11/04/2024
The Zambian meteorologists in my personal opinion are the biggest let down. I wish someone would foresee these late rains that have gone to waste.
We are going to have little food as a country because the rain pattern we were used to suddenly changed. However, we could still look for and find solutions under pressure...
In a hungry country like Zambia, politicians are very quick to channel funds towards useless fight against corruption which ends in the government being a laughing stock and ACC apologizing to the probables of the crime...
If that energy was used to channel funds into useful ventures such as irrigation, research and implementation, etc, we can have something tangible as a country to look upon.
Did we expect these rains or not? I don't know, but watching tv will show how the weather focust is being told, yet no action towards finding better ways to feed your people, just shouting "yaayayyaaa" in parliament where did we go wrong as Africa? lol. Even those who went to shines to find out how rain would be are better off than hallelujah with hunger.(note that I believe in God).
Here some few steps that can help us overcome times like this.
1. Irrigation: These Waters could be harvested and used for irrigation purposes. an individual may find it difficult but government cannot fail. surely!
2. Crop diversification: Zambians think only maize is edible, with time they'll have no option but to eat various food from various crops. we can look at other crops that can easily adapt to our situation such as cassava which takes more than one season to mature and it's difficult for a rain pattern to disturb the yield. Millet, sorghum, are one of the crops we need government to step in and work in collaboration with Meteorologists to see how best farmers can grow.
3. Open market for all crops: There are countries that appreciate the crops we laugh at in this country. For example, do you think countries like DRC can fail to buy cassava?
Government can step up and take charge of such, rather than focusing on maize which may soon prove to be a challenge to grow due to climate change.
There's nothing spiritual about the droughts. Even historically, the world suffered the drought before and it took Egypt to save them .. With management, Egypt fed almost the whole world at that time. Does it mean it was raining in Egypt? no! it's because the Egyptians were fore told and knew that implementation is better than watching the situation worsen.
I strongly believe that we are suffering because we don't want to try a new challenge, and we are stuck with one crop, we are not willing to change and we grow maize for survival and not for living.
Zambian meteorologists wake up and tell the people what is expected and am sure a percentage of them have some solution to their problem. Everyone who is on government payroll owes us a duty 💯.
To the ministry of agriculture, sensitization is needed now more than ever before. People should learn the benefits of crop diversification and enforce government to open the domestic and foreign market to encourage more growth which is a great move to crop diversification, food security and money circulation.
Just speaking my mind hope I won't end up somewhere bad but somewhere good because of this write up.
God help us, we need to change.
-Evergreen Farmer
