As the climate change talks in Copenhagen get underway, Rural Development Connections executive director Shannon Mulholland travels to Kenya to meet with the farmers taking part in the Coffee Connections Project and to buy the first round of harvested coffee on behalf of farmer-owned direct trade coffee company, Safi Coffee.
"Its raining today. It has been raining for the past two weeks after months of no rain. Nyeri is expecting 15mm over the coming week mostly occurring today (Saturday) and on Wednesday," she wrote over the weekend.
Climate change is particularly affecting developing countries such as Kenya--normal seasonal dry periods are lasting longer and turning into droughts. When rain comes it causes floods because the ground is baked dry and cannot absorb the water.
Rain Shortage
According to the USAID FEWS Net Weather report for December 3 - 9 2009:
Food, Crop Security
Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga told a UN conference last week that climate change is threatening to negate economic gains made in the recent past in Africa, as it is affecting food security, according to this article in Kenyan newspaper, The Standard.
Smallholder Farmers Struggle
Small-scale farmers are feeling the brunt of changes in climate, according to this article by the Mennonite Central Committee, published on ReliefWeb, a United Nations portal. Thanks to worsening growing conditions, crop yields today are a FIFTH what they were 50 years ago.
From the article:
Climate Change Harms GDP
The Kenyan economy--where agriculture accounts for a quarter of GDP--are suffering as crops become less reliable. A British and Danish funded-study entitled Economics of Climate Change in Kenya predicts that Kenya could lose up to 3% of its Sh2.6 trillion GDP annually by 2030 due to global warming, according to The Standard. "Climate impacts cost Sh37.5 billion annually," said a summary of the report.
Rural Development Connections aims to help smallholder farmers that are struggling because of climate change. For more information on our work, please visit our Rural Development Connections' homepage.
"Its raining today. It has been raining for the past two weeks after months of no rain. Nyeri is expecting 15mm over the coming week mostly occurring today (Saturday) and on Wednesday," she wrote over the weekend.
Climate change is particularly affecting developing countries such as Kenya--normal seasonal dry periods are lasting longer and turning into droughts. When rain comes it causes floods because the ground is baked dry and cannot absorb the water.
Rain Shortage
According to the USAID FEWS Net Weather report for December 3 - 9 2009:
Many local areas in southern Sudan, western Kenya, Uganda, and the SNNP region of Ethiopia have been impacted by poor pastoral and agro-pastoral conditions due to long-term moisture shortages. Favorable late October – early November rains have improved some areas of dryness, except in northwestern Kenya. Drought and crop loss have also been reported in southern Sudan.
Food, Crop Security
Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga told a UN conference last week that climate change is threatening to negate economic gains made in the recent past in Africa, as it is affecting food security, according to this article in Kenyan newspaper, The Standard.
"Most countries now live between disasters; That is, rains are bringing floods, while dry seasons have become drought spells as a result of climate change," the article quotes Odinga as saying.
Smallholder Farmers Struggle
Small-scale farmers are feeling the brunt of changes in climate, according to this article by the Mennonite Central Committee, published on ReliefWeb, a United Nations portal. Thanks to worsening growing conditions, crop yields today are a FIFTH what they were 50 years ago.
From the article:
About 50 years ago farmers could expect to produce 25 bags of maize from one hectare (almost 2.5 acres), each bag weighing about 198 pounds, said Joshua Mukusya, a farmer whose family has been tilling the ground for generations. He lives in Kola, a community in the semi-arid Machakos District in eastern Kenya, about 56 miles southeast of Nairobi.
"Now, you will be very lucky if you get five bags per hectare," he added.
Climate Change Harms GDP
The Kenyan economy--where agriculture accounts for a quarter of GDP--are suffering as crops become less reliable. A British and Danish funded-study entitled Economics of Climate Change in Kenya predicts that Kenya could lose up to 3% of its Sh2.6 trillion GDP annually by 2030 due to global warming, according to The Standard. "Climate impacts cost Sh37.5 billion annually," said a summary of the report.
Rural Development Connections aims to help smallholder farmers that are struggling because of climate change. For more information on our work, please visit our Rural Development Connections' homepage.
We are a non-profit and as such funded by generous donations. If you would like to make a contribution, please use the Donate Now button on the left hand side of this blog.
Please also consider purchasing an Outside the Box gift for your loved one this holiday season--gifts include drip-irrigation, tools, organic and fair trade certification to help the farmers produce more and better crop yields.
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