Due to the changes in weather patterns as a result of climate change, farmers in Eastern Cape have suffered heavy losses in turnover since October last year.
They have been unable to produce as intended, particularly seasonal produce such as potatoes.
The farmers we spoke to understand how the changing climate is affecting them.
They said heavy rains affected the planting season, and cost them a fortune since they had to re-plough after the rains uprooted seeds.
Anele Maqhubelan, a 34-year-old farmer from Port St Johns, was supposed to have started planting last year, but was delayed by the heavy rains and only started ploughing this year.
He said that he could not produce anything.
The challenge was that when the crops started growing, the rain came back and flooded them, resulting in the need for him to plough again.
This happened as he was about to begin harvesting his first harvest.
“From my observation, cabbage is in demand most, especially in rural areas, and its price has gone up. The reason for that is the scarcity of cabbage due to the unfavourable heavy rains,” he said
“In my view, or my plan for the future, I would prefer using greenhouses than to plant on open land as we have no control over the weather, and I believe they would mitigate the weather impact on the crops.”
Hillary Pachena, a farmer based in Kaplan village in Mthatha, said the growth of crops will be delayed, and the terrible weather will affect his 22 staff members, as he will not be able to compensate them well due to low profit margins.
“We never sold any cabbages during December and January, and that’s because they all got rotten because of the rain.
“This will have a serious impact, especially now that KwaZulu-Natal has been hit as well by similar weather.
“The province probably supplies 50% of the cabbages and vegetables that the Eastern Cape receives daily, especially in Mthatha.”
The desperate farmers say that the agricultural department’s programmes do not necessarily get them out of financial trouble, suggesting the creation of a board that can represent them so their issues can be tabled and solutions found.
“In the province where maize is the staple food, climate change has greatly affected its production as there seems to be evidence of shifts in the planting dates,” said Dr Mongezi Mbangcolo, food security deputy-director at the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.
“… The effects of climate change have resulted in delays in the onset of the first rains that are necessary for planting.
“This has affected farmers that produce green mealies, which are normally planted from September to October.”
He added that the advantages of climate resilient agriculture is that it contributes to poverty reduction, enhancement of biodiversity, increased agricultural productivity and the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector.
The department has installed weather stations in catchment areas in Eastern Cape to monitor climatic data for planning and advisory purposes.
- This story was produced through the Youth Citizen Journalism Fellowship, an initiative of the Rural Action for Climate Resilience
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