The agricultural farmer community across the globe is enduring the slings and arrows of altered climates with due regards to vagaries in weather, prolonged drought conditions, destructive floods and increased thermal heat. As stewards of the land, farmers are not passive spectators to this violence, they are at the center of the turmoil, which demands urgent attention. The appeal for climate financing seems to be even more pressing considering the fact that farmers expect to obtain means to avert disaster, to progress and to sustain the farming industry in the face of deepening issues. Climate finance is important for farmers because it can efficiently solve the problems that are most pressing to them.
An Overview of the Climate Change Patterns: The Changing Patterns of Weather. The most dramatic change that the world over observes is the weather. However, for agricultural producers this transformation spells out serious consequences: * Promised output for crops seems unrealistic due to overflooding or extended days without rainfall. * Due to the disruption of planting and harvesting periods, market supply is negatively affected which leads to reduced profit margins for agricultural producers. * Conventional types of agriculture that rely on climatic factors that are time-bound and cyclical have cropped out of favor.
Soil Degradation Over time, weather events such as storms, snow, heavy rains, hurricanes, etc cause soil erosion, soil quality, and nutrient content to deteriorate resulting in decreased farmland. In recent times, many agriculturalists have been forced to seek ways to be able to maintain their levels of production without use of costly alternatives. Water Scarcity Even in the recent past, water scarcity has emerged as an area of annoyance owing to the fact that rivers are going dry and ground water sources are being depleted.
Irrigated agriculture is at risk more than ever and even more so in the regions where the rainfall is quite erratic.
Increased Incidence of Pests and Diseases Due to Climatic Changes
Extreme climate conditions have increased the pests and diseases spread which result in increased costs for farmers who have to manage such pests, thus adding to their already stressed resources.
What does climate finance entails?
Climate finance refers to the funding which is directed towards helping people, communities, and governments deal with the impacts of climate change. Such investments include:
Sources of Climate Finance:
Mitigation: Projects seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Adaptation: Projects that seek to improve the ability of people to cope with the effects of climate change.
Due to the fact of addressing predominant challenges that farmers face in improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food availability for many, adaptation-oriented climate finance is of utmost importance to the farmers.
Factors that make Climate Finance imperative for Farmers
Technology Adoption Climate finance can enable farmers to switch to sustainable agricultural practices like:
Agroecological farming systems: The use of crop and livestock and natural systems with an aim of increasing productivity while conserving the biodiversity.
Conservation Practices: practices that reduce tillage, conserving moisture and inhibiting loss of top soil.
Crop Rotation: An effective measure of climate change related failure.
In future the development of new agricultural technologies, including precision farming tools, drip irrigation, as well as meteorological forecasting tools will greatly enhance resilience to the risks.
Nonetheless, these technologies are often way too expensive for small-scale farmers to adopt.
There are possibilities of using water harvesting systems, storage and climate-resilient road systems to reduce the impacts of extreme weather changes on agricultural practices.
Insurance Acquisition Climate finance has the potential to enable low-cost crop insurance initiatives that will protect farmers from enormous losses and provide a cushion to them.
Women farmers’ empowerment In many regions, women are among the major players in the agricultural sector. Women farmers can effectively contribute towards food security if targeted climate financing programmes provide them with resources, skills and market access.
Global Responsibilities
Farmers can’t be expected to adjust to changes caused by climate change all on their own. This is an obligation that should be shared amongst all countries. Wealthy countries have a large carbon footprint and should increase their support to vulnerable regions which have small carbon emissions.
Global Responsibilities As emphasized in the Paris Agreement, there is a need for funds to complement climate-friendly economic development.
Rich countries made a promise of providing $100 billion annually to support climate initiatives in developing countries by 2020. As we speak, that target has not been met.
The Function of Governments and Institutions Disbursements by national governments in agriculture must therefore prioritize the building of climate-resilient agriculture systems. There is a need for the creation of farmer-centred finance mechanisms by the World Bank and regional development banks.
Success Stories: Integration of Climate Finance
Kenya: The Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project is financed by the World Bank and it has helped thousands of farmers adopt sustainable practices, increasing their yields as well as their resilience.
In India, micro-irrigation projects supported by climate funds helped conserve water and improve productivity in dry areas.
Peru: This has been done through a community-based forestry program that has restored degraded areas improving soil and water resources for agriculture.
The way ahead
As climate summits and forums take place, voices of the farmers must not be overlooked. Such skills enable farmers to cope with the changing climate and secure food for the world. For every dollar spent on climate finance for farmers there is a contribution towards a better future for all.
Assessment
The food producers of the world are the farmers, but they happen to be the most vulnerable to climate changes. Climate finance is no longer simply an issue consumed with how agriculture can be sustained; it involves agriculture, ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
By listening to farmers and empowering them to adapt to the situation, the world can take important actions to solve one of the biggest problems of this time.
If you are interested for more: “Voices from the Fields: Why Farmers Are Calling for Urgent Climate Finance” “Liverpool and Newcastle Thrill Fans with a 3-3 Draw in Premier League Classic at St James’ Park”