WHILE food prices have kept soaring, yields are likely to be low in the current farming season if rains continue to be minimal.
According to the Tanzania Meteorological Authority climate outlook for October –December, 2022 (vuli) rainy season, rains are expected to be below normal to normal characterized by late onset, poor distribution and prolonged dry spells.
Beside the below normal to normal rainfall condition, warmer than usual temperatures are expected across bimodal areas during the Vuli rainy season, in particular the northern coast and north-eastern highlands.
We are warned that this situation is set to affect agricultural activities and an increase in crop diseases and pests such as ants, armyworms, locusts and rodents are expected to occur during the season and thus affect crops and production in general.
It is clear that this farming season will not be favorable to many farmers across the country due the dry spells. Food prices are therefore likely to keep rising in the next few months if there will be no deliberate measures to improve agricultural output.
It is important that our farmers cushion themselves from this unfriendly weather and possible low output by embracing some drought-resistant crops and those which take a short period to mature.
In areas with sufficient and reliable water sources, farmers with the support from relevant authorities should embark on irrigation farming and harvest rainwater for irrigation.
Climate change is not a distant threat but a current reality. It has caused changes in rain patterns, posing serious implications for farm income and food security.
It is a wakeup call for us to refocus our priorities because the agricultural sector is the spine of human existence and the backbone of most world economies.
Our number one priority should be shifting quickly from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation farming.
In July, this year, the National Irrigation Commission unveiled plans to develop thirteen irrigation schemes for agriculture in Mbeya region to improve crop yields.
Whilst commending such a significant move, we are calling upon relevant authorities and investors to channel more funds towards tapping into the great potential of the country’s agricultural sector and mitigate the climate change threat.
