Climate change.
When the deadly drought began in 2023, James Lotani a farmer at Timau, Meru County found himself between a rock and a hard place as his crops dried up due to extreme drought. His crops were severely destroyed.
Lotani had to devise ways to fight drought and move away from rain-dependent agriculture. He constructed a water harvesting pan to store water during the rainy season. He said the water reservoir has enabled him to do agriculture all year long.
“These water reservoirs help me during drought season because I have enough water to irrigate my crops. We collect water during the rainy season. In 2023, my crops were destroyed by drought which affected me financially,” he said.
While Lotani has found a way to do farming despite effects of climate change, many other farmers have found themselves on the receiving end of the deadly drought which ravaged their crops leaving them with no source of income and livelihoods.
Climate change and poverty
A recent World Bank report revealed that climate change is likely to pull 100 million people into poverty by 2030.
With SubSahara Africa contributing to the highest number of people living below poverty line (244 million), climate change is likely to worsen the situation given that most of these people depend on agriculture for sustenance.
The same agriculture is being ravaged by climate change which is alternating from extreme droughts to floods, both destroying crops and killing livestock.
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In 2023, Kenya experienced the longest drought spell in 40 years and followed by extreme floods. The government spent Sh100 billion in mitigation and food relief programs.
According to the World Bank, there is a need for rapid and inclusive development to tackle climate-induced poverty.
“Rapid and inclusive development can be seen as an adaptation itself since it substantially reduces climate change impact on poverty,” the report reads.
Rapid adaptation would include growing drought resistant crops and effective water use.
