More "side effects" of climate change: the Tharaka experience

I once again wish to share with you on more effects of climate change in Tharaka land, this time headed as the side effects of climate change. The point there in are all negative. I wish to continue mingling with the farmers and learn whether there are any positive points made by the climate change whatsoever.

Chabari Z.K,
Programme Coordinator, RIDEP.

More "side effects" of climate change: the Tharaka experience

Climate change has impacted more foot prints on the land in diverse ways. One may look at it only from the perspective of its relationship with the environment. This is fine but I feel that there are yet other dimensions that the effects of climate change can be observed and its impact measured.

The following story is a true experience of the climate change in Tharaka. Further, I wish to mention that these are just but some of the major points that have been pointed out by farmers as they view and narrate of the climate change and its effects on their land and day – daily life.

Climate change has:

1. Highly contributed to school drop outs especially at the secondary school level. This has been brought about by the unreliable climatic conditions thus the farmers are no longer at a position of timing themselves for the planting / sowing seasons. This is because most of the farmers in Tharaka actually depend on the rain fed agriculture for all their needs in life. One farmer told us that the "earth has become confused and it is no longer in its senses......." Here he meant that nothing is working as it used to before the man interfered with the ecosystem.

2. Due to the unreliable weather patterns, the prices of the agro products have hiked greatly (or un-conditionally fluctuating) due to the scarcity of the commodity in the market. This has become disadvantageous in the sense that the farmers have been tempted and succumbed to selling everything they had only to find themselves left with barely anything to eat let alone selling any more. This way, some products (including the indigenous seeds) have ceased from the market and or the community altogether.

3. Due to the above point (2) poverty has found its own cheap hole to penetrate and cling into the lives of the already poor and helpless farmers. This has continued to make the prone farmers tempted to indulge into more destructive ways of winning bread (such as cutting the remaining trees for charcoal burning, commercial sex, robbery etc) for their families.

4. Increased school fees. Due to the raised cost of living by the effects of the climate change, the school fee has been getting increased so as to sustain studies in the learning institutions. This again is finding more learners out of the system.

5. Divorces. The newly married couples are facing the risk of breaking away if no immediate interventions will be made. Except for those that have a reliable source of income, the rest may fade away if things will continue taking the dimensions they are as at now. This is because some fear the risk of having someone to take care of while things are falling apart. This is ranging from spouses, children and in-laws (as in the case in Tharaka)