The USA Division of Agriculture (USDA) has forecasted that the implications of local weather change on the nation’s agriculture shall be dire within the coming years.
The Division projected that Ghana will needn’t lower than US$ 160m yearly to deal with the affect of local weather change on agriculture.
In its 2023 Ghana Local weather Change Report beneath the Local weather Change/World Warming/Meals Safety class, the USDA indicated that local weather change is already affecting the nation’s water sources as a result of drought and potential floods publicity, even from neighbouring international locations.
“Ghana shall be experiencing adjustments in temperature, rainfall patterns and elevated frequency and depth of maximum climate occasions reminiscent of floods, droughts and storms. These impacts have important implications for the nation’s economic system, meals safety and livelihoods of its folks” the report stated.
To deal with these challenges, the USDA recommends acceptable actions to be adopted together with an built-in strategy to agriculture – which the Division stated may run into billions of {dollars} yearly if the combat towards local weather change is to yield any constructive outcomes.
“Ghana should undertake a drastic environmental administration strategy, improve danger preparedness, promote sustainable power manufacturing, modernise transport methods and construct extra resilient infrastructure methods,” the USDA famous.
Certainly, the World Financial institution estimates that the yearly price to fund and preserve interventions like these talked about above shall be roughly US$2billion a yr
In accordance with the World Financial institution, rising temperatures are projected to decrease yields in main staple crops – for instance, cassava yields are projected to fall by 29.6 p.c by 2080 and corn yields by seven p.c by 2050.
Rising temperatures are additionally more likely to improve the presence of pests and illnesses which may additionally result in crop failure and diminished yields. Appropriate areas for cocoa manufacturing, primarily alongside the coast, are additionally lowering as a result of temperature improve, floods, soil salinisation, continued coastal erosion and galamsey.
The present state of affairs
Present happenings in Ghana’s agriculture area have corroborated the USDA report and World Financial institution forecasts.
Latest experiences proved that hectares of maize and different cereal cultivations within the nation’s Northern sector are at the moment being destroyed by drought and dry climate circumstances.
Since June this yr, the state of maize farms within the Northern Area has left many farmers shocked – maybe worst within the final decade – as these agrarians ponder over makeshift options to salvage the state of affairs.
Equally, dry climate circumstances within the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Areas have put the center belt agriculture zone right into a extreme emergency, as farms in these areas are at the moment plagued with military worms.