By Bill W. Cooper
Liberia, a West African country known for its lush rain-forests and diverse wildlife, is said to be facing a major challenge precisely ‘Climate Change’ that is now threatening the livelihoods of local farmers across the country.
The effects of climate change, such as unpredictable weather seasons, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events, are already being felt in Liberia, leading to decreased in agricultural productivity and food insecurity for many rural communities.
Despite the government through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) intervention in helping to support local farmers graduate from substantial to machindize farming, the main impacts of climate change on Liberia’s agriculture sector is the changing rainfall patterns.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) continues to intervene to buttress local farmers through its Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP) and Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P).
These projects, funded by the World Bank and IFAD, gives grants to boost value chains in rice, oil palm, vegetables, animal rearing, and poultry farming, aim at encouraging increased agricultural productivity and commercialization in Liberia.
But in recent year and months, the country has experienced irregular and unpredictable rainfall, leading to droughts in some areas and floods in others.
This has made it difficult for farmers to plan their planting and harvesting seasons, resulting in lower crop yields and reduced incomes.
During a recent MOA media toured, it was observed that one of the major challenge for Liberian farmers is the increasing temperatures caused by climate change as higher temperatures can lead to heat stress in crops, reducing their growth and productivity.
Also, warmer temperatures can also create favorable conditions for pests and diseases, further threatening the health of crops and livestock while extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall, are also becoming more frequent in Liberia due to climate change.
These and many other events can cause widespread damage to crops, infrastructure, and homes, leading to food shortages and economic losses for farmers and their communities including the country at large.
Despite these challenges, several local farmers spoken to said they are however taking some frantic steps to adapt to the changing climate, thereby diversifying their crops and planting more resilient varieties that can withstand droughts and pests.
The farmers include madam Bendu Murvee representing a farming group with over 300 members living with disabilities, Elizabeth K. Mulbah, Melvin David of the A.W. Family Farm, and Samuel Johnson of the Wonyea Agro Inc., among others.
The farmers further narrated that they are adopting conservation agriculture practices, such as no-till farming and agroforestry, to improve soil health and water retention which they noted can only go so far in the face of the growing threat of climate change.
They are at the same time calling on government and international organizations for more supports and resources in order to effectively address the impacts of climate change on the country’s agriculture sector.
Meanwhile, amidst the government plans and fight against climate change, more needs to be done to ensure that local farmers have the tools and knowledge they need to adapt to the changing climate.
International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, can also play a key role in supporting Liberia’s efforts to address climate change through the provision of funding, technical assistance, and capacity building among others.
