•Drought has many devastating effects on communities and the surrounding environment.

By BRENDA MKANDWIRE –

Drought is an insidious hazard of nature, it is often referred to as a creeping phenomenon and its impact vary from region to region and it can therefore be difficult for people to understand and equally difficult to define.
It has many devastating effects on communities and the surrounding environment, the amount of devastation depends on the strength of the drought and the length of time an area is considered to be in drought conditions.
Sioma District Agricultural Coordinator Officer Belvin Muntanga explains that a drought is an extended period when a region receives a deficiency in its supply whether atmospheric, surface or ground water, it is a protracted period of deficiency precipitation resulting in extensive damage to crops thereby giving a loss in yield.
Mr Muntanga further said  a drought can last for months or years  or may be declared  after as few as 15 days and that this may generally occur when a region receives consistently below  average  precipitation which can have a sub stantial  impact on the eco-system and  agriculture of the affected District.
“The median annual rainfall for Sioma District is 800mm-plus for the district to be able to produce crops but, the impact of the drought for 2014/2015 farming season is so harsh compared to the previous one because crops have not been able to receive enough water so that nutrients and moisture could get onto the roots of plants and crops which in turn could have kept the crops healthy and keep the ground stable,” he added.
Mr Muntanga therefore urged  farmers to switch to irrigation, especially that the Zambezi River is so close as a source of  alternative water and that the need to irrigate is strongly driven by the necessity to meet the water needs of the crop because of the little rainfall that the district receives during the growing season to support crop growth.
He emphasised on irrigation being the ultimate in reducing crop stress if rainfall does not provide this amount of moisture during the growing season. It is not only the total moisture but also the timing of moisture application that is necessary for optimum crop yields because crops have critical periods during the growing season when soil moisture must be maintained. For example, corn has the most critical period from just before tussling through sulking and for small grain; it is from boot to heading stage.
A farmer, Victor Mulyokela explained that drought in the area is not happening for the first time.
“It happened during the 2010-2011 farming season by then under Shangombo District but the drought was not so severe as this one, it is just after two years that we are hit with another drought which has left three quarters of the fields destroyed thereby endangering peoples livelihoods, which is mainly due to climate change in the district caused by heavy deforestation and poor agricultural farming practices such as ploughing the whole field instead of just where to plant,” said Mulyokela.
Therefore, there is need for farmers to practice crop rotation every year because it results in the soil retaining more nutrients, coupled with that, planting the drought tolerant crops such as sorghum, soya beans and cowpeas because the lessened amount of precipitation over an area for an extended period of time can have many effects on farming and other agricultural activities.
The effects of drought have greater impacts on poorer farmers than on more prosperous farmers who have better opportunities such as switching to irrigation and being able to bring in resources from other areas.
No doubt, in Sioma District, irrigation is now being viewed as insurance against occasional droughts that have been hitting the place and the benefits for irrigation agriculture are that small-scale farmers will be able to control income fluctuation thereby, improving crop quality and significantly increasing crop yield particularly on sandy soils, which have low moisture holding capacities.
Irrigation can make agriculture possible and probably help small-scale farmers become more productive because irrigation transports water to crops to increase yield, while keeping crops cool under excessive heat conditions, and can be practiced all year round as crops will rely on moisture depending on the type of crop and its stage of development.
Another farmer from Sioma, Mwangala Mubita, said with a crop shortage from the drought condition, prices for food tend to increase because the demand for the crop is much higher with the limited amount and if people are not able to afford increasing prices during drought conditions, it is possible for communities to suffer health problems because of the lack of healthy food and clean water for sanitation and in poor countries this can result in starvation for larger numbers of people.
“With a crop shortage from the drought condition, prices for food tend to increase because the demand for the crop is much higher with the limited amount and if people are not able to afford increasing prices during drought conditions, it is possible for communities to suffer health problems because of the lack of healthy food and clean water for sanitation and in poor countries this can result in starvation for larger numbers of people,” said Mr Mubita.
Water may also become polluted during times of drought due to the lack of rain water to dilute industrial and agricultural chemicals, this toxic water can be harmful to plants and animals that use it and make it difficult to clean for drinking water.
Well, the effects of drought on public health can be numerous and severe because it is not only linked to increases in heat-related illness, water borne illness, cardio-respiratory illness but also mental illness due to crop failure or other loss of income and limited food availability due to crop failure and reduced living conditions especially among individuals whose livelihood rely on water such as farmers,  financial related stress can also lead to mental health illness including depression and suicide thoughts.
In Zambia, maize is the most common staple crop and production is almost completely rain-fed making farmers highly susceptible to extreme weather events such as droughts and as a result of such conditions the livelihood and food security of most small scale farmers are likely to be endangered this year.
In order to have a secured food security especially at household levels there is need for farmers to reduce the dependence on rainfall by indeed embarking  on irrigation and many are times when crops die because of inadequate rainfall yet there is so much water in our rivers and lakes that just go unutilised.
These small-scale farmers are important in as much as food production and distribution is concerned. Thus, the need to encourage and empower them venture into irrigation farming for food security to be assured in the country.
Truly, reality is hitting Sioma District and this calls for responses to change over with the onset of human induced climate change and policy continual adaption is really required.
According to the latest climate change report, evidence of the many ways the planet is already experiencing is as a result of human caused climate change for example, sea-level rise, shrinking glaciers, decreasing snow and ice cover, warmer oceans and more frequent and intense extreme events such as heat waves in Europe, Asia and Africa, and heavier rain and snowstorms in North America.
And it is gratifying that government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is constructing an irrigation scheme dam at a cost of  US$1 billion  in Sioma District as one way of mitigating the effects of climate change.
The project will be done particularly at community level where farmers will be trained in things like small-livestock for example village chicken rearing, vegetable gardening in strengthening the adaptive capacity.
The project aims to use the already existing structures and camp officers, who will be trained in facilitation to enable their assist famers at every stage of implementation.
It is envisaged that the results of the project can be replicated and promoted to other areas, for continued sustainability of agriculture activities in the country for purposes of food security.
Well, farmers in Sioma can now breathe a sigh of relief because they have not been left on their own to deal with the impacts of climate change, the effects of climate change on communities like these have to be understood and addressed in order to build resilience of Sioma District.
Thus, exactly what the pilot project for  climate resilience seeks to do, to integrate climate resilience into development strategies and local plans promoting participatory adaptation while complimenting other on-going activities.
As a result of drought events which seem to bit by bit,  increasing in frequency and intensity, it is wise to account for these adaptations and adjustments which seem to be difficult but indeed necessary in order to measure accurately climate change impacts in order to sustain agriculture which has become dynamic to producers and consumers who are continuously responding to changes in crop, livestock yields and technological changes.-NAIS.