Experts in agricultural development have established Climate change as one of the major phenomena that can lead to low productivity in agriculture if care is not taken. Scientists are working around the clock to find ways and means to eliminate or reduce the impact on agriculture.
The impact on agriculture has already been felt. Crops are establishing low yields because of frequent drought and reoccurrence of diseases in plants and animals due to human activities.
It is therefore imperative for farmers to understand and respond to appropriate measures to reduce the effects on livelihoods therefore, the activity to train farmers on the Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture and adopt climate smart agriculture to enhance productivity.
OBJECTIVE
4.0. SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF LAND AND ENVIRONMENT
ACTIVITY: 4.2.1.1. Train 100 farmer’s women and the youth on climate smart agriculture
Output: 100 farmers trained
Communities: Hweda, Akropong, Gyankrom, Brofoyedur
Extension Methods Used: talk, group discussion, brain storming
Training Topic: Climate smart agriculture
Training Objectives: at the end of the training participants will
- Understand the concept of climate change
- Effects of climate in crops and animals production
- Mitigating Measures
- Adaptation Measures
- Climate smart agricultural activities
Extension methods used- community Information centers, discussion
Key points during training at the end of the training participants will understand
- The concept of climate change
- Climate change simple put refers to any change in cimate over time, whether due to natural change or as a result of human activity
- Climate change makes it very difficult to predict the weather a key in factor in agriculture
- What brings about climate change include emission of green- house gases by human activities include, improper use of fertilizer and pesticides, de-afforestation, indiscriminate burning.
- Impacts of climate change on crops, animals and fish production
- Small scale farmers including women and the youth are most effected
- Some farmers have lost all their investment through floods and droughts
- Ecosystems affected – water, forest, natural enemies
- Reduction in natural pasture due to perennial droughts
- Increased in diseases and pest as some pests have become resistance to chemicals
- Increased in diseases in livestock
- High mortality rate in livestock
- Endanger of some species
- Extinct of species of animals
- Drying of some water bodies
- Reduction in the population of fishes and other life in the sea, and other water bodies
- Some Mitigating Measures: these are activities that farmers carry out which do not contribute to climate change issues
- Agro forestry
- Land and water management
- Safe and correct use of agro chemicals
- Integrated pest management
- Integrated soil management
- Afforestation
- Reduce burning
- Rotational grazing
- Some adaptation Measures
- Adopt Good agricultural practices in crops and livestock production
- Cultivation of high yielding varieties
- Early maturing varieties
- Drought tolerant varieties
- Diseases resistant crops and animals
- Agriculture diversification
- irrigation
Outcome
- after the training farmers agreed to the important of adopting both the mitigation and adaptive measures
- farmers appealed to the trainers to train them more in the measures
- farmers also agreed to plant trees on their compounds and their farms
Post training
The agric department in collaboration with Ghana Forestry Commission supplied farmers with 5,052 seedlings of mahogany and cassia as adaptation measures to climate change.
This was a follow up to farmers at the training agreed to plant trees on their compounds and farms
Attendance
Male: 56
Female: 52
Total: 108
