Climate Change Devastates Continent

SMALLHOLDER farmers, fisherfolk and pastoralists in Africa will be the hardest hit by climate change even though their continent is the least polluting globally.

Agronomists, environmentalists, ecologists and development activists who met at a conference on Climate Change, Agriculture, Fisheries and Pastoralism in Africa at Selingue village, about 200km south of Bamako in Mali said farmers, fisherfolk and pastoralists were already feeling the negative effects of climate change.

"The impact of climate change is already being felt in different parts of the continent," said Dr Regassa Feyissa, a veteran Ethiopian agronomist and plant breeder.

"Extreme weather patterns have led to a decrease in rainfall, rising temperatures and heavy rains in some cases. Smallholder farmers and pastoralists are already experiencing the negative impact of climate change."

In the past three years, he said, rising temperatures had led to the hastening of crop maturity and a rise in biomass levels in Ethiopia.

"Yield levels are falling and there is a huge biomass. There is a disruption of the earth's climate system and this will soon force pastoralists and farmers in Ethiopia to change their agricultural practices," Dr Feyissa said.

More than 150 participants from 25 African countries and 10 countries from other continents discussed a broad range of issues critical to the survival of smallholder farmers, pastoralists and fisherfolks from November 26-December 2 at Nyeleni village centre at Selengue in Mali.

Participants noted with concern that climate change mainly caused by the unsustainable way of production, transport and lifestyle in industrialised countries in the North is killing and destroying the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, pastoralists and fisherfolk in Africa.

"People have been pushed into poverty, millions have died and many more have been forced to migrate. The large scale use of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution, mainly in the rich countries, is the main cause of climate change," read part of the joint statement by the participants.

Tendai Ngosi, a development activist from Malawi , said the southern part of her country is increasingly experiencing more floods that in the past leading to the emergence of diseases.

"The quantity and quality of fish caught by our fisherfolk is declining. This will have serious implications on the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fishing on Lake Malawi," she said.

Malaria is now re-emerging as the biggest killer on the shores of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and other major water bodies dotted around the continent.

"There is a new wheat fungal strain that is affecting Ethiopia and more recently it has now been reported in Uganda and Kenya. I don't know how it started but it is spreading, mostly likely due to climatic changes," Dr Feyissa said.

"There are various microbial diseases that are emerging now. Malaria is one of them. Africa will be the hardest hit and we have to find solutions and demand social justice from the North."

Mr Peter Malomba, a Kenyan farmer activist said rains have become unpredictable affecting farming activities in his own country.

"Rains either come too late or too early. We don't know when to plant and we can no longer depend on the Met office here in Kenya," he said. "Technologies have failed us and nature is fighting against us."

"Lake Victoria which supports the livelihood of millions of people is dying, water levels are falling and water hyacinth is spreading fast," Mr Malomba said. "Boats can't move because of the weeds. The quality and quantity of fish is declining and we are worried about the future of our people."

Tidimalo Coetzee of the Botswana agricultural ministry said her country is experiencing prolonged dry periods with high temperatures which have led to cattle dying.

"The livelihood of our farmers who depend heavily on cattle is being threatened as climate change occurs," she said. "Grazing pasture is dwindling because of drought, the quality of meat is also declining and the frequency of disease outbreaks is rising."

Conflicts between traditional pastoralists groups and farming groups are rising in the Great Rift Valley region as climate change is leading to a shift in agro-ecological practices.

Declining water availability and grazing lands is worsening the conflicts in other parts of Africa where people had co-existed peaceful for years.

Some of the major causes of climate in change in Africa which were raised by participants include:

* Unsustainable exploitation of forests by multinationals

* Unsustainable mining activities done by large multinationals (eg large tracts of forest land being cleared by diamond mining conglomerates in Sierra Leone)

* Unethical exploitation of Africa's mineral resources, for example gold in Tanzania and Kenya, granite and gold in Zimbabwe causing extensive damage to the environment

* Poverty makes Africa vulnerable to the whims of powerful multinationals and countries

* Unsustainable production systems by industrial conglomerates operating on the continent

Africa's emissions are estimated at 3,6 percent out of the total carbon dioxide emissions per year. The biggest culprits are the rich countries in the North particularly the US which has refused to ratify the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) Kyoto Protocol.

"People's lives, livelihood and the destruction of nature cannot be measured in monetary terms. Rich countries and big companies must pay compensation to the developing countries.

"The total development aid from the rich countries is just a very small portion of what they should pay," read part of the conference communiqué.

"Africa is the most vulnerable, it will be the hardest hit and the impact will be catastrophic," said Mithika Mwenda of Climate Network Africa.

He said the impact of climate change in Africa include:

* Food and livelihood pressure due to climate change will lead to populist or military coups in a number of countries in Africa

* Population movements and displacement both within countries and internationally

* Decrease in area of land suitable for agriculture

* Decreased local food supplies

* Health status of millions of people -- increased malnutrition and consequent disorders

* Increased frequency of new vectors and short term development time of pathogens as a result of higher temperatures

* Increased burden of waterborne diseases such as cholera, malaria, cardio-respiratory diseases due to heatstroke

* Water conflict security will worsen -- due to prolonged drought, shrinking lakes, drying rivers and aquifers and sinking water tables

* Increased agro-fuel-food conflicts -- increased food prices, erosion of bio-diversity, displacement of smallholder farmers

* Natural disasters -- landslides, damage of infrastructure by floods, human death and downstream insecurity, for example Mozambique's experience of Cyclone Eline induced floods in 1999-2000 period.

"The aspirations of the poor and marginalised must be addressed together with climate change. Rich countries must not only cut back on their consumption but they should also help support and promote the rest of the world to adapt to climate change," Mwenda said.

Development activists also said there is need to document the serious impact of climate change for agriculture, pastoralism and fisheries in Africa and share experiences on how peasants, pastoralists and fisherfolks overcome the consequences of climate change.

They also said there is need to strengthen social movements and pile pressure on rich countries and multinationals to stop the unsustainable exploitation of resources in the South.

Participants also agreed that there is need to develop and promote sustainable alternative policies and practices, to implement and promote food sovereignty, agro-ecology and other sustainable food production systems.

In addition, they said there is need for a collective response in the form of global partnerships in the common struggle for sustainable development.

Indigenous African knowledge systems are critical to the survival and adaptation of people living under the threat of climate change.

Agro-ecologists said support and promotion of indigenous knowledge systems is critical in conservation and development of bio-diversity.

But the erosion of indigenous knowledge systems and widespread use of conventional agricultural systems has had a damaging effect on the capacity of most African communities to feed themselves and conserve agro-bio-diversity.

Restoration and enhancement of indigenous knowledge systems is the way to go.