Lebialem – Farmers Lament Over Crops Destruction By Dry Spells

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Farmers in the locality of M’mouck Leteh, a village situated in the Lebialem Division, South West Region of Cameroon have complained that inadequate rains have led to the destruction of their food crops, and a subsequent rise in price.

For the past five years, farmers in M’mouck Leteh, a locality famous for the production of basic food crops like Irish potatoes, Cabbage, carrots, poireau, garlics, and onions say that they have been losing crops and money because of unpredictable rainfall. Sometimes the rains start and then stop within a month, causing crops to fail. Sometimes the rainy season lasts for more than six months.

Weather patterns have changed so much that farmers can no longer predict when the rains will start or stop. “Honestly, I don’t know when to plant anymore It depends on the farming population of the village.. If I see many people carrying their hoes to the farm, I carry mine too. This is because I cannot tell on my own when the right time for planting is,” Chantal Djuikem, a farmer in this area said.

Farmers in this village customarily plant in March, when they expect the rains to start. In the past five years however, rains have started late, stopped early, or run long. Sometimes they start and then stop after only a few days, causing crops to wither.

Once withered, these farmers are obliged to replant them with another budget. They do not with hopes that climate conditions work in their favour, which is not always the case.

This is the ugly experience Chantal Djuikem has been experiencing. After she planted her crops last year, the rains stopped and her crops languished. When she replanted, a hailstorm destroyed them, amounting to heavy losses.

This year, she waited for the rains to start and then planted her crops in late March. The rains stopped a few days later and resumed in May. “This year, it rained quite all right, and this caused us to plant. All of a sudden, the rains stopped and our crops died as a result. This gave us double work, because we had to plant again,” Chantal Djuikem further said.

Flaubert Tchio, a renowned farmer in this area cried that “We lose time and money because of this climate change. I have lost not less than Fcfa10.000.000 within the past five years because of climatic instability. I’ve become a debtor. I tried and fail, yet I keep trying with hopes.

My farm is my own office. That is where my money comes from. Even if climate change continues to damage my crops, I will pick up the courage to keep planting because that is where I get money to support my family.”

Flaubert Tchio says he has heard people say the unsteady rains are caused by climate change. While he says he does not understand the scientific details of climate change, he knows that the changes he has seen on a daily basis over the past five years are potentially devastating to him and other farmers.

Experts attribute the change in climate to global warming. They advise farmers to adapt to the changing weather patterns by planting when it rains and replanting when their crops die.

According to Tansi Laban, one time regional delegate of the Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat close to the Earth, causing global temperatures to rise.

Food production in this area has dropped by about 20 percent, causing an increase in consumer food prices. This could explain why major cities in Cameroon like Yaoundé and Douala are experiencing an increase in food prices. Food crops produced by these farmers are usually exported and sold in these cities.

Because food prices go up when supply does not meet demand, such climate irregularities force families to spend more on food.

This population pleads with the government and environmental organizations to thoroughly study climate change in Cameroon and pass on their knowledge to farmers.

In the meantime, farmers in M’mouck Leteh say that they will continue growing crops despite the challenges posed by climate change.

Ingrid KENGNE

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