countries contribute over 70% of the total carbon in the atmosphere generated from their factories, vehicles and green houses.
Uganda should quickly put in place a law to regulate biotechnology and biosafety to allow scientists to develop crops which are resistant to drought, diseases and pests and improvement of nutritional values of crops and livestock.
Resistant bananas against banana wilt are developed but are in Kawanda because there is no regulating law in place.
The Government and the people of Uganda must take the issue of restoring the environment as very important for the future generations and food security.
There must be a policy on forced tree planting, strong means to enforce existing laws on environment, sustainable agriculture, proper use of chemicals, particularly fertilizers and, where possible, use of organic fertilisers.
Planned parenthood to produce children one can manage, and massive education on environment protection must be emphasised otherwise climate change is a real threat to the world.
The writer is the secretary general of Uganda National Farmers Federation
THE global population, it is said, will increase in the next 30 years from seven billion to 12 billion and yet the food supply will reduce by 30%.
In Uganda, the population is growing at a rate of 3.6% yet agricultural production is only at 2.3%. The biggest challenge is the rising temperatures in the last two years when Mt. Everest started to be free of its ice during summer and in the next 10 years the North Pole will start to lose its ice which has been there millions of years ago.
The rising temperature will cause terrible floods. Snow will turn into water and cause floods because of high temperatures, and the soil life may die causing massive soil degradation and expansion of deserts. This will result into food insecurity causing big famine, starvation and eventual death in many parts of the world.
Since 1940 to-date, 3,500 sq.km of forests are lost annually due to population pressure, urbanisation and farmers trying to find new land to cultivate while little effort is made to plant new forests.
The former Russian Republic has lost 40% of its forest cover; Pakistan has lost 31% and Uganda has, since 1990, lost 1.8 million hectares and every year, we lose 90,000 hectares which is 30% since 1990.
According to Dr. Yasir Syed , the director of International Biofert in Canada, mismanagement of the environment has caused the many challenges. About 1.4 billion people in the world are in the state of mild to severe famine. The world’s irrigated land has shrunk by 40% due to decline of water supply in the last three decades.
The world’s water gap in the next two decades will be 17%. Of every 100 acres of land under plough only 5% will get reasonable irrigation by 2030. Mismanagement of environment is going to lead to increased toxic gases from green houses in Europe and America, rapid depletion of soils unable to support production requirements and inability of soils to respond to use of fertilizers resulting in diminishing returns.
The production levels in Eastern Uganda is only 30% of the potential.
Lack of effective extension service resulting in failure to advise farmers on use of chemicals, drugs and fertilisers causing unbalanced use of chemicals which in turn cause diseases and pests resistant to applications.
The soils are becoming less productive and lack of incentives in agriculture has caused massive youthful workforce exodus from rural to urban areas, looking for survival.
Immediate actions need to be taken to mitigate climate change.
There must be deliberate programmes to attract the youth to stay in rural areas like it is done in South Korea. The developed countries should massively invest in tree planting in the developing world. Carbon creaming should be operationalised to give adequate incentives for tree growing farmers particularly small farmers.
Developed countries contribute over 70% of the total carbon in the atmosphere generated from their factories, vehicles and green houses.
Uganda should quickly put in place a law to regulate biotechnology and biosafety to allow scientists to develop crops which are resistant to drought, diseases and pests and improvement of nutritional values of crops and livestock.
Resistant bananas against banana wilt are developed but are in Kawanda because there is no regulating law in place.
The Government and the people of Uganda must take the issue of restoring the environment as very important for the future generations and food security.
There must be a policy on forced tree planting, strong means to enforce existing laws on environment, sustainable agriculture, proper use of chemicals, particularly fertilizers and, where possible, use of organic fertilisers.
Planned parenthood to produce children one can manage, and massive education on environment protection must be emphasised otherwise climate change is a real threat to the world.
The writer is the secretary general of Uganda National Farmers Federation