February is normally one of the driest months in Kenya and Uganda, with most farmers in the East Africa region using the time to prepare their farms.
The dry period usually paves way for the long rains that over the years have begun from March to May. But this year, the norm has been flipped as heavy rains unexpectedly hit the region catching millions of farmers unaware. With the heavy rains pounding most parts of the country, a good number of farmers have rushed to plant while others have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.The heavy rains that have been attributed to the effects of climatic changes have left millions of farmers in a dilemma.”I don’t know whether I should plant now or not. It is a tricky situation because I may plant beans and maize then the rains disappear in March when they are supposed to be there,” said Geoffrey Ambuche, a farmer in Kitale, western Kenya.
The rains, according to Ambuche, have not only thrown Kenyan farmers in dilemma but also interfered with farm preparation activities. “Most farmers in breadbasket regions like ours use tractors to till their land but with the heavy rains, this becomes a challenge due to the poor road network,” he said. Tilling during the rainy season further slows down the work due to the heavy soil. In Uganda, the country is also experiencing heavy rains at a time when there should be a dry spell.The Uganda National Meteorological Authority has attributed the heavy rains in the country to climate variability.Just as in Kenya, it advised farmers not to rush to plant as the rains would stop soon.
In Kenya, farmers who have delayed planting have cited past experiences, where the rains disappeared as soon as they planted.”People fear losing their investment. You buy seeds and fertilizer, hire people to till the land, plant and then the rains stop. It has happened before,” said Peter Kariuki, a farmer from Murang’a, noting it costs at least 10,000 shillings (91.4 U.S. dollars) to plant maize and beans on an acre. Kenya and Uganda have two rainy seasons, the first starts in March to May and the second from October to December. The rest of the period is usually dry but these seasons are no longer predictable thanks to climate change.
Beatrice Macharia, an agronomist with Growth Point, an agro-consultancy in Kajiado, south of Nairobi, said the erratic rainfall pattern would affect agricultural activities as farmers take a cautious approach towards the economic activity.”Neither the meteorological department nor the traditional forecasters are getting it right anymore when it comes to the weather changes due to climate change. This means farmers cannot plan adequately,” she said.
